Hernan Oliva

The extraordinary Chilean violinist Hernan Oliva,born July 4, 1913 in Chile, precisely in the city of Valparaíso. At a very young age (8 years old), he began his studies in violin. No one in his family was engaged in music.

He started his artistic career in 1927, when he joined the Ernesto Davagnino orchestra. His father, who had chosen a law career for him, upon finding out that Hernán only wanted to dedicate himself to music, forces him to choose or be disinherited. Hernán, of bohemian character, chooses the music and is expelled from the home. It was there, when in 1935 he crossed into the province of Mendoza in Argentina. There, he got a job in a radio station.

From Mendoza, he traveled to Buenos Aires, and again heI worked in radio, this time, in Radio Belgrano. That same year, he joined the René Cóspito orchestra, doing dances on Radio Belgrano and tea at the Gath y Chaves club.

During the year40 played with a group at the La Chaumiere nightclub, with Enrique «Mono» Villegas on piano, David Washington on trumpet, and the Englishman Phillips on sax.

In the year 1941, he met with the great Argentine guitarist,Oscar German. Aftermany years playing together, various fights and disagreements, separate them definitively.

In 1944 he joined the band “Los Cotton Pickers”, led by Ahmed Ratio. Then with the drummer Tito Alberti and José Finkel they formed “Jazz Casino”, introducing yourself at Club Villa Crespo in 1951.

With the appearance of rock and the music danceable, the number of shows decreased, and Hernan Oliva began a course towards oblivion, and a tragic end.

He played in a the restaurant “El Caballito Blanco”

In his last years, he played in the bars of the San Telmo neighborhood, for a glass of whiskey. I ran withmaster’s degree the tango,the gender that he played to survive, although his passion It was him Jazz.

He died in the street, hugging the case of his violin, in the early morning of June 17, 1988, when he was about to turn 75. He is buried in the Chacarita Cemetery, Buenos Aires, in the Pantheon of the Argentine Society of Music Authors and Composers (SADAIC) .

Discography

Edited by Discos Redondel:

Hernan Oliva Quintet (SL 10504)

The passage of the tiger (SL 10510)

You drive me crazy (SL 10512)

The jazz violin (SL 10523)

Mists of the Riachuelo (L 811)

The world awaits sunrise (SL 10518)