Luis Stazo

Luis Antonio Stazo (21 June 1930 – 21 March 2016) was an Argentine bandoneonist, composer, arranger, and orchestra director who became one of the most respected figures in tango music. Born in Buenos Aires, he began formal musical training at age 7 under maestro Tomás Martucci and made his professional debut at 18 with Jorge Argentino Fernández’s orchestra. Over his career, Stazo worked with major Argentine orchestras including those of Juan Carlos Cobián, Lucio Demare, Osmar Maderna, and Alfredo de Ángelis (1959–1965), arranging and performing with renowned vocalists such as Ángel Vargas and Roberto Goyeneche.

In 1965, Stazo co-founded Los Siete del Tango with Orlando Trípodi, serving as co-director and bandoneón player until 1969. His most significant achievement came in 1973 when he co-founded Sexteto Mayor with José Libertella, a sextet that became internationally renowned and was featured in the landmark Broadway production Tango Argentino (1985–1986). Sexteto Mayor made over 20 recordings and in 2003 became the first Argentine tango ensemble to win a Latin Grammy Award for the album Homenaje a Piazzolla. Stazo retired from Sexteto Mayor in January 2005 and relocated to Berlin, where he continued performing with Trío StazoMayor alongside guitarist Coco Nelegatti and bassist Kaspar Domke until his death in 2016. As a composer, he created over 30 tangos, valses, and milongas that remain part of the tango repertoire.

Sources note: Death date discrepancy: on-file date is 2015-03-21, but verified sources (tango.info, Wikipedia ES, Wikidata, Spanish news archives Ámbito/Los Andes/La Nación from March 2016) consistently confirm March 21, 2016 as the correct date. Stazo died in Berlin, Germany at age 85, not in 2015.