1. El Abuelito (digitale download)

12,95

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El Abuelito – the grandfather is a tribute to my bandoneon. I bought it in January 2001 in Buenos Aires when Argentina was hit by another major financial crisis, the so-called Corralito. Back then, many people had to sell their favorite valuables to make ends meet.

When I tried out the very beautiful instrument, the owner Claudio walked around restlessly and looked at me from all sides. Over a mate tea, he then told me why this bandoneon was so important to him: his grandfather had brought it to Argentina from his native Spain. He tinkered with it every day to make small repairs, improve the sound or just cherish it. Claudio could never have imagined that he would be selling this heirloom that his grandfather loved so much. But he was forced and wanted to sell it to someone who would play and respect the bandoneon and not just see it as an investment.

A few days later, when I came back to pick it up, Claudio emphatically said, “Never forget that you are taking part of my family with you!” And I promised him that “El Abuelito” would now also be part of my family and that I would respect the instrument as his grandfather did.