Azucena Maizani (1902-1970), one of the first professional female tango singers

Maizani's life was pure tango - poverty, glamour, love, heartbreak, infamy, deaths, oblivion...

The small biography page on www.todotango.com says that she was temperamental and romantic, and that her life was marred by the lack of stable relationships and intelligent, dispassionate guidance.

Her official stage debut took place in 1923, when she sung the tango Padre Nuestro (composed for her by Delfino) 5 times in a row. Later this tango was recorded by Carlos Gardel.

Maziani's artistic career was short, but her style substantially influenced her generation of tango singers - Rosita Quiroga, Mercedes Simone, Tita Merrillo, Tania and others.

At the end of the segment, I made a little detour into comparative history of early Argentine tango & classical American blues.

Songs:

Azucena Maizani-No salgas de tu barrio
Azucena Maizani-Marioneta
Azucena Maizani-Descreida
Azucena Maizani-Pero yo se
Alberto Castillo - La cancion de Buenos Aires
Mamie Smith - Crazy Blues

Translations of Pero Yo Se: Planet Tango, New Orleans, LA