A pioneer in bringing traditional chamamé to global audiences, Argentine accordionist and composer Chango Spasiuk has been dazzling audiences in jazz and world music festivals all around the globe since the early 2000s.

Now 58, Spasiuk is revisiting his career with concerts that showcase the folk rhythms of his hometown of Apóstoles, in Misiones province. In his shows, he effortlessly blends chamamé with tango influences from his beloved Astor Piazzolla, Brazilian notes from Egberto Gismonti, Flamenco atmospheres from Paco de Lucía, and even rock elements from Jimi Hendrix and Argentine rock pioneer Luis Alberto Spinetta.

The accordion’s most widespread use in northeastern Argentina is chamamé, a festive music rooted in the cultural encounter of Guaraní communities and European immigrants. It has a liltting rhythm and a syncopated pulse somewhat similar to zydeco and polka, that invites couples to dance close together. Lyrics usually explore love, heartbreak, homesickness, rural life and local customs.

In 2020, chamamé was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its cultural significance.

Chango Spasiuk emerged from that rich tradition and made his breakthrough at the celebrated Cosquín Festival in 1989. 

“I remember meeting Cosquín host Julio Marbiz at the Yerba Mate Festival in Apóstoles and asking him whom I should write to if I........

© Buenos Aires Herald