For many gringos, the idea of an open mic night conjures images of off-key hippie types lumbering through clunky Bob Dylan covers in a boho coffee house in some nameless college town. But on Tuesday nights at Gitano Restobar in San Telmo, a rotating cast of porteño, expat, and backpacker musicians turn this stereotype on its head, producing a show reflects the diversity of an international magnet city like Buenos Aires.

On a chilly Tuesday in late June, a dozen groups of musicians and individual performers took the stage to play everything from Spanish-language blues to heavy prog rock into the wee hours. The crowd was similarly diverse, with tables of Argentines and foreigners alike listening to the music over beer and burgers.

The night definitely featured an overabundance of crowd-pleasing covers (everything from Paul Simon to Radiohead to the Kinks), but the overall musicianship was markedly high. And while the performers and the composition of the crowd obviously change from week to week, this kind of musical and cultural mingling is exactly what musician Bronson Tennis, 26, had in mind when he started the event last December.

After arriving in Buenos Aires from Philadelphia, Tennis noticed a conspicuous lack of US-style open mic nights despite the city’s huge arts scene.

“There are so many musicians in BA: the porteños, the expats like myself, and the backpackers,” he said. “I saw that there was a need for people to get together and play, either beginning musicians who needed stage time or more established musicians just to get to meet each other and collaborate.”

Tennis had been playing a weekly solo gig at Gitano, and approached the owner about starting an open mic. Early performers included friends he had made while busking on the Subte and recruits from local hostels. The event has slowly built an audience, and now features a handful of regular acts.

With a legitimate raised stage and a full sound system, performers bring their own instruments, allowing them to branch out from the more standard acoustic fare often featured at open mic nights.

Slots are first-come, first-served, and this particular Tuesday they filled up quick.

The first act of the night was Tennis himself, who went on a little before 11 and played a crop of Jack Johnson-style originals in addition to a few covers, including ‘Just Like Heaven’ and ‘Folsom Prison Blues’. He eventually invited the rest of his 3-piece band on stage, who form part a core group of musicians that have frequented the open mic night for a while, lending each other a hand as back up musicians and doing duets throughout the evening.

But the night also featured many acts that seemed to have come out of left field. Highlights on that front included a Haitian backpacker who crooned a soulful cover of Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’, a four-piece Latin-infused jazz band, two yanquis who did a rousing cover of ‘Because the Night Belongs to Lovers’, and a porteño three-piece comprised of two teenagers on guitar and a middle-aged man on drums (none of whom were related to each other, apparently).

While the bulk of the performers were clearly talented and poised, Tennis said that part of his goal is to create a space for upstart musicians to cut their teeth.

“I think it’s really important for beginning musicians to be encouraged, to be given a chance,” he said. “Making people feel safe to play music is really important to me. I hate when beginning musicians are put down or told to give it up.”

The open mic night happens every Tuesday at 10pm at Gitano Restobar, Chile 424 esq. Defensa. Bring your own instrument; house drummer provided. Entrance is free.

In the city where nothing seems to stay the same and Tango reigns supreme, the regular ‘Conciertos del Mediodía’ have accomplished the impossible in running for five decades straight. The yearly 16 concerts, aimed at giving regular citizens the opportunity to hear world-class music, are free of charge and open to the public, as they have been for the past 50 years.

Music to Everyone’s Ears

Fifty years ago, President Jennette Arata de Erize created the Conciertos with the idea that students, retirees, housewives, workers and people with little free time should be able to enjoy a free live concert in the middle of the week as a way to relax and experience a part of culture that might have been closed to them otherwise.

Classical music is the highlight of the production, but tango, jazz, ballet and percussionists also grace the stage. Events are hosted by the Teatro Gran Rex, which seats 3,500—more than the Teatro Colón—and the line of onlookers anxiously awaiting the opening stretches around the block for hours long before the show begins.

Apart from the waiting line, Executive Director Gisela Timmerman says booking has always been an issue, but not because the Conciertos have any trouble finding acts. “We have so much more than we can do,” Timmerman explains. “We have the trust of the audience and the artists and so everyone wants to play here.”

“There is always trouble,” Timmerman says, “that’s the great success of these fifty years. Through war, hyperinflation, and government upheaval we always had the sixteen concerts.”

But don’t think the shows are just a mild-mannered charity event. In 1982, ballet composer Jorge Donn’s passionate performance of a bolero made him a national hero and blocked traffic in front of the opera house on Corrientes for hours with countless people waiting to catch a glimpse of the star.

For the last show of 2009, the Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra played an hour of Tchaikovsky’s best. Considered one of the most prestigious orchestras in Latin America, the BA Philharmonic was founded in 1946 and holds regular concerts every year.

The Argentine National Symphony was established in 1948 under President Juan Domingo Perón in order to “constitute the pitch of universal resonance that our music needs, while providing the most effective means of popular education in the arts.”

Discover Tchaikovsky and other great classics for free in Buenos Aires. The 16 concerts run from April through November every year. The next concert, Wednesday 14th July, features the Veracruz Youth Symphony Orchestra. Teatro Gran Rex, Av Corrientes 857, 1pm. Arrive early as once the show has begun no entry is allowed, and as the shows are free, there is rarely a seat left anyway. Make sure to switch off your phone or run the risk of being reprimanded by the elderly! Check out www.mozarteumargentino.org/mozarteum for more information and the upcoming schedule.

“Walter, he’s the Piazzolla of Argentine jazz!” This is how an organiser of the ‘Jazz Al Fin’ Festival in Ushuaia recently characterised Walter Malosetti to an unenlightened reporter. If you don’t get the reference then you should really do yourself the favour of digging into the rich musical history of Argentina – Walter Malosetti would be a great artist to start with.

Walter Malosetti is jazz guitar virtuoso, his expertise equals that of his greatest influences: Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, Oscar Alemán, Joe Pass and Jim Hall. Like these other masters of the craft, Walter is thoroughly steeped in the jazz and blues canons, and he uses these foundations as points of departure into chirpy, mesmerizing improvisations. He often murmurs along to his solos, weaving his way through sweet melodies that words would be too clunky to support. His big, worn carpenter’s hands nimbly glide over the fretboard, occasionally pausing to let a single tone ring out, and then plunging back into a meandering solo.

Walter was born in 1931 in Córdoba, and spent his early years in the Buenos Aires suburb of El Palomar. His father and older brother both played the guitar, and he developed an early love for the instrument. He used to listen to the famed big-bands of the ’30s and ’40s on the radio. By age 14 he and his band, appropriately named ‘Jazz Walter’, were giving regular weekend performances at a local dance hall. Every so often, famous jazz artists of the national scene would perform in El Palomar and let young Walter sit in with them. Among others, Walter proudly shared the stage with saxophonist ‘Gato’ Barbieri, pianist ‘Baby’ Lopez Furts and bassist ‘Negro’ Gonzalez—apparently, no matter the country, jazz musicians always carry hip nicknames.

During ’50s Walter began recording and performing with several different groups: Guardia Vieja Jazz Band, California Ramblers, Blue Strings and the Swing Timers. In the ’60s he formed the trio Swing 39, with Carlos Acosta y Héctor Basso. Swing 39 played what Walter describes as “French, Hot Club” style. The music greatly resembles, in style and calibre, that of Django Reinhardt. The band gained notoriety and toured throughout the country during the ’60s and ’70s. Swing 39 was the first jazz band to play at the venerable Teatro Colón.

Seeking to augment his musical proficiency, Walter studied classical guitar with the well-known performer and teacher Irma Costanzo. An eternal student of music, Walter explains, “my passion and my mind were always with jazz, but I like to improve myself and learn new things.” Walter decided to share and encourage this love of learning with others, and  became a certified guitar instructor.

Teaching and sharing his love of jazz became a major part of Walter’s career. He founded one of the first jazz institutes in Argentina, ‘La Escuela Superior de Guitarra y Jazz’. At the institute, he and other prominent figures of the national jazz scene offered classes for many different instruments. Many of the most distinguished Argentine jazz artists today attended classes at ‘La Escuela Superior’.

During this period Walter also began to publish guitar method books. Today, he has published 11 such books. His knowledge and mastery are in constant demand and he still teaches, including many lessons given via skype to students all over the country and abroad. He is enthusiastic about teaching and promoting jazz in Argentina. When asked about the scene today he said: “Jazz is flourishing; today the amount of young musicians who play professionally has greatly increased since I started 64 years ago. Also, there are many more fans of the genre.”

In more recent years, Walter has been travelling abroad to perform, gracing stages from New Orleans to Norway. He travels to Spain at least once a year, to tour and visit his daughter. In 2005, he was invited to perform at the International Guitar Festival of Barcelona, which annually hosts the best guitarists in the world. That same year, Walter was honoured with the Clarín award for person of the year in the jazz category.

Today, at age 79, Walter still maintains a full schedule. He teaches classes, composes and records new tunes, and performs with his current band, ‘The Walter Malosetti Trio’. Joining him in the group are Mauro Vicino on rhythm guitar and Guillermo Delgado on upright bass. The three are linked with a tight chemistry and their shows are exhibitions of improvisational virtuosity.

Following a recent Malosetti Trio performance at the Buenos Aires jazz institution,  Notorious, numerous members of the audience hummed and whistled jaunty little melodies  as they exited the venue. They had spent the last few hours wrapped up in an engrossing conversation – a conversation free of words – that had inspired them, and that they weren’t yet ready to let end.

For more information on Walter Malosetti, his music and upcoming performances, visit www.waltermalosetti.com.ar

You can catch The Walter Malosetti Trio on 24th July at Notorious, Callao 966. For  reservations call 4813-6888. In August, The Walter Malosetti Trio will be playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at the Torquato Tasso Cultural Centre, 1575 Defensa. For reservations call 4307-6506.

Walk into Una Casa, an independent music and art venue, and you enter a strange world. From the outside it looks as inoffensive as its name – just like any other San Telmo house. But on the inside it is host to a truly weird mix of avant-garde music and art. In fact, the artists that perform here often stretch the definition of the word ‘music’ to its very limits: beating plastic washing racks with drum sticks, playing the guitar using nothing but wire wool and metal tools, and creating songs that feature long periods of silence followed by dogs barking, this is a sonar experience that is certainly not for everyone. However, if you’ve had your fill of touristy tango joints and want to try something different, then this is about as different as you can get.

In fact, this venue is so much the opposite of a tourist hang out that its precise location is kept secret. If you are interested in visiting you need to send an email to the owner, a man named Charlie (who also holds back his surname) and he will provide you with the address. The reason for the extreme secrecy is that the venue is really just a private club in Charlie’s house. Music can be seen in the basement, while visual art is displayed in what would be the kitchen and dining room (although currently not much art is on display due to building works). From outside the house is entirely nondescript, and the experience of arriving here feels like you’re trying to get into a speak-easy in the 1920s. But when you walk in the door, you’re greeted not with illegal moonshine, but experimental music.

Considering the type of musicians that perform, you would expect the owner to also be an idealistic, experimental artist. In fact, he presents himself as the complete opposite. Charlie, who first came to Argentina in 1997, and has been living here permanently since he opened Una Casa in 2005, is not a musician himself. Before founding Una Casa he had never even been professionally involved in the music scene. When asked what special influences inspired him to open up the venue he says he doesn’t have any. He’d simply heard about similar projects in other countries and thought “why not?” Even the name of the venue is testament to his unemotional attitude. I asked him why he chose to call the space ‘Una Casa’ and he told me: “I just didn’t come up with anything else.”

However, these detached statements conceal someone who seems to care deeply about artistic freedom in Buenos Aires. Charlie is animated when talking about how difficult it is for independent artists to find opportunities to play in the city. “Lots of bands are forced to pay for half the tickets themselves before they are allowed to perform,” he tells me. “Even if you just want to play a guitar in a café you have to have special government permission.” Opening Una Casa seems to be an attempt to readdress this balance, as it gives experimental artists the chance to share their work without assuming the financial risk. The fact that Una Casa has now been running successfully for five years is testament to his dedication.

As a result of Charlie’s openness, offbeat musicians do get a chance to play here. One regular performer is Fernando Perales, who used to belong to a 90s cult rock band, ‘Reynols’. This group was notable both for its surrealist music, and for the fact that it was led by a musician with Down’s Syndrome, Miguel Tomasín. Under Miguel’s direction, the band produced a type of almost a-tonal rock as well as a series of “conceptual art tracks”, including a CD that was a recording of blank tapes (that is to say, it was more or less entirely silent) and another album entitled “symphony of 10,000 chickens”, which was, in fact, just that. The band had a regular slot on a daytime television show, where they would perform antics such as naming a pet hamster the band’s manager. They enjoyed a select but extremely dedicated cult following.

Now Fernando is pursuing a solo project entitled ‘Viva La Muerte’. This is music produced using “table-top guitar”, a technique that involves placing the guitar horizontally on a table and hooking it up to a “Kaoss Pad”. This is a sort of electronic controller, which processes and distorts the guitar’s tones, creating surreal echoes and whispers. Fernando uses metal objects, tools and even wire wool to play the guitar’s strings, so that even though he creates the music, he never picks up or even directly touches his instrument. Fernando then sometimes blends his improvisations on the guitar with recordings of tracks by different artists. The overall effect is bizarre, with lots of whispering, echoing sounds and ominous tones. Imagine something like the background track to a horror movie that you never get to see.

Another regular performer is the Austrian musician Christof Kurzmann. Christof is one of the pioneers of music produced on the computer, which he began composing as early as the 1990s. He uses a programme that allows him to sample other recordings or use sounds produced by the computer, create feedback and mix them into compositions. He tells me: “I could play a song that was made entirely from sounds taken from the new single by Madonna, and you would never recognise a second of it.” The aim of this type of composition is to create, in Christof’s words, “vertical music”. “Conventional music is horizontal, it runs from A to Z and tells a story,” he tells me, “but when I play I try to pick just one point, and examine that moment, like a scientist with a microscope, to see everything that I can get out of it.”

Almost all of the experimental music played in Una Casa is improvised, which means that no two performances are the same. Often, musicians will jam together (if you can really call it jamming) and the sound produced by an ensemble of a trumpet, a double bass and a computer, all playing a-tonally, is quite overwhelming. It feels something like very experimental jazz, blended with echoes and long periods of silence. The tones are often combined with dramatic illumination or film projections playing behind the musicians, creating a whole surreal world of light and sound.

It has to be said that, both physically and musically, Una Casa is not very accessible. You certainly have to come in the right state of mind to be able to get a lot out of it, and sometimes a little speak-easy moonshine would be helpful if you want to enjoy yourself. Nevertheless, if you want to push you experience of music in Buenos Aires a little further, then this is about as far out as you can go.

To visit Una Casa email una.casa@yahoo.com or visit the facebook group www.facebook.com/una.casa Performances usually take place every two weeks on Fridays and Saturdays.

To hear Fernando Perales music, visit his myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/vivaalamuerte

To listen to Christof Kurzmann, visit http://www.myspace.com/charhizma

Musical quintet Puente Celeste can truly make some heavenly sounds. For the group’s November show at Café Vinilo in Palermo, the award-winning musicians brought a unique sound and absolute plethora of instruments including a birdcage, wooden box and large, dried plant to the small stage to promote their latest album ‘Canciones’.

And while Vinilo hosted the last show in Buenos Aires for 2009, the group are making a comeback, currently playing every Thursday at CAFF.

Puente Celeste formed in 1997 under the banner of ‘Santiago Vazquez & Puente Celeste’ and won a Clarín award in 1998 for best album as well as a Konex award in 2005. The latest album brings the quintet’s unique sound together again, and is a quick journey into Argentine folklore.

Poetry, solos and group improvisation shine in the form of 12 new tracks. Published by Los Años Luz Records, ‘Canciones’ comes after a five-year silence. As a group reputed for perfection the newest addition shows their latest album to be a gem. Flutes mimicking Argentine birds and otherworldly whistling reminiscent of static from a far-off radio station make for a chilled-out listen. But Puente Celeste is more than easy listening; it’s a quick step out of the artful posing of typical acoustic bands and trip into experimental Argentine folk music.

The band is a neat union of five acoustic musicians: Edgardo Cardozo, Luciano Dyzenchauz, Marcelo Moguilevsky, Lucas Nikotián, and Santiago Vazquez. Surprisingly, the groups’ skill as individual musicians accents their ability to play as a group rather than dominates it. Another reason to like the band is the players themselves. As unpretentious as the music, Puente Celeste wastes no time getting on stage and smoothly transitioning between songs. Not once did the group take a ten-minute tuning session in the middle of the show or even stop playing for the first two-hour session. Wearing plain t-shirts and playing an encore for their double feature show at Cafe Vinilo in November, the group proves it is possible to be talented and humble.

Tracks such as ‘Noche de papel’ and ‘Otra vez el mar’ show the music to be happy, clean and clutter-free. The use of so many instruments is never distracting so much as it is enjoyable. Influences of jazz, tango, Indian and African folk music, as well as pop mesh with immaculate timing and understated elegance.

The group has held concerts in many countries including Spain, Italy, Colombia and Brazil. They have shared the stage with the likes of Pat Metheny, Herneto Pascoal, Charlie Haden, and Oregon.

Head along to see Puente Celeste at CAFF, Sánchez de Bustamante 764 every Thursday at 9.30pm. Emailcaff@fernandezfierro.com to reserve, tickets $30 if bought early, $35 on the door.
Check out the latest tracks from ‘Canciones’ at Puente Celeste’s MySpace page:www.myspace.com/puentecelestespace

Clip Puente Celeste

Puente Celeste | MySpace Music Videos

Interested in tango, and want to see a show that is a little more intense? Interested in circus, and want to see it done Buenos Aires style? Then ‘Nocturna’, a fusion of tango and circus performed at Centro Cultural Recoleta, is for you.

The show is directed by Gustavo ‘Mono’ Silva, who initially trained as an actor but has now been working in the circus for over 20 years. In 2006 he first put on a show that combined tango and circus, calling it ‘Primer Vuelo’. The name was appropriate, as Mono describes it as a sort of test flight, which he used to feel out whether the combination between the two art forms would really work. It did. The show was a hit, and Mono went ahead with the more ambitious, and more heavily tango-influenced ‘Nocturna’. The project has now been running for three years, with continuing success.

The fusion of tango and circus is certainly powerful. Mono states that, whether or not it is your favourite type of music, “tango resonates in Buenos Aires” and this is the reason that the show works so well. He also tells me that the concept of ‘Nocturna’ was partly inspired by China and Russia, as both of these countries use their national music for circus performances, and it seems logical to him to do the same thing in Argentina. Seen in this context, he tells me that he views this acrobatic performance with an Argentine twist as a “little contribution to the different types of circus around the world”.

However, even though the tango in ‘Nocturna’ taps into an Argentine tradition, the music itself is anything but traditional. Rather than classic melodies by the likes of Carlos Gardel, the show features tango nuevo – fast-paced electronic tango with strong beats. While the sounds may seem unconventional, they work well with the performance, which is also extremely modern and dynamic. ‘Nocturna’ plays with tango traditions rather than just mimicking them and the electronic music does exactly the same. Moreover, although there are mellower moments, it is often the sheer pace of the tango nuevo that really keeps the performers on their toes.

In fact, staying on their toes is only the beginning. The show begins with all fourteen acrobats gathered on a central flat stage, surrounded by tables and chairs, and with the floor painted to give the idea of a conventional milonga. They begin to dance, but the tango becomes steadily more acrobatic, and the chairs and tables are used as props in gymnastic routines. The show is then separated into twelve narrative sections, with the acrobats performing sequences on the trapeze, the springboard, the tightrope and with hoops. One of the most impressive parts takes place with a double trapeze, as performers fly from one end to the other, catching each other and twisting up and down in ways that you would not imagine were humanly possible.

Each of the 12 sections has a narrative quality, which gives ‘Nocturna’ a theatrical flavour. When the show begins, one of the performers opens book and a voiceover begins to narrate a fairytale. This storybook quality then continues throughout the show, enhanced by dramatic music and lighting. The little narratives have different themes; some are about love and longing, others feature more comedy. Mono tells me that part of the idea behind these narratives is to prevent the show from becoming too abstract. He does not want to use circus to express obscure ideas about art, but instead to keep it extremely concrete and accessible to the audience. Overall, he has a reassuringly practical attitude towards performance, dismissing the idea of “circus romanticism” and saying that the troop is, first and foremost, “a professional team that works well together”.

Mono’s troop performs on the terrace of Centro Cultural Recoleta, with the audience sitting on wooden bleachers and watching the performance from above. Although the fact that ‘Nocturna’ takes place in the open air can make scheduling unpredictable (shows are cancelled when there is bad weather) it also lends it a livelier atmosphere, a little like a street performance. The terrace overlooks Plaza Francia, and the experience of watching the show surrounded by trees and sitting under the stars is truly stunning.

For anyone interested in tango, circus or simply in great performance, ‘Nocturna’ is a must see.

‘Nocturna’ is performed in Centro Cultural Recoleta (Junín 1930) from Thursday to Sunday at 9pm and is scheduled to run until the end of April. On Thursday tickets are priced at $5 for children, $20 for adults. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday regular entrance costs $35. For more information call 011 4803 1040 or visit the website: centroculturalrecoleta.org or buy tickets straight from Ticketek.

To hear some of the music featured in the show, see the following links: www.gotanproject.com (Gotan Project) www.myspace.com/bajofondomardulce (Bajofondo), www.otrosaires.com (Otros Aires)

“Está Porteñosiendose”  assure musicians when they explain the presence of a Californian saxophonist turned bandoneonist in their tango orquesta. The cultural oddity they are referring to is Ben Bogart, who alongside playing for the high-profile Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce, gives bandonéon lessons to students based in the US or Europe over Skype.

It is an unusual, but surprisingly effective, method. Teacher and student position themselves in front of a webcam, bandonéon on their laps. Both open the music in a file and if necessary, a shared screen application enables Ben to highlight passages and point things out. There are of course some technical setbacks, aggravated by Argentina’s lamentable internet speeds, but overall it’s been a successful endeavour. “You learn to deal with it” shrugs Ben.

The longest running student so far has been learning the bandonéon this way for a year, and he has yet to meet any of them in person. Ben opines that “the biggest disadvantage is not being able to play at the same time.” On the upside, conducting classes online means that recordings can be sent as attachments for students to use as accompaniments either during the class or in solo practise sessions.

Ben has been playing the bandonéon for five years, for three of which he has been based in Buenos Aires. He explains that he initially got into tango through dancing, then djing, with  “the logical next step” being to start actually playing the music. After finding tango tunes and saxophone sounds to be unhappy bedfellows, he set his sights on learning the bandonéon. It’s fair to say he hasn’t looked back since.

Although bandonéon lessons are something of a niche market, Ben believes there to be a growing interest in tango in the United States and Europe. He testifies to a strong international community of musicians who feed off one another for ideas. Perhaps somewhat blasphemously, Ben even goes so far as to insinuate that tango’s social dance scene is better outside Argentina because it is less banalised by the tourist industry.

Maybe the reality is that tango has extended its tendrils sufficiently far over the international musical community to have grown independent of its Buenos Aires’ origins. It would seem the truism that history repeats itself holds, and Ben suggests that just as tango’s turn of the century popularity in Paris led to its reappropriation in Buenos Aires, many Argentines continue to develop their musical skills “because of a European demand for it.”

Despite his sanguinity, much of the Argentine tango community believe the death knell to be sounding for an instrument once known as “the soul of the tango”. With every passing year, fewer and fewer bandonéons are made and played in Buenos Aires. In response, the Casa de la Bandoneon recently proposed the creation of a law which would enshrine the instrument as part of the cultural patrimony of Argentina. The aim is to create a registry of bandonéons which would prohibit them from permanantly leaving the country.

Supporters of the proposal view the instrument as a key facet of Argentine identity. Just like so many porteños, the origins of the modern day bandonéon are rooted abroad, in the German concertina. Although the accordion is an obvious guess for a relative, the bandonéon is in fact a member of the completely separate concertina family. Where the piano accordion makes use of piano keys,small pearlescent buttons on the side of the bandonéon are pushed for chords and melody. They share categorisation, however, as free reed instruments because both produce sound as air generated by a bellows flows past a vibrating reed in a frame.

Playing the bandonéon is a serious commitment in terms of time, money and effort. The keys on the instrument do not correspond to the scale in any logical way and must be memorised by heart. A new bandonéon will set you back €5000, although the preference is for similarly priced second hand instruments as Ben explains : “they stopped making good ones after 1940”. Even the physical effort required seems relatively intense although I am informed that this should be more blamed on a technique unhoned than the instrument’s chunky construction.

It takes a full sixty minutes to discover why Ben describes the bandonéon as “really captivating”, or to understand what might draw a proficient jazz musician to it other than a willful pursuit of the obscure. The sheer bulk of the instrument is daunting, sheet music is impossible to read regardless of your musical background and training your fingers to dart unseen from chord to chord is a frustrating process. But there’s a compelling satisfaction to be earned when by the end of the lesson, issuing from what may at first strike as a bastardised accordion, is a slow, stilted and simplified – yet totally recognisable – version of La Cumparsita, tango’s most iconic melody.

Skype bandoneon classes with Ben Bogart can be arranged by consulting www.benbogart.com

Everyone will agree that each part of our life has its own difficulties. Old age can be particularly tough for some because of health problems or even loneliness. Therefore, it is the community’s job to care about the elderly and help them.

At home, I have often seen activities to gather older people. It often deals with playing “bridge”, a card game strongly anchored in the old age stereotypes. There is also a recurrent lack of communication to let people know about such activities.

In Argentina, it seems that people have a totally different idea of this life period. Papelnonos, the association I followed for an afternoon, totally broke stereotypes people have about the elderly. Everything started in 1989, in Mar del Plata, when after having organised a paper instrument-making workshop with 15 elderly people, Jorge Strada thought about using what had been produced to form an orchestra. “Those instruments were making an interesting noise that was coming from the elderly, a social group that usually stays silent,” he said at the time.

The Buenos Aires group has around 30 members and on this sunny Monday, I was invited to come along to the inauguration of a new Papelnonos entity in Almirante Brown, in Buenos Aires’ province. The ambience on the bus to get there was telling of the energy the over 60s have. The group meets three times a week, twice for concerts and once for an instrument workshop.

The hour and a half bus ride was a chance to discover lots of different life stories and personalities. It was also a chance for me to know what makes those people passionate about the association. “With Papelnonos, I am so busy that I’ve got no time to think my knee hurts,” says Enrique.

The ambience on the bus is amazing, there is a female majority but the three men are stars. One of them sits in front of me. Miguel joined Papelnonos about three years ago after a recovering from a disease that left him partly paralysed for six months. “These people are like my family. I’ve got one daughter but she lives really far away and in your old age, being alone is not easy. Joining Papelnonos has changed my life,” he tells me.

Everyone has a chance to join Papelnonos, and the Buenos Aires group always has a few newcomers. The group will teach them to make the instruments and even lend them one to be a part of the orchestra from their first days in the group. “The rest come naturally” I’m told.

“Old age is what old people make of it,” once said Jorge Strada. It summarises really well what I have felt and the general idea the Papelnonos expressed when I was talking to them. According to the founder, we need to have a new approach of the old age and bring back desire into people’s lives, when their motto would usually be “I can’t”. Therefore, all the activities developed by the Papelnonos foundation act towards the promotion of desire and the creation of a new paradigm of the old age. “No matter if you lose, no matter if you win, what really matters is that you don’t lose your passion” is the foundation’s slogan.

The show in Almirante Brown’s Cultural centre was an exceptional occasion to see how the foundation promotes its project. For the inauguration of a new community, Buenos Aires’ Papelnonos group had to impress to encourage people to join. I have to say that their talent goes beyond music. The main feature of a Papelnonos group is that they are all united but also really independent. Everyone designs his own suit and makes it with the help of the dressmakers of the group. The instruments are made with moulds and again, each member can choose the one he wants to play, and also design it.

During the show, there is a lot of interaction between everyone. They really seem to have fun and nobody is left aside. The energy they spread is overwhelming, and they probably have more of it than people half their age. After a few songs, the audience is invited to share the experience. It first starts with dancing on the music but soon, another Papelnonos’ mystery is unveiled. How do those paper instruments make any noise? I tried to get an answer to this from my first moments on the bus, but the musicians managed to keep the secret until the last minutes.

At the end of the show, everyone received a cardboard straw. It is a regular tube but with a hole covered with tape on the top. If you blow into it making a sound similar to “tu-tu-tu”, the adhesive tape vibrates, creating a sound, then it’s all about moderating your voice and having a bit of imagination.  The orchestra uses a musical base emitted through speakers to harmonise the whole thing but the show is still staggering. The crowd seemed conquered as many people were asking for information on how to join.

The foundation also publishes books written by Jorge Strada that relates its principles about the old age. You could buy a handbook explaining how to make paper instruments and the foundation also publishes a magazine every two months, with updates about Papelnonos and several articles related to the study of the old age. Having celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009, the federation is now established in every province of Argentina. It is focusing on being available for people who live in the most remote places of the country. As a proof of success, the foundation has now three sub divisions in Mexico, Ecuador and Chile. The Argentine government is supporting such initiatives and that is why the foundation is able to form more and more entities through the country. In the case of Almirante Brown, it seems that our paper orchestra has been a success.

“I want to move like those people,” says Julieta who attended the show. “I think it is a really good initiative since, the show was amazing and it still seems accessible to everyone.”

For more information: visit www.papelnonos.org.ar To contact the Buenos Aires group email capitalfederal@papelnonos.org.ar

Each weekend, I am left staggered by Buenos Aires’ magnificent nightlife. The city swells with its plethora of restaurants, bars, clubs, galleries, theatres and live music spots. They pulsate, emitting beats which blend and synthesise, composing the rhythm of the noche porteña.

During the week, the atmosphere is slightly different. The detoxifying aftermath to a debauched weekend gradually blends into the calm before the storm, as Sunday rolls towards Thursday. Despite the abundance of venues in the city, locating the evening’s perfect diversion requires a little more effort during the working week.

Le Bar strives to provide a dynamic antidote to mid-week boredom. Described by entertainment organiser, Leandro Frias, as: “The musical kitchen of the city”, Le Bar dishes up outstanding quality performances every night of the week, served alongside an original food menu and exquisite cocktails. Unflaggingly stylish, the classy downtown haunt is housed in a colonial mansion, which contrasts beautifully with its sleek, cutting-edge interior design.

“There isn’t as much to choose from during the week in Buenos Aires”, explains Frias, who is super-suave, sporting a flat-cap and converse high-tops. He set up Le Bar’s Wednesday night live music offering, ‘Naranja Vivo’, in an attempt to “bring something new and different to a night which is often overlooked by clubs and bars”. Characterised by its eclectic spirit, ‘Naranja Vivo’ showcases everything from electronica to tango, from rock to jazz, from folk to dub.

“The key thing is that every band I invite generates a certain atmosphere. Le Bar is relaxed, it’s cool, and it has personality. The music must be no exception; it has to create the right onda.” He doesn’t say it in as many words, but I also receive the impression that such requirements extend to the musicians themselves, whose trendy attire seems flawlessly in tune with the voguish décor.

The four levels of this antique building are each completely individual. The ground floor is bathed in a seductive, dim glow and is elegantly designed, featuring teardrop lamps, lavish couches and classic prints. Tables are candle-lit and clustered around a small stage, which, along with Le Bar’s excellent table service, gives the place the feel of 1940s jazz-club: an intimate setting for weeknight live music.

The futuristic sunken tables of the modern, minimalist second floor are an ideal place to relax with friends, although they must be booked in advance. Carrying on up the spiral staircase, you are welcomed to Le Bar’s famous terrace by a breath of cool Buenos Aires night air, and witty wall illustrations by one of the city’s quirkiest artists, Pum Pum.

The setting is unpretentiously chic and undeniably impressive. The food and drink is even better. The tapas-based cuisine boasts a selection of Mediterranean treats, reflecting the background of the establishment’s three French owners. Main courses are all priced between $30 and $40. However, the house speciality is its cocktails. Classic mojitos sit on the drinks menu alongside unique and unusual concoctions of exotic liqueurs, fruit purées and the occasional sprinkling of chili pepper.

These delicacies form a delectable accompaniment to Le Bar’s outstanding musical agenda. In addition to the diverse mix of acts showcased at ‘Naranja Vivo’ each Wednesday, those with an appreciation of classical music can enjoy orchestral performances every Monday at ‘Clásica’. For a more upbeat evening of dance music, Tuesdays’ ‘+Biopolar’ offers “a perfectly balanced party atmosphere, for those who have had enough of post-weekend repose, but who are not quite ready to dance until 6am.”

For a taste of Thursday evenings at Le Bar, visit www.radioroyale.com.ar. This 24 hour radio show is an online project, hosted by DJ, Fabián Dellamónica, who spins an assortment of cha-cha-cha, Latin soul, samba, bossa-nova, film soundtracks, ska and funk. Every Thursday, he brings this musical mélange to Le Bar, from where he broadcasts, regularly welcoming onstage some of his favourite live acts.

Soaking up the musical artistry exhibited at each of these events, I really do feel that Le Bar has got it right. Their evenings are relaxing, yet dynamic. The acts are chosen meticulously, and Leandro Frias describes the dedicated team with whom he works to ensure that “the ambience is exactly what people want on a weeknight”. He gushes: “We want to keep it small, warm, yet buzzing with activity. This place is a house, and we’ve got to think about living together. What I mean is the kitchen, the bar and the music have to adapt to one another and work as a unit.”

Indeed, Le Bar seems to offer it all. Stepping into the building is like wandering around an impressive Parisian mansion which has been taken over by contemporary interior designers and upwardly-mobile graffiti artists. It evokes a space-age bordello with a superb menu, clever drinks and a vast back catalogue of musical performances.  However, above all, Le Bar has paid attention to exactly what was lacking on the Buenos Aires weeknight circuit. Frias enthuses: “Between Monday and Thursday, people can now enjoy something with personality.” It is clear that every facet of the kitchen, bar, music and design adheres to this, affirming that: “This is not a restaurant and it’s not a concert. It’s an experience.”

Le Bar is in Microcentro on Tucumán 422. It is open Monday through Saturday from mid day until 2am. Entrance is always free.

Monday evening’s ‘Clásica’ begins at 8.30pm; Tuesday’s ‘+Bipolar’ at 9pm; ‘Naranja Vivo’ at 10pm on a Wednesday; as is Thursday’s ‘Radio Royale’. Le Bar also holds events every weekend.

For more information, visit www.lebarbuenosaires.blogspot.com/, and to make a reservation, call 5219-0858.