Juan Carlos Cobian was an Argentinian pianist born in Pigüé in 1896, and raised in Bahía Blanca. He moved to Buenos Aires in 1913, and by 1920 he was already a very successful composer, with his tangos recorded by the greatest names in the genre, Roberto Firpo, Francisco Canaro and Carlos Gardel. In 1922 he recorded with Osvaldo Fresedo’s Sextet, including 7 of his own compositions. The next year, in February 1923 he formed his own Sextet with no less than Pedro Mario Maffia and Luis Petrucelli on bandoneons; Julio de Caro and Agesilao Ferrazzano on violins; and Humberto Costanzo on the double-bass. They recorded 35 tracks for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Suddenly, just six months later in August 1923, Cobian dissolved his group and moved to New York. Cobian’s career was on a meteoric rise and, at 27 years of age, it almost ended.
1. Preliminary: the Cadícamo stories
Cobian returned to Buenos Aires in 1928, and died in 1953. Almost 20 years later, in 1972, Enrique Cadícamo, the great poet and tango lyricist, wrote the novel-biography “El desconocido Juan Carlos Cobian” (The unknown Juan Carlos Cobian). Cadícamo was good friends with Cobian and wrote the lyrics for many of Cobian’s most famous compositions, including A pan y agua, Los mareados, Nostalgias and Niebla del Riachuelo. Cadícamo’s memoir of Cobian’s trip to New York is filled with anecdotes that deserve closer inspection.
Concepción A. did not go to the pier in Hoboken to welcome Cobian on September 3. Cadícamo says that Cobian stayed at the Hotel Victoria in Manhattan, but the original Hotel Victoria was demolished in 1914. The new Hotel Victoria (on 7th Avenue at 51st Street) opened in July 1928, and was a popular destination in the Theater District. The question remains unresolved.
Ennio Bolognini was an Argentinian classical cellist that was also Firpo’s sparring partner, and stayed with him on West 94th Street, in the Upper West Side. Ennio was brother of Ástor and Remo Bolognini, accomplished violinists and good friends with Cobian and Fresedo. Roberto Medrano, the Argentine Tango dancer and a friend of Fresedo, was close with Firpo too, and visited frequently. Cobian was really surrounded by friends, and went to the bout (presumably with Bolognini and Medrano) with words of support for Firpo. After the fight, Firpo and his friends went to Perona's Restaurant in The Village to dance Tango.
To end the Tour, from November 22 through November 29 at least, Valentino was in New York as Judge in a National Beauty Contest. He stayed with his wife Natacha Rambova (and not Jean Acker as Cadícamo says), and his entourage at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (now the Empire State Building). Cadícamo tells us that Valentino was taking a break from film-making, and rehearsing for a pseudo-Argentinian play called “The Wild Gaucho” at the Rooftop Garden of the Hotel. The Beauty Contest took place on November 28 in Madison Square Garden, and featured the Paul Whiteman Orchestra. Presumably Cobian advised Valentino on the right Tango to dance (El choclo), but there is no record of Valentino dancing at the contest itself. Finally, Cadícamo tells us that Cobian was with Valentino's Orchestra for 8 weeks, but the dates do not add up.
Cobian got himself a job, playing with an “Argentine Band” at the Hotel McAlpin. The musicians in this group were mostly Italians. The McAlpin is a New York landmark, still standing today in Herald Square (Broadway at 34th Street), one block from the original Waldorf-Astoria. But there is nothing on the New York press of the era that suggests that the McAlpin was used as a cabaret, or that an Argentine band played there.
Cadícamo also suggests that Cobian was there simply as the pianist at the bar. Maybe he did both? In February 1925 the Radio Station WMCA opened, and its studios were located inside the McAlpin Hotel. Maybe Cobian played for WMCA? Maybe he played with his own Orchestra? The McAlpin's Roof Garden and El Patio Room were also opened to guests, and there were some parties there after 1925, but we don’t really know what exactly was Cobian's role there if any. The McAlpin story is very hard to corroborate.
In the same place Cobian met Luis Sepúlveda, a Mexican journalist that became good friends and wrote the lyrics for Cobian’s tango Lamento pampeano.
2. Cobian with Cortez and Peggy in 1924
Esteban (Stephen) Cortez and Peggy Barthen, were a couple of ballroom dancers from New York known simply as “Cortez and Peggy”.
They were very popular since around 1917 and on occasion they danced Tango. In May 1924 they went to France
and toured for months to much acclaim until mid-September. Then, hot on the heels of their success abroad, on October 12 they appeared at the famed Hippodrome Theater, on 6th Avenue between 43rd and 44th street. Perhaps inspired by their exposure to Tango dancing and orchestras in France, they decided to give a break to Cobian and his Argentine Orchestra. Did Cobian form his Orchestra at that moment, or did he have one already? We don’t know, but Cadícamo suggests he was playing with groups since 1923.
The Hippodrome was huge, one of the great temples of the Era of Vaudeville. There is no known record of the names of the musicians on the Argentine Orchestra that night, nor what they played, but judging for the continuity of the partnership between Cobian and Cortez and Peggy we think the show was very successful.
Cobian played at the Hippodrome again in Christmas, accompanying Annette Mills and Robert Sielle.
The opening of Ciro’s, a knockoff of the original Ciro’s in Paris located next to Carnegie Hall, took place on December 29. Cobian and Ben Bernie played that night, and Cortez and Peggy danced.
3. Cobian in 1925: on the Vaudeville circuit
Vaudevillians often travelled to theaters far from New York, sometimes to give form to their shows before bringing them back to Broadway. On March 5 we find Cortez and Peggy in Poughkeepsie, at the now defunct Rialto Theater. Curiously, Cobian’s group used the sobriquet “Havana Orchestra”.
On March 22 Cobian moved to the Riviera Theater in Brooklyn. This time he accompanied the Spanish dancing couple The Marinos, and the Spanish tenor José Moriche. Moriche recorded in New York since 1922, and had a prolific career in the recording studio with Victor, Columbia, Okeh, and Vocalion and Brunswick. Between 1924 and 1928 he recorded more than 250 tracks. Moriche went on to appear in several Gardel movies in the 1930s.
On April 20, Cobian appeared with José Moriche and The Marinos at Keith-Albee's in Baltimore, Maryland, and on the 25th they were at the Lyric Theater in Richmond, VA.
In early May Cobian was back in Brooklyn with The Marinos, at the Flatbush Theater.
From June 7 through June 11 they were at the New Brighton Theater in Coney Island,
but on June 8 they did one show in Newark, New Jersey.
On July 12 we find the troupe at the Chateau Theater in Chicago. Cobian is not credited by name but Cadícamo includes anecdotes about Chicago, and we think he was there with Moriche and The Marinos.
But when Moriche and The Marinos were in Minneapolis at the end of the month, Cobian was not with them anymore. In late July we find Cobian in a Radio listing, at Newark's WOR Station with Juan Pulido, the great Spanish baritone. Pulido was friends and recorded duets with José Moriche, and had a similarly prolific recording career in New York. In 1925 Pulido was active recording for Victor. María Montero, the famous Spanish dancer, was at the Radio station too.
In July or August 1925, Carlos Cruz commissioned the recording of two tracks to aid his Tango classes. Cruz was a dancer and teacher, and came from Paris to New York in 1923. He worked with Fred LeQuorne, who was well known for his Dancing Studio on 1658 Broadway (52nd Street), where Tango was taught in Manhattan since at least 1924.
Cobian sat solo at the piano and recorded two of his own compositions.
4. Cobian in 1926
On April 14, 1926, the Port Chester Daily Item reported that at the Loews State Theater in White Plains Ramón and Rosita would bring their Tango dancing with “Carlos Cobian and his famous Argentine Orchestra”.
We think that Cobian also played at Ciro's with Rosita and Ramón. The show then moved to B. F. Keith’s Bushwick Theater in Brooklyn (Broadway and Howard Ave.) and played there until mid-May.
This New York landmark is still standing.
5. The Columbia recordings in early 1928
On February 13, 1927, Cobian appeared once again with his old friends with Cortez and Peggy at B. F. Keith's Theater in Washington. Cortez and Peggy were trying on a comeback of sorts in the US after a year in England. José Moriche was there too.
They then traveled back North, and on February 26, 1927 they appeared at the Mosque Theater in Newark, New Jersey. Incidentally, José Bohr and his Gauchos played the same venue the previous week. This is the last known Cobian appearance in the American Press of the era.
On June 9, 1927, the Shamokin News Dispatch (Pennsylvania) reported that Cortez and Peggy were in town at the Capitol Theater. We think this is the last live show by Cobian in the US. He is not credited by name.
The trail of Cobian goes dead cold in the US Press after this performance. In the Summer of 1927 Moriche was singing with a new group, and Cortez and Peggy were busy with their new show "A night in Spain", but we have no evidence that Cobian was in that show.
In February 1928 we have an indirect reference to Cobian's credited recordings with Columbia in a Radio listing. Genaro Veiga (El Cholo) came to New York with José Bohr and his band The Gauchos on December 1926, and stayed when the Gauchos disbanded. Judging by the Columbia matrix numbers, Cobian recorded these tracks in January/February 1928. In addition, Columbia records show two "test recordings" on January 19 (W175289) and February 9 (W175524) respectively, but no additional info is given for those.
Date | Title | Genre | Group | Singer | Composer | Lyrics | Label | Matrix | Disc |
February 1928 | Che, papusa, oí | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Santos Discépolo, Enrique | Columbia | W96282 | 2953-X | ||
February 1928 | Gato | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Petrone, César | Petrone, César | Columbia | W96283 | 2951-X |
February 1928 | No te asustes, fue un suspiro | Fox Trot | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Petrone, César | Columbia | 2951-X | |||
February 1928 | La prisionera | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Gómez, S. A. | Gómez, S. A. | Columbia | W96290 | 2953-X |
February 1928 | Mujer de fuego | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Petrone, César | Preenter, Oscar | Columbia | W96291 | 2952-X |
February 1928 | Mi linda salteña | Zamba | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Fernández Facón, Julio | Fernández Facón, Julio | Columbia | W96300 | 2954-X |
February 1928 | Visiones de la pampa | Vals | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Calvello, Miguel | Columbia | W96301 | 2954-X | ||
February 1928 | Manojo de claveles | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Columbia | W96306 | 2952-X | ||
February 1928 | Adiós muchachos | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Sanders, Julio | Vedani, César F. | Columbia | W96318 | 2993-X |
February 1928 | Añoranza campera | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Cimaglia, Próspero | Díaz Vélez, Felisa | Columbia | W96319 | 2992-X |
February 1928 | Pinta brava | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Charlo | Charlo | Columbia | W96320 | 2990-X |
February 1928 | ¡Batí que sí! | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Genaro Veiga | Fernández Facón, Julio | Fernández Facón, Julio | Columbia | W96321 | 2990-X |
February 1928 | América | Pasodoble | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Cimaglia, Próspero | Columbia | W96322 | 2992-X | ||
February 1928 | Francesita | Fox Trot | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Bonavena, Antonio | Columbia | 2991-X | |||
February 1928 | Caminando por Florida | Fox Trot | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Carulli, A. | Columbia | 2991-X |
6. Epilogue: back home
We don’t quite know what Cobian’s reception was like in Buenos Aires on June 6. The members of his old Sextet were already directing their own Sextets. Since they were all Victor artists some were allowed to record with Cobian in his new Orchestra, which included:
Bandoneons: Luis Petrucelli - Ciriaco Ortiz - Luis Minervini
Violins: Agesilao Ferrazzano - Elvino Vardaro - Fausto Frontera
Contrabajo: Humberto Costanzo
Piano: Juan Carlos Cobian
Singer: Francisco Fiorentino
These are educated guesses, there are many conflicting versions as to who was where and when. In some recordings we can hear 4 violins, in others 4 bandoneons. A contrabassoon is heard in El marcao, a trumpet in Ladrón. These Victor recordings are presumed to have been made around July 1928, Osvaldo Fresedo must have heard them before he went to Paris.
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80916 A | BAVE-44212 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Frontera, Fausto | Victor | 80916 B | BAVE-44213 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80917 A | BAVE-44214 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Ortiz, Ciriaco | Victor | 80917 B | BAVE-44215 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80918 A | BAVE-44216 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Puleio, Saverio | Victor | 80918 B | BAVE-44217 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80919 A | BAVE-44218 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Cluzeau Mortet, Luis | Victor | 80919 B | BAVE-44219 | ||
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80920 A | BAVE-44220 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Mottolesse, Luis | Victor | 80920 B | BAVE-44221 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Cobian, Juan Carlos | Victor | 80921 A | BAVE-44222 | |
July 1928 | Tango | Orquesta Típica Cobian | Francisco Fiorentino | Vanzina Pacheco, Guido | Victor | 80921 B | BAVE-44223 |
But Cobian’s career never quite took off as was expected. His compositions are classics, but as a recording artist his output after his return from New York was meager. Cobian probably did not know it at the time, but the Era of Vaudeville that he was part of in New York would soon come to an end. As Sound Film became the new game in Town most Vaudeville theaters either closed, or had to be repurposed for new forms of Entertainment. The Show had to go on.
Notes
1. In researching this story we discovered that paying attention to the dancers' careers went a long way in telling the stories of the musicians. The dancers were the draw of the show back then. As we dived into the career of Rosita and Ramón in particular, we found new information regarding their role in Osvaldo Fresedo's trip to New York in 1929 and updated that story and also Fresedo in Paris. The tale of Cortez and Peggy in 1924 is very similar to the tale of Rosita and Ramón in 1929: both couples were booked through Summer in Europe and hit Biarritz and Paris and other cities, and came back to New York in the Fall to strut their new Argentinian Tango moves on the American dance floors. And all of them wanted an "Argentine Orchestra".
2. Of all the open questions, no one is more perplexing than Cobian's apparent lack of contact with so many other Tango people in New York at the time (really, it can't be possible). Don Alberto Infantas played the violin for Fresedo in 1920 in New York, and was also a friend of Luis Ángel Firpo, but Cobian did not work with him? The same can be said about Roberto Medrano, him and Infantas were Cobian's contacts when he arrived in New York, but there is no information whatsoever about them working together.
Where was Cobian in the fall of 1925, 1926 and 1927? It seems logical that he went on Vaudeville tours, it's what Tango performers did back then, even Cadícamo confirms it. We looked for every Spanish dancer performing in the Northeast from 1923 through 1928 to no avail. From fall 1923 through 1924, Alberto Infantas went on a Vaudeville tour with the revue Cabaret in Cuba, they had Tango dancers and a Spanish singer and dancer. Also, from 1924 through 1926 Fidel Irazábal and Mlle Emilia Delirio (who previously danced with Roberto Medrano) toured with an Argentine band, and with a Spanish singer in the revue Dreamy Spain, the formula was popular. And finally, Alberto de Lima toured in 1924 around the US and Canada, with the revue Land of Tango, they also had a singer. Elements of the stories of these revues are similar to Cadícamo's tale of Concepción A., but none quite add up.
4. Cadícamo wrote a lot about Cobian's character and his love life. The story of the couplet singer had legs, and Cobian was known to be a bon-vivant. We think most of it is trite, but one quote stood out: "The only true aristocracy is intelligence itself".
Acknowledgements
1. Camilo Gatica for his continuing support and listening and advising.
2. Pablo Taboada and Osvaldo Vardaro for additional details about Cobian’s return to Buenos Aires.
3. Lola ❤️
Bibliography
1. Enrique Cadícamo's "El desconocido Juan Carlos Cobian"
SADAIC / Colección Testimonios
2. The newspaper La Prensa (in microfilm)
https://www.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/bib/b12639161
3. Walter Groppa wrote an interesting exploration of Cadícamo’s tale of Cobian in New York for Tango Reporter Magazine
https://web.archive.org/web/20090213085218/http://128.121.102.250/nota-cobian.html
4. Cinema Treasures is a invaluable resource about the theaters of the Vaudeville era and the old movie houses
5. The Strachwitz Frontera Collection is an indispensable resource
http://frontera.library.ucla.edu
6. The Discography of American Historical Recordings
https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/resources/detail/191