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The date is February 16, 1944; the occasion, the testing of the first Argentine-made bandoneon at the headquarters of the Argentine Society of Composers and Performers. Far left is Luis Nariani, the bandoneon manufacturer; then, left to right: José Razzano, of the legendary Gardel-Razzano duo; Aníbal Troilo ('The Fat Man'), the finest bandoneon player of all time; Enrique Santos Discépolo, the supreme tango lyricist; and the notable bandleader Francisco Canaro.

Aniíbal Carmelo Troilo
(1914-76)
or 'Pichuco, el Gordo' (The Fat Man) to those who knew and admired him is considered to be the greatest bandoneonist of all time. His status in tango music is second only to Carlos Gardel's. Under his spell the bandoneón became the heart of tango. When Troilo died in 1976, his wife Zita gave his bandoneón to Astor Piazzolla, but Piazzolla never played it. He said,
"I would have to play it like he did, caressingly. I don't caress anything. My fingers are like machine guns...I play violently with anger. Not like Pichuco."

Born in the district of Almagro in Buenos Aires, he began taking bandoneon lessons at the age of ten and dropped out of school six years later to become a full-time bandoneonist with the Vardaro-Pugliese sextet. He played with various bands from then on, before forming his own group in 1937. He performed at the Tibidabo cabaret for 16 years. Adored by his fellow porteños , the entire city mourned his death in 1975.
A Buenos Aires restaurant Pichuco is named after him and its walls are covered with pictures showing him at every stage of his career.
At the Pichuco a pianist plays tangos every night. Here, and all over Buenos Aires, 'National Tango Day' December 11th- celebrates the anniversary of the births of both Carlos Gardel and Julio De Caro.
Troilo's birthday is commemorated every July 11, which is known as 'Bandoneon Day'.

Osvaldo Pugliese, one of the finest pianists in tango, was another member of the post-golden age vanguard . He remained one of the major influences in tango right up to his death in 1995. His band was like a finishing school for some of the most accomplished tango musicians of the late twentieth century. Among them Anibal Troilo and Astor Piazzolla.