Borges Music – Jairo

Jairo (b. 1949)

Born Mario Rubén Gonzáles Pierotti in the Argentine province of Córdoba, Jairo changed his name in 1969 to an Aramaic word meaning “The Faithful Illuminated.” A popular singer who works primarily in Romance languages, Jairo has toured Europe extensively, winning several major awards and recording songs in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German. He has also cooperated with numerous authors, poets, and theater companies, and has amassed quite an impressive discography.

Borges-Related Works

Jairo canta a Borges (1977)
An album of Borges settings, described below.

Borges & Piazzolla (1996)
A remake of Astor Piazzolla’s 1965 El tango, this wonderful album features Daniel Binelli, Jairo, and Lito Cruz.

María de Buenos Aires (1998)
Jairo sings on Gidon Kremer’s 1998 recording of Astor Piazzolla’s María de Buenos Aires.

Jairo canta a Borges (1975)

Track Listing

1. No hay cosa como la Muerte (Leguizamón-Borges)
2. Buenos Aires: Búsqueda (Jairo-Borges)
3. Milonga de calandria (Blázquez-Borges)
4. Soy esos otros (Cabral-Borges)
5. La rosa inalcanzable (Malvicino-Borges)
6. Milonga de marfil negro (Plaza-Borges)
7. Mil novecientos sesenta y cuatro (Piazzolla-Borges)
8. Milonga de dos hermanos (Guastavino-Borges)
9. La lluvia sucede en el pasado (Cortéz-Borges)
10. Hombre de antigua fe (Falú-Borges)
11. Buenos Aires: Destino (Piazzolla-Borges)
12. No habrá sino recuerdos (Mederos-Borges)

Jairo canta a Borges was released in 1977 in Argentina and Chile on the German label Ariola. The LP was digitally remastered for the four-CD box set Puro Jairo, a collection of Jairo songs from 1970–2001.

Liner Notes (From the 1997 Milan CD, Borges & Piazzolla)

The original LP Jaira canta a Borges had very few liner notes; but the album is mentioned in the notes to Borges & Piazzolla:

In 1979, one of his most beautiful records was released, Jairo Sings Borges, a major work in which eleven Argentine composers participated to put music to twelve poems by Jorge Luis Borges, who actively participated in the project. Some of these songs he took to Paris, where he was praised by writer Julio Cortázar and shared the stage at festivals, recordings and TV shows with such great singers as Nona Mouskouri, Charles Aznavour, Charles Trenet, Gilbert Bécaud and Georges Moustaki.

Additional Information

Jairo Wikipedia Page
Wikipedia maintains a brief page on Jairo in English.

Author: Allen B. Ruch
Last Modified: 7 August 2024
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