Carlos Mayel
TITAF-P-2416724
Real name José Luis Anastasio
Life 19 November 1913 – 2 January 1984
Occupation
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• singer
• composer
Instrument
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• voice
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires
Country of birth Argentina
Citizenship
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• Argentina
TodoTango: Link
Orchestras
No known group memberships.
Recordings
No recordings found.
Opus
|PersonFreeText=Carlos Mayel was born on November 19, 1913, in the Mataderos neighborhood of Buenos Aires. His real name was José Luis Anastasio, the son of immigrants from the volcanic island of Stromboli in Sicily, Italy. His parents were Giuseppe Anastasio and Carolina Tesoriero (a cousin of the famous Boca Juniors goalkeeper, Américo Tesoriere).
Giuseppe died in an accident on October 15, 1913, falling from the tower of the San José de Calasanz church (located at Avda. La Plata and Directorio) while it was still under construction. He was 30 years old. A month later, the future Carlos Mayel was born—the youngest of four children from that marriage.
Some years later, Carolina, then 26 years old, married another Italian, Nicolás Alagia. They had five more children, two of whom also pursued music: Alfredo Alagia, as the lead singer of a vocal-instrumental ensemble founded by Waldo Belloso, and Ernesto Alagia, a talented guitarist.
Carlos Mayel stood out as a singer due to his bright, well-tuned voice and melodic style. He began his career around 1932 on LR9 Radio Fénix—one of the earliest radio stations in Buenos Aires—with the orchestra of Héctor de Estefano. His first guitar lessons were with Ángel Domingo Riverol, guitarist of Carlos Gardel, who also introduced Mayel at various artistic events.
Later, he joined the orchestra of Rómulo Mercado, which performed at dances in Mataderos and across the city. In 1939, he made his debut with the orchestra of Osvaldo Fresedo, with whom he remained until 1942. He recorded eight tangos with Fresedo: Camino, Marcas, Careta Careta, Nidito Azul, Esta Noche, Si el Corazón Supiera, Es Costumbre o es Cariño, and Llamada de Amor Porteño.
After his time with Fresedo, Mayel was invited in 1942 to visit Doña Bertha, the mother of Carlos Gardel. He sang her the tango La Mariposa. Deeply moved, she gifted him a pair of boots, a poncho, a hat, and a framed, autographed photo of Gardel.
Antonio Sumage, known as El Aviador, Gardel’s former chauffeur, was a close friend of Mayel and regularly visited him at his home in Mataderos, often bringing sweets and gifts for his son.
Carlos Mayel’s body of work as a composer exceeds 300 pieces: tangos, milongas, rumbas, boleros, zambas, and more. Many were written in collaboration with Francisco Laino, and others with Celedonio Flores, Enrique Dizeo, Reinaldo Yiso, Aldo Queirolo, Francisco Amor, Carlitos Acuña, Martín Castro, Afner Gatti, and others.
Among his best-known compositions are:
- The milonga Apronte – recorded by Edgardo Donato (with vocals by Roberto Morel), Carlos Almagro, and Edmundo Rivero
- El Descolado – recorded by Donato and Ricardo "Chiqui" Pereyra
- Yo Nací para Palermo – recorded by Donato
- Berretines de Bacana – recorded by Donato
- Palito Docena Media – recorded by Jorge Vidal and Mayel himself
- The milonga Entre Curdas – recorded by Vidal, Lucrecia Merico, Ernesto Ariel, Horacio Puccio Acosta (Bar El Chino), and more recently by Cacho Castaña
- El Mayoral del Tranvía – recorded by Alfredo De Angelis (vocals by Julio Martel), and by the British group Tango Siempre
- Also noteworthy: Carlitos Está en Nosotros (a tribute tango to Gardel), the milonga Celedonio Flores, and the tango-milonga Roberto Firpo, soon to be released for tango enthusiasts
Following the birth of his only son in 1947, Mayel largely withdrew from public performances, though not entirely. He made occasional recordings: a full LP of 12 original tangos and milongas accompanied by guitars, five tracks with the orchestra of Juan Carlos Caviello, three with Francisco Brancatti, five with the Ricardo Martínez Trio, and four with the guitars of Lorenzo Ranieri.
Though he ceased performing publicly, he left behind countless unreleased recordings—singing to his own guitar accompaniment, with many Gardel pieces and his own compositions. It is said that Carlos Mayel continued composing and singing until just hours before his passing on January 2, 1984.
Source: José Luis Anastasio