Chébere

Chébere was an Argentine sextet that formed in 1967 with six members: Oscar "Cacho" Castaña on vocals, Héctor "Pichi" de Benedictis on vocals and guitar, Edgardo Suárez on piano, Oscar "Cacho" Bonavena on drums, Jorge "Lodi" Bonaparte on bass, and Juan Carlos "Pelusa" Bazán on bongos. They worked in a space where traditional tango met jazz and rock elements, which gave their recordings a particular texture that stood out from more conventional groups of the period.

Their 1968 album "Los Dos Estamos Perdidos" included the title track that became one of their best-known songs. Other recordings like "A Contramano" and "Alcoba Prestada" show the range they could cover within their hybrid style. The band released several albums through the late 1960s and early 1970s, including "La Nave" in 1970 and "El Regreso" in 1974.

Chébere disbanded in 1976 during Argentina's political turmoil, then reunited in 1982. Oscar Castaña died in 1995. What remains are the recordings, songs that still get played on Argentine radio and in tango circles, not as museum pieces but as music that holds its ground.