Marcelo Mercadante

Marcelo Mercadante

Born in Buenos Aires in 1969, Marcelo began his bandoneon studies with Rodolfo Mederos with whom he´d also learned harmony and orchestration. Later, he keeps on perfectin´ himself on this instrument´s technique with Daniel Binelli, Julio Pane, Néstor Marconi and Juan José Mosalini as his teachers.

He´s studied composition with Alejandro Civilotti and Daniel Montes.
In Buenos Aires, he was part of the Orquesta de Tango de la Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda, under direction of the “maestros” Rodolfo Mederos, Daniel Binelli and Orlando Tripodi. He played in different clubs of Montevideo and Buenos Aires, as a member of Daniel Binelli´s Cuarteto de Bandoneones, Luis Borda Cuarteto and many other groups. In 1991, he created with Pablo Mainetti, Andrés Serafini, Hernán Posetti and Germán Martínez the Octeto La Sombra, and they won the 2ª Bienal de Arte Joven de Buenos Aires.

In 1992 he was hired for the Expo 92, in Seville. Already settled down in Barcelona, that same year he presented a show alongside the actor Pepe Rubianes in the Teatro Goya. He joined Tango 21 company and performed in the Teatro Trindade de Lisboa and in the Festival de la Guitarra de Córdoba (Spain).

In 1994 he establishes the Trio Argentino de Tango, with Andrés Serafini and Gustavo Battaglia. With this group, he has recorded two C.D., T.A.T. and Revolutionary and gave an impressive amount of concerts around Catalunya, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Morocco and Tunisia. This group´ shows in the Old Municipal Theater of Tunisia, the different performances of the group in editions 1995 and 1996 of the Festival Grec de Barcelona and in the Fiestas de la Merce in this same city, in editions 1995, 1997 and 1998 of the Festival Internacional de Tango de Sitges, the presentation in the Teatro de Porto (in Portugal), the Tribute to Jorge Luis Borges in the Teatro del Maestranza de Sevilla and a tour covering more than twenty cities of Germany, Belgium and Holland with the show Pasión de Vivir, are just a few of them. He made three tours around France, Switzerland, Belgium and Turkey with Amelita Baltar, the singer of Astor Piazzolla.

Performances as soloist, interpreting Piazzolla´s “5 Sensaciones de Tango” (with the Orquesta Nacional de Cámara de Andorra), Piazzolla´s “Tres Tangos para Bandoneón, Piano, Arpa, Percusión y Orquesta de Cuerdas” (with the Orquesta de Cámara “Arpeggione” in Hohenems Austria) and, in the edition 1998 of the Festival de Cine de San Sebastian (with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi, under direction of the maestro Lalo Schifrin).

As a professional musician, Marcelo is featured on an imposing number of recordings. It stands out his participation as bandonen soloist in a cd of the discographic company DECCA, with the O.B.C. (Orquesta Nacional de Barcelona y Catalunya). In Barcelona he´s a member of the Cuarteto Araca, featuring Lluis Vidal, Horacio Fumero, and Pere Bardagi; as likewise of the Quinteto Sur, with Francisco Ovieta, Carlos Dorado, Paul Giger and Alfredo Persichilli. Also there, he fronts his own ensemble: ‘quinteto porteño’, a group in which he acts as director, composer, arranger and bandoneonist. With this band he has played in the Festival Internacional de Sitges, in the Auditory of Caja Madrid in Barcelona, in the Auditory L’Espai of Barcelona, and in a big tour for Denmark and the whole spanish territory.He´s participated in the Festival de Perellada, with Lluis Vidal, David Xirgu, Pablo Fernández and Manuel Martínez, accompanying the singer Nina. Later on, he´d be called to play in this show´s recording on C.D.

In 1999 he acts as soloist, in the Auditories of Barcelona, Bilbao and San Sebastian accompanied by the O.B.C. (Orquesta Nacional de Barcelona y Catalunya) and the Orquesta Nacional de Euskadi respectively, under direction of Lalo Schifrin. As likewise in the Festival Grec de Barcelona with the Cuarteto Araca, the singer Elba Picó and the author of “Balada para un loco”, the poet Horacio Ferrer.

In the Autumn of 2000 and Spring of 2001, he was part of Joan Manuel Serrat “Cansiones´Tour” throughout Spain, Central America and South America. Marcelo has also recorded on this cd.

In 2002, he tours constantly with his “Quinteto Buenos Aires” presenting their successful new cd, “Esquina Buenos Aires.” During the last part of that year, he was asked to join the great musician and trumpet player Gustavo Bergalli´s band and to record a Cd. With his Quintet he’s played in Spain, Argentina, Suecia and France. He’s recorded another cd entitled “Con un taladro en el corazón”, with his own music.

He collaborates as intérpreter, touring twice for France with Julia Migenes.

He’s also collaborated as composer, arranger and interpreter, with Miguel Poveda, recording two tracks for a Miguel Poveda’s cd.

In 2003, is convened by Miguel Poveda as an interpreter and co-arranger (alongside Horacio Fumero and Jose Reinoso) for the recording of tango “Cuesta abajo” Carlos Gardel, included with the disc “Flemish Territory” (2003), begins to a fruitful musical relationship that extends to the present.

He recorded a new CD entitled “Con un taladro en el corazón” with music composed by him. In late 2004, early 2005, he toured Switzerland and Spain playing at the Tango Festival in Buenos Aires and Tango Festival “Buenos Aires Naca”, Teatro San Martin. In Argentina, Acqua Records label has edited it. It’s presented in the Auditorium of the Opera de Lyon (France), where Mercadante writes the milonga “Miñones” and the tango “The Dance of the rooster and lion.” for the organization “Tango de Soie”.

Collaborates as a performer, doing two tours of France with the great opera singer Julia Migenes.

It is convened by Miguel Poveda as bandoneonist and composer for the award-winning album “Desglaç” (2005), where GM collaborates musicalized the poem “Tant se val” by Valentó Gomez i Oliver, along with MP, the poem “Final” by Joan Brossa.

In 2006, is dedicated to the production of its next album: “Suburbios del alma”, and production project idea that alongside the poet and journalist Paul Marchetti. In 2006 interpreted as a soloist and the Bandoneon Concerto for Orchestra, “Aconcagua” by Astor Piazzolla with the Symphony Orchestra of Galicia in the Palacio de la Opera de La Coruña. It ends this year and begin 2007 with an extensive tour of presentations “Con un taladro…” and “Desglaç”, which will also take him to Luxembourg, New York and Germany. Accompanying Maria del Mar Bonet and Miguel Poveda, presents the concert “Els treballs i els dies”, as part of the exhibition “Barcelona and Modernity” in New York in the Fira from Frankfurt, at the Teatro Grec in Barcelona , And Vic in Majorca.

“Suburbios…” was recorded in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Madrid and Montevideo. Collaborated artists of the stature of Miguel Poveda, Martirio, Lidia Borda, Alejandro del Prado, Omar Mollo, Elba Picó, Leopoldo Federico, Hugo Fattorusso, Fattorusso Francisco, Pablo Agri, Hernan “Paya” Possetti, Pablo Mainetti, Mariano “Paya” Cigna and Diego Schissi, among other great musicians. The disc has a lid with his art illustrations of the legendary Cal, the number of “Buenos Aires en camiseta” (published in “Rico Tipo” in the 50s). It was presented at L’Auditori of Barcelona, Oster Tango Festival in 2008 (Switzerland) and the Nova Jazz Cava de Terrassa.

It is convened by the Tango Festival in Buenos Aires for the composition of a work whose original submission, due to the change of authorities, it is still an uncertainty.

Take a tour of Turkey with Amelita Baltar and introduced alongside the Urbis Centre Choir, directed by Josep Prats, “Misatango” Mass-a Buenos Aires-composer Martin Palmeri.