Alberto Podesta

Alberto Podesta was going to sing at Porteno y Bailarin on Wednesday night.  Even though Hwayi and I were taking a class until 11:30pm, we still made our way over to PyB to hear him.  When we arrived, the milonga was packed but quite uncomfortable.  The floor was chaotic, the atmosphere noisy and rowdy, and the music unpredictable.  We were tired and thirsty, but waited patiently for our star.

 

  

Podesta took the floor at around 1am.  He was 89 years old, and it showed.  His body was stiff and his steps were small and careful.  He greeted the crowd with good spirit, but we could all see his age.  When he opened his mouth to sing, I was shocked by the power and conviction in his voice.  It seemed he was singing with every muscle in his body, and tango was just a part of his soul, ready to touch us at any moment through his voice.  He was not trying to show off his ability or to please the crowd, in fact his voice was hoarse and he could not hit all the notes no more.  But I was certain everyone in the room was quite moved.

 

 

We were very glad to hear him sing, but also amazed and somewhat uneasy about the fact that this 89-year-old man is one of our last living connections to that golden era of tango. I was imagining the man in front of me singing with Di Sarli, Calo, and Laurenz.  He mixed and mingled with the tango greats, and he entertained tango lovers for so many generations.  Now we are left with a bunch of recordings, and him, the great Podesta.

 

(Here is video Hwayi put up on Youtube)