Astor Piazzolla
1921 -1992 (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Fun fact! As a kid in New York, Astor Piazzolla met the legendary tango singer Carlos Gardel and even appeared briefly as a newspaper boy in Gardel’s 1935 film El día que me quieras. Gardel was so impressed with him that he invited Piazzolla to join his touring entourage — but Piazzolla’s father refused, saying he was too young to go on the road.
Francisco Canaro
1888 -1964(San José, Uruguay)
Fun fact! he actively fought for the recognition of intellectual‑property rights for musicians and was instrumental in the eventual creation of the Sociedad Argentina de Autores y Compositores de Música (SADAIC) in 1936, a society that helped formalize the registration and protection of musical works in Argentina.
Francini-Pontier
1916 – 1978 (San Fernando, Argentina)
1917 – 1983 (Zárate, Argentina)
Fun fact! Enrique Francini and Armando Pontier were unique in the tango world because they were one of the few musicians to lead both a joint orchestra together and their own separate orchestras. While their Francini‑Pontier Orchestra became famous for its elegant and rhythmic style in the 1940s and ’50s, both Francini and Pontier also maintained independent orchestras.