Jazz historian Leonard Feather raved, "If anyone ever mentions Django Reinhardt to me again, I shall stare coldly. Aleman has more swing than any other guitarist on the continent."
JazzTimes Magazine considered him one of the ten most underrated guitarists in the history of jazz.
He astounded Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington tried to lure him away from Josephine Baker, who cherished him as the best member of her orchestra. He fled from Hitler and rejected Juan Peron's attempts to get him to play at his public functions. During the golden age of the tango, he attracted multitudes with his outstanding jazz. Of mixed indigenous and Spanish blood, born in the land of tango, Oscar Aleman (1909-1980) was one of the greatest guitarists in history, but that cannot define him. To classify him as a "jazz guitarist" is to restrict him even more. He was a showman who excelled at playing the guitar and interpreting jazz, because that was the kind of music he loved and what best suited his style. That is what led him to be a protagonist of the Parisian music scene in the 1930s and one of the outstanding figures of Argentine performance for decades. This film documents Aleman's exciting life and the tragic family history he had to overcome while it recaps the story of popular music in the 20th century.
For more information, visit the
Latin American Video Archives or email
imre@igc.org.
Oscar Aleman: A Swinging Life - new documentary release
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