César Isella (20 October 1938 – 28 January 2021) was an Argentine singer and songwriter of folk music. He joined Los Fronterizos (The Bordermen) from 1956 to 1966, was one of the main figures of the "Movement of the New Songbook", and in the 1990s he discovered and sponsored the singer Soledad Pastorutti. He has written the music for "Canción con todos" (Song with everyone), regarded as the Latin American anthem.[1]
Biography
Isella was born in Salta. At age 7, he was hired to join the cast of Hollywood Park, on a tour of ten days through Salta province. Two years later he scored high on a weekly singing competition, winning over seven consecutive weeks and reaching the coveted first prize: a football.[2]
In 1954, at age 17, Isella joined the group Los Sin Nombre (The Nameless), next to Thomas "Tutu" Campos, Javier E. Pantaleon, Luis Gualter Menu, and Higa. The first two end up forming Los Cantores del Alba (The dawn singers) and the third, Los de Salta. The Nameless came to act with Ariel Ramírez, in a presentation at the Salta Hotel.[3]
Los Fronterizos
It was in 1956 that he joined the group Los Fronterizos (The Bordermen), replacing Carlos Barbarán, using his legal name Julio César Isella, completing the formation founded in 1953 by Gerardo López, along with Eduardo Madeo and Juan Carlos Moreno. His joining the group was critical for defining the style of Los Fronterizos making them one of the leading ensembles in the history of Argentine folklore. Lopez and Isella made the two baritone voices, first and second respectively, while Madeo and Moreno were a sharp and low. This setup was what led the group to stardom achieving major popularity.[2]
Los Fronterizos recorded five songs by Isella when he was still part of the group: "La fiera"[4] (Hechizo), "Se lo llevó el carnaval""[5] (Voces mágicas), "Guitarreando"[5] (Voces mágicas), "Corazón guitarrero" and "Un abrazo a Corrientes" (Color en folklore). After that, without Isella, recorded others for: "Los seguidores" (Sangre fronteriza), "Canción de lejos" (Desde el corazón...), "Viento no más" (Cantando), "Paloma y laurel"[6](Hoy!!).[2] With Los Fronterizos, in 1964, participated in the historic original recording of "Misa Criolla", by Ariel Ramírez, considered the supreme work of Argentine music.[7][8]
The solo career
Cover photo of Cesar's first solo album by Isella, Estoy de vuelta (I'm back) (1968).
In 1966, began a solo career under the name César Isella. The decision surprised the audience, because after the Misa Criolla, Los Fronterizos were at the pinnacle of success.
César Isella's account then follows:
In 1963, with Los Fronterizos, we went to Mendoza and met on the same day with Atahualpa Yupanqui and Armando Tejada Gómez, Oscar Matus, the painter Carlos Alonso, Tito Francia, and a skinny Tucumán lady, Matus's wife, Mercedes Sosa. I was very surprised that they sang a repertoire very different to what I knew, both melodically and poetically. Add contents to a music that until then was only descriptive. Their sound again amazed me, and I grabbed a crush on them.
Isella then adhere fervently to the tenets of Movement of the New Songbook, which had launched Tejada Gómez, Mercedes Sosa, Mendoza Matus and other artists in 1963. In this new artistic line in 1968, released his first solo album called Estoy de vuelta (I'm back) which includes topics such as the beautiful "Zamba para no morir" (Zamba not to die) by Hamlet Lima Quintana, and also a tango, the famous "Milonga triste" from Homero Manzi and Sebastián Piana.[3]
In 1969 composed the music for "Canción con todos" (Song with all), to which the poet Armando Tejada Gómez I added lyrics, a topic that has been designated by the UNESCO as Anthem from Latin America and translated into thirty languages.[1] In 1970 submitted along with Tejada Gómez and Los Trovadores (The Bards), the show "Young America". In 1974 won the Martín Fierro Award for his radio program "Argentina canta así" (Argentina sings), broadcast by Radio Continental of Buenos Aires.[3]
Cover photo of Cesar's second solo album by Isella, Solitaire (1969).
He returned to Argentina on 29 October 1983, when he had been democratically elected President Raúl Alfonsín, at which time it provided a pointed recital at the Estadio Obras Sanitarias. At the time of return from exile, Isella participated in historical performances, as he did in the Luna Park with Horacio Guarany, the Cosquín Festival in the summer of 1984 and Sanitation mass readings of Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés, singers censored by the military regime.[3]
In 1984 he made with Victor Heredia and Quartet Zupay the show "Song for poetry", poems set to music composed by Pablo Neruda, Maria Elena Walsh and José Pedroni presented with a resounding success in the Luna Park, recital which later was released on an album that sold 300,000 copies. That year also made an unprecedented call for young authors, receiving more than 1,000 songs, of which selected ten, with which he composed his album dawn Fragile.[3]
César Isella singing at the White Hall of the Casa Rosada, 2008.
Between 1995 and 1997, for three successive editions, he directed the "Official Peña National Folklore Festival Cosquin, developing a policy for participation of young artists. Some of the singers that emerged in these presentations are Ruben Patagonia, Adrian Maggi, Soledad, Luciano Pereyra, Los Tekis and others.[10]
In 1999 United States bought the rights to "Song with all" to be studied in high schools as nonmetallic study of music and Latin American culture.[3]
In 2007, coinciding with the 50-year career, Isella released the album 50 years of simple things and an autobiography.[11]
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