Flores Negras: the four women who have put together a unique tango vocal group in the world

With 26 years of experience, Flores Negras, name taken from Francisco de Caro’s tango, continues to be the only female vocal group in Argentina. In the midst of a pandemic they presented their album Damn Tango streaming with great repercussions, but now it’s time to do it in person at the Bebop Club in Palermo, Wednesday 29 June.

It is a weekday and it is already past midday in San Telmo. Three of the members of Flores Negras are with cups of hot coffee on the table of the colorful and extraordinary El Hipopótamo bar, because the winter is hard and he is here to stay for several months in Buenos Aires.

Laura Esses, Cecilia Bonardi and Laura Hatton arrived a little earlier than agreed. Alejandra Cañoni, for her part, warned in advance that she had another commitment. However, the word of one is that of all during this interview.

a successful streaming

“During the pandemic there was no chance to meet, so we held meetings on zoom. When we streamed, it was all very new. We put a lot of energy into that concert because we didn’t want everything to be the same, ”recalls Cecilia, one of the founders of this vocal tango adventure.

Sitting next to Cecilia is Laura Esses. She nods to her companion and adds: “We had prepared another new repertoire: the projection of an album dedicated to Astor Piazzolla. We always tend to release songs that will be part of the sequel, it’s a usual method for us “.

On the other hand is Laura Hatton, who doesn’t take long to contribute her gaze. “A group with our characteristics has a hard time recording in a home studio. Voices, intonation and filling oblige us to stay in a good studio, to be attentive to what our artistic director and musical arranger, Diego Vila, and even Oscar Laiguera propose ”.

First steps

What is striking is that after many years of experience they are still the only female vocal group of tango, an original idea within the scene, especially when they appeared in the second half of the 90s.

“It was an amazing experience. Let’s take a traditional repertoire. There have been two breakups: the first, the one that has to do with rumors, and also that we are four women to carry it forward. At that time it was not so common to see women on stage, plus the fact that we were young, ”says Cecilia about the genesis of the group.

Referring more to the beginning, the singer adds something that she thinks has helped too much: “The first who opened the doors for us were Horacio Ferrer and Ben Molar. The Tango Academy supported us. Ferrer told us he liked what we did as well as including his interpretations of him. They invited us to sing at Esquina Homero Manzi. Susana Rinaldi too supported us. We were afraid of not being accepted, but our conviction was clear ”.

Another of the leading tango singers with whom they had an unforgettable experience was none other than Amelita Baltar: “She came to a show and we didn’t know she was coming, we found out five minutes earlier,” describes Laura Essen.

He adds: “He used to sit in the front row. When we finished singing a song, he made positive comments out loud, until he said to us, ‘Well, girls!’ Ballad for a fool and she went up on stage and asked for a microphone; happened in Taconenado “.

Although it was not only those consecrated artists with a long career who gave the green light to Flores Negras: another of the popes was the well-remembered bandoneonist Ruben Juarezof which they keep indelible memories.

“Black was everything. We sing in his Café Homero. He was our artistic godfather for the release of the first album. We were always guests of him to sing. He was fascinated by what we were doing, it seemed different, stimulating. Since there are no female tango groups from a vocal point of view, we try to honor them ”, underlines Essen.

Background

“I come from a tango family. Mine was jazz and rock, I was born in San Telmo, I had never sung tango before. When I started rehearsing with the band, I thought: “I’ll stay here as an artist, I like River Plate”. Immediately it made me vibrate in a different way ”, reveals Cecilia about her start in two by four.

While Essen assumes that he too has landed in the sphere of tango without having first intention: “I come from folklore, my father listened to tango and my grandfather sang ‘Yo soy la morocha’; I’ve always performed songs by female singers. Being here is a kind of homage to him. From 18 to 30 I sang in the National Youth Choir. At 10 pm he called me Cecilia audit in black flowers.

According to them, Alejandra, founder of the group, has participated in choirs and has already had a great previous career on a vocal level, but the case of Laura Hatton, the last to join this proposal, is probably the most striking.

“I had never sung tango, except for a rapprochement with Buenos Aires 8. When I was a girl, my parents listened to jazz. Thanks to Piazzolla I got interested; I approached jazz and Brazilian. Later, Pugliese and Aníbal Troilo. Until I got to Carlos Gardel, that is, I went from front to back getting to know the tango “, says the singer, who at the same time he took an important step through rock with Patricio Rey and his Redonditos de Ricota.

That recording on the disc Sip! along with the Redondo, Hatton remembers it as if it happened last week.

“They rehearsed in Calle Soler, on the terrace of Skay Beilinson’s house; they had a room there. It was a little short. They played with my husband, Rodolfo Gorosito. Then I attended a rehearsal and Indio Solari asked me: ‘What comes to your mind in this part of the song?’ That’s how it happened and I was lucky enough to record Sip! I also worked with Marilina Ross, I also played the tambourine ”, summarizes the vocalist.

friendly audience

Having tango figures on his side was transcendental for Flores Negras in his early years, but the support of the public was undoubtedly crucial.

“It wasn’t that we were just four young people singing tango, but that the audience was bigger at the time. We got feedback from different people, because not only did the tango listeners come, but it was varied. Since it was something vocal, an ambiguous audience began to appear, non tangueros enjoyed a relaxed proposition, ”comments Cecilia, after the passage of time.

Laura Hatton agrees with her partner and adds her argument: “There are people who enter tango for vocal reasons. In fact, that’s what happened to me. We cover several generations, in fact I am the oldest. But we all agree on the love for vocal music, even if we come from different experiences ”.

While Essen says the challenge is for the four of them alike, Cecilia mentions the complexity of the project. “In order for everything to be renewed, the head of the arranger is essential, who thinks about the role of each one for a particular song. So you have to learn it, test it and fix it. Take your trial. “

In addition, the singer emphasizes the differentiation of a vocal group from a soloist: “Here there are several that we add each in its place. It takes maturation, the arrangements are complex, there are also tensions in harmony. Our arranger always tells us that when we do it, it’s like singing the Rice pudding”, He remarks, and then the three burst out laughing in unison.

The workout

Hatton is confident that everyone will practice alone outside the group. “In my case, I take difficult pieces of a song. I go to the piano with the score and I think: ‘Something is not coming out’. With the piano I find the detail. I am also demanding with the shape of the vowels. If we want an ending like this, we have to work on the technique ”.

And then he adds: “We have to work up to the projection of the lips, to the breath. Take care that the melody does not get lost in the swarm of harmony ”.

In turn, the artist confesses that “a good drink of whiskey or cognac gives me the strength and confidence to go out and sing”.

Cecilia, in turn, underlines the value and contribution of Edgardo Acuña, who accompanies them on the guitar. “It has its own training, it’s a great tango. Rodolfo Gorosito recorded on the album and now Edgardo makes proposals. The truth is that their contribution affects the solidity of the group “.

As for her method of preparation, Cecilia points out that she drinks no less than two liters of water before the night of the concert.

Relations with other orchestras

Unlike other tango groups that are part of the big wave that took place in the late 1990s, Flores Negras says they never moved to the same circuit.

“It didn’t happen to us. It is that our job is to pay attention, to listen, instead many of those orchestras lend themselves to making the public dance. We are a vocal quartet. Our audience is more interested in listening, not just watching ”, analyzes Cecilia.

Essen, for his part, underlines the following: “It’s not that you can’t dance because we dictate it, but ours is more theatrical; we are more for the stage. There are young people who even come to ask us if we give singing lessons ”.

As for living purely and exclusively of tango, everyone tells their own reality. Cecilia reveals that she too is a psychologist. Laura Essen is dedicated to music and on the other hand she is a sign language interpreter. Hatton is a music teacher and has been a session musician for many years. Alejandra, unlike her peers, is a music therapist.

“He works in a school for the blind. Once, at the commemoration of Santa Cecilia, she invited us to sing Libertango and the blind boys played the instruments. It was awful! Their faces of pleasure, their talent, their gratitude. We cried for so much emotion! ” evokes Cecilia, with an ecstatic face.

-What do you recommend to young people who want to experience music through a vocal group?

Hatton: -To gain an ear, I recommend being part of a choir, it’s like playing in a team: they motivate themselves, form groups, go here and there.

They: – Enjoy learning. And that they pay attention to who they choose to accompany them. It happened to us that there were teachers who left us with doubts. Whoever instructs must be loving above all things; the emotional is extremely important.

Cecilia: – Young people today vibrate with tango in a different way, have fun and offer modern arrangements. There are also all-girl orchestras. Finally, women today can occupy positions that were previously exclusive to men. This is the way!

Info: Flores Negras will be presented on Wednesday 29 June at the Bebop Club, Uriarte 1658, CABA, at 9pm.

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