Alejandro Ernesto Balbis (
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, December 4, 1967) is a Uruguayan singer, composer, guitarist and
producer.
Biography
Early life
Alejandro Balbis took his first steps in music at a young age, taking guitar lessons with
Jorge Lazaroff
Jorge Ovidio Lazaroff Cesconi (28 February 1950 – 22 March 1989) was an Uruguayan composer, singer and guitarist.
His father was a Bulgarian immigrant and his mother was born in Salto, Uruguay, Salto, Uruguay.
Discography
*''Albañil'' (1979 ...
, and then singing and directing the children
murga ''Firulete'',
which later changed its name to ''Contrafarsa''. Eventually, he started competing in the major ''carnaval''. As the time went by, Balbis started to grow as an artist and to gather young musicians he met at singing workshops he gave in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina. His main influences were
Alfredo Zitarrosa,
Carlos Gardel and
Atahualpa Yupanqui, among many others.
Carnaval
Since childhood, he showed a great fondness of ''carnaval'', more specifically, the ''murgas''. He went on to become part of ''murgas'' such as ''Contrafarsa'', ''Falta y Resto'', ''Saltimbanquis'', ''A Contramano'', ''Asaltantes con Patente'', etc.
Solo career
After many years of experimenting with different sounds and musicians, "Ale" Balbis got to record his debut album, titled "El Gran Pez", in reference to the movie ''
Big Fish'', which had a big impact on the musician's life. The record was viewed in a positive light by critics, especially in ''Billboard'' and ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' magazines, getting a four star score in the latter. The album was presented in
Club Niceto and sold out.
Current band
* Tomás Wille (drums, percussion)
* Tiago Vega (bass)
* Manuel Eguía (guitar)
* Sebastián Baró (lead guitar)
* Leandro Stivelman (first chorus, accordion)
* Nicolás Oviedo (chorus)
* Valentin de la Concepción (chorus)
Discography
* ''El Gran Pez'' (
Montevideo Music Group – 2009)
* ''Sin remitente'' (
Montevideo Music Group – 2013)
Bibliography
* ''Montevideo Cachichurris. Issue No. 13 – April 4, 1999, Page 9. Weekly publication – Montevideo, Uruguay.''
References
1967 births
Living people
21st-century Uruguayan male singers
Singers from Montevideo
Uruguayan composers
Uruguayan male composers
Uruguayan male guitarists
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