Pat, Nany (Jose) Alarcon had a set of musical taxi horns that were attached to an apparatus that he hung around his neck so the straight taxi horns were on his chest. They were very old (the horns, not the Alarcons) I believe they were made in Brazil, the Alarcons homeland. Nany told me the toughest part was finding replacement "bulbs" since they would always get dry and crack. The tune they played was "La Chucaracha"; a very familiar melody that registered with the audience.
They did several of my winter tours and to keep their musical act "fresh" they had several different "middles". The beginning was the same and the ending (March to Bow) was the same, but they would interchange the "middle" part from time to time, maybe once a week. Their theory was to keep them "fresh" and "thinking". They had a boxing match, for the middle, that was strong enough to be featured by itself. Leo's dead-pan takes would keep us in stitches, as well as his off-stage comments when he ran back for a prop.
Mike, i was so sure Los Alarcon were from my country, Argentina... Yup, those horns can have that problem, mine were made in Germany. I do remember seeing a musical clown in Buenos Aires, Manetti, playing those bulbhorns too. Some clowns, mostly from Europe, nowadays set the horns on some kind of stand. I think they look better when you "wear" them...
Peppo, Los Alarcons were in the US and I saw them on Circus Flora. They returned home to Brazil and I brought them back to the US and did the paperwork through the American embassy in Sao Paulo. However, they might have been from Argentina, originally. I do know that Leo had a sister who lived in Brazil.
I had to brush up on my Portuguese when doing the paperwork. Next time I speak with Nany I will ask him.
5 comments:
Clearly a variety of venues here, and it looks like some TV Specials. Apparently Yann and Hector return to Knie in Switzerland this year.
John or Pat...can you track down some more of these tapes?
Pat,
Nany (Jose) Alarcon had a set of musical taxi horns that were attached to an apparatus that he hung around his neck so the straight taxi horns were on his chest.
They were very old (the horns, not the Alarcons) I believe they were made in Brazil, the Alarcons homeland. Nany told me the toughest part was finding replacement "bulbs" since they would always get dry and crack.
The tune they played was "La Chucaracha"; a very familiar melody that registered with the audience.
They did several of my winter tours and to keep their musical act "fresh" they had several different "middles". The beginning was the same and the ending (March to Bow) was the same, but they would interchange the "middle" part from time to time, maybe once a week. Their theory was to keep them "fresh" and "thinking". They had a boxing match, for the middle, that was strong enough to be featured by itself. Leo's dead-pan takes would keep us in stitches, as well as his off-stage comments when he ran back for a prop.
Mike, i was so sure Los Alarcon were from my country, Argentina... Yup, those horns can have that problem, mine were made in Germany. I do remember seeing a musical clown in Buenos Aires, Manetti, playing those bulbhorns too. Some clowns, mostly from Europe, nowadays set the horns on some kind of stand. I think they look better when you "wear" them...
Peppo,
Los Alarcons were in the US and I saw them on Circus Flora. They returned home to Brazil and I brought them back to the US and did the paperwork through the American embassy in Sao Paulo.
However, they might have been from Argentina, originally. I do know that Leo had a sister who lived in Brazil.
I had to brush up on my Portuguese when doing the paperwork.
Next time I speak with Nany I will ask him.
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