Carlos "Chachi" Zaragoza

Carlos “Chachi” Zaragoza (1935-2013) was an Argentine musician and jazz guitarist. He was born in the Boedo neighborhood, Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 15, he met Oscar Alemán at Radio Belgrano, and shortly after, Chachi was invited by Oscar himself to join his group. Later on, he joined Hernán Oliva’s quartet, along with Eduardo Ravera Rapoport, with whom he recorded 6 LPs and performed throughout the country for 23 years.

He was also one of the founders, along with Malosetti, Basso, and Acosta, of the group Swing ’39. He played with them for a short time due to his multiple commitments with Hernán Oliva, and was later succeeded by Ricardo Pellican. He also participated with the Santa María Jazz Band, with whom he recorded an LP, alongside renowned musicians such as Alfredo Espinosa, Alberto Alonso, Mariano Tito, Louis Blue, Jorge Navarro, Enrique Varela, Jorge Lagos, Enrique Andreola, Alfredo Remus, Quique Gutiérrez De León, Norberto Quinteros, Jorge Parera, Mario Nadal, Roberto Fats Fernández, Cholo Rossini, Horacio Merel, Jorge Anders, Roberto Terzano, Jorge “Negro” González, Juan Carlos Bazán, and many others.

He frequently performed as a guest musician in the group of his musical goddaughter, Jorgelina Alemán.

From 1992 to 2002, he co-led the Quinteto Swing Guitars with his friend Ricardo Pellican. They performed on the most important stages of Argentine jazz, recreating the styles of the legendary Django Reinhardt and Oscar Alemán.

In 1998, the European label Hot Club Records released a CD titled “Stringtime in Bs. As.”, in which Chachi recorded a memorable “Crazy Rhythm” as well as “Sweet Georgia Brown,” alongside the excellent Norwegian guitarist Jon Larsen and his compatriots Ricardo Pellican, Jorge “Negro” Gonzales, and Marcelo Matte. During the recording, the French musician Pascal De Loutchek (who also participated in the CD) and the historian Ian Evensmo recognized in Chachi a true Manouche (a gypsy tribe from which Django Reinhardt originated).

Since 1985, he annually coordinated the “Festival De Las Cuerdas Gitanas Del Jazz Argentino” (Festival of Argentine Gypsy Jazz Strings), which was always held at the Centro Cultural General San Martín, with the invaluable support of Carlos Inzillo. This festival has featured important figures of Gypsy Swing in our country, as well as many young musicians who are now excellent professionals.

In 2006, a major tribute concert was held in his honor at the Muiño Hall of the CCGSM, with the participation of over thirty musicians.

He participated in the CD and DVD album “Festival Internacional de Jazz Django Argentina 2011” (International Jazz Festival Django Argentina 2011), performing “Minor Swing,” the “anthem of gypsy jazz” by Django Reinhardt.

In 2012, he made his final appearance in the Jazzologia series, as part of the “Festival Internacional de Jazz Django Argentina” (International Jazz Festival Django Argentina) organized every year by guitarist Ricardo Pellican.

Discography

• Quinteto De Hernan Oliva – Quinteto De Hernan Oliva ‎(LP, Album) Discos Redondel SL-10.504 1973
• Me Vuelves Loco — Carlos Zaragoza
• Quinteto De Hernan Oliva – Me Vuelves Loco ‎(LP, Album) Discos Redondel SL-10.512 1974
• El Paso Del Tigre — Carlos Zaragoza
• Quinteto De Hernan Oliva – El Paso Del Tigre ‎(LP, Album) Discos Redondel, Discos Redondel SL-10.510, SL-10510 1975
• El Inolvidable Volumen 2 — Carlos Zaragoza
• Oscar Aleman – El Inolvidable Volumen 2 ‎(CD, Comp) Discos Redondel CD-45025 1996
• Stringtime In Buenos Aires (A Tribute To Oscar Aleman) — Carlos Zaragoza
• Crazy Rhythm (as Carlos Chachi Zaragoza)
• Various – Stringtime In Buenos Aires (A Tribute To Oscar Aleman) ‎(CD, Album) Hot Club Records HCRCD 106 1998
• El Mundo Espera La Salida Del Sol — Carlos Zaragoza
• Hernán Oliva – El Mundo Espera La Salida Del Sol
• El Violín Del Jazz — Carlos Zaragoza
• Hernán Oliva – El Violín Del Jazz ‎(LP, Album) Discos Redondel SL-10523