The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival, USA, founded by Alfie Martin, celebrates the music and the man whose name is synonymous with Tango, Carlos Gardel. The Festival was originated to commemorate the Tango and the artist who was the first to articulate the essence and character of Tango. He was the originator of the Tango song. He was its spokesman. He made it popular.

The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival which Alfie Martin created perpetuates the living spirit of Carlos Gardel and his contributions to Tango. It is Alfie Martin’s genuine understanding of Carlos Gardel the man, the myth, the icon and his identification with the common man that has brought this Festival its authenticity and great success. The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival celebrates the deeply rooted and cherished Tango tradition.

The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival is held yearly in the USA. Over forty of the world’s top Tango artists - dancers, singers and musicians - will come together in the spirit of the man who more than 80 years ago dared to tell the Tango story. They will perform dance, song and music in the tradition of the Tango legacy for the thousands of devotees attending.

The creative vision of Alfie Martin, The Carlos Gardel Tango Festival’s producer and director, with the support of gifted artists and production team, brings talent from all over the world, to make this distinguished annual event possible.

Carlos Gardel, (born Charles Romuald Gardes) was born on December 11, 1890 in the heart of the people. His mother, Berthe Gardes, took him to Argentina when he was just two years old. The story is familiar: Carlos Gardel’s childhood was spent in tenement housing and on the streets. By the time he was 16 he had stopped going to school and devoted his life to music and singing - performing in cafes, restaurants and even political gatherings. His repertoire at this time consisted of folk songs and Creole milongas. He was the first to put lyrics to Tango. The song, “Mi Noche Triste”, which he performed against the well intentioned advice of his friends, was an instant hit, sending his audience into a wild frenzy. This marked the beginning of a rich legacy of Tango history. Carlos Gardel went on to write many hundreds of songs in this idiom. Record companies couldn’t get enough.

Carlos Gardel’s music embraced the joy, the tragedy, the depth and the passions of life through the people’s music, the Tango. He was the first to embody its essence - the first to deliver it to the masses, to all people regardless of their station in life. Through Tango song, he captured the heart beat of the people. He communicated the deep emotional spirit of Tango. He sang the tales of love, of jealousy and passion, of life itself. His record sales catapulted him to international fame. He traveled to Spain, France, New York and throughout Latin America where everyone, rich and poor alike, recognized and embraced his sophisticated and sensitive presentation of Tango. He was able to introduce to people of diverse cultures and backgrounds a universal deep emotional thread.

It seems that only one individual could have epitomized the true spirit and evolution of the Tango. Carlos Gardel was blessed with unusual charisma and finely-tuned sensibilities. His modesty, humility and generosity engaged everyone who met him. He was both shy and powerful - women loved him and followed him, though he never found the one ‘woman of his heart’. He seemed to forever belong to the people. His eternal smile reminds us of that.

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