Hugo Diaz

Víctor Hugo Díaz (August 10, 1927 in Santiago del Estero, Argentina - October 23, 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a tango, folklore and jazz harmonicist.
 
 
Early life
 
Díaz was born to a poor family in the small city of Santiago del Estero. At the age of five he lost his sight hit by a soccer ball, which led him to play the harmonica. Two years later, after a surgery restored his eyesight, he was already performing regularly for a local radio.
 
 
Musical career
 
All his life, in spite of a highly successful career, the ex-child prodigy remained loyal to the companions of his youth like the Abalos brothers and the great percussionist Domingo Cura with whom Díaz recorded on many occasions. His debut in Buenos Aires around 1944 resulted in a series of record contracts with Odeon Records, TK Records, Jockey and later, RCA. Although mostly known for his tango performances, his music has deep rural roots, above all in the provincial folkloric music he had grown up with: chacareras, zambas and milongas camperas. Nevertheless, such a brilliant musician could never really be confined to a single style or type of music.
In 1953 during a European tour, Hugo Díaz had the opportunity to meet in Belgium with two admired musicians, Larry Adler and Toots Thielemans. The admiration was mutual since Thielemans never failed to pay homage to the artistry of Díaz.
 
He also played in the United States with Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson, and in La Scala in Milan with Renata Tebaldi and Mario del Monaco.
Díaz was to record the most important part of his musical legacy during the 1970s.