Juan Falú – The Guitar in folk music
Today you can listen to my interview with the guitarist and composer Juan Falú. He is one of the most innovative personalities of the current folk scene in Argentina and has done a lot to spread it. Among other things, he is the artistic director of the “Guitarras del mundo” festival, where the most important guitarists of the entire world perform.
Juan Falú was born on October 10, 1948 in San Miguel de Tucumán, in northwestern Argentina. His paternal grandparents were Syrian immigrants.
In the 1960s and 70s of the last century, Juan Falú co-founded the National Union of Students and fought with the left-wing Peronists in Tucumán, the Peronist Armed Forces. His brother Luis Eduardo is a disappeared person from the military dictatorship. Juan Falú was able to escape to Brazil and lived there in exile until 1983.
I spoke with Juan in January 2011 at his music studio in San Telmo. It was an exciting and moving conversation that lasted nearly an hour. And we finish it with a glass of wine to wet our dry throats.
I will divide the interview into two parts so that you can listen to everything Juan Falú told me: how he learned to play the guitar by ear, in the company of of his friends. It was his school of music. And that’s how he still plays today.
At that time, Argentine folklore was very popular. Juan’s uncle was the great guitarist Eduardo Falú. His extraordinary way of playing allowed Juan to interpret Argentine folklore as a soloist and make it known throughout the country. There were also many vocal ensembles such as Los Fronterizos and Los Chalchaleros – some taking a more traditional approach to repertoire, others more innovative. But they all felt connected to their musical roots.
Juan and his friends were also jazz enthusiasts, listening to records by the Modern Jazz Quartet, John Coltrane and Dave Brubeck, Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astor Piazzolla . They left the Beatles aside, unlike so many other young people of those years. Juan’s father also transmitted to him the love for classical music.
Juan spoke about his close friendship and collaboration with the pianist Hilde Herrera, with whom he dedicated himself to the most important personalities of Argentine folklore in the cycle “Maestros del alma “. And of other collaborations with prominent musicians such as the wind singer Marcelo Moguilevsky and the pianist Oscar Alem.
Juan sang to me what characterizes and distinguishes the different folk rhythms of northwestern Argentina. He spoke of the rebirth of Argentine folklore in recent years and of the great quality of young musicians. I will introduce two of them, Juan Quintero and Carlos Aguirre, in the coming weeks.
Listen for yourselves to everything Juan Falú, this great guitarist and composer, told me on that summer afternoon in Buenos Aires.
Complete transcript of the interview
