This happens 9 out of 10 times

Author

Claudio Constantini
August 22, 2023

Whenever I´m at an airport, which is very often, the security check is always a point of extra delay if I´m touring with my instrument.

It looks very strange through the X-ray machine, and often security guards have no clue whatsoever as to what it is.

And, 9 out of 10 times, it will go through the special check lane, after which I will be asked some extra questions and it will most likely have to pass through an explosives test.

A few times, though not too many, I´ve even had to be escorted to the special security check office and spent up to two hours there! I´m sure most of you don´t even know that such a thing existed, but I´m here to tell you that it does.

I´ve seen it. In several countries and several airports.

Eventually, of course, they conclude every time that I´m no threat whatsoever and I´m there just to spread some nice music.

I´ve also learned to say “accordion” instead of “bandoneon” when they ask me what it is. Otherwise, they´re likely to never ever have heard that term before and I have to spend even more time explaining what a bandoneon is.

Once, in Belgium Zaventem airport, they even asked me to play it for them to prove that I´m actually a professional musician and that I´m not trying to smuggle some precious antique through international borders…

Coincidentally, that was on the 22nd of March 2016, just three hours before two suicide bombers detonated bombs in a spot where I had just been having a coffee… I found out when I landed in Madrid.

That´s unfortunately not my only story involving bombings, I have several. Maybe I´ll tell you about them some other time, now is not the time.

I started heavily touring 10 years ago, and haven´t stopped since. It came as a consequence of my first studio album and the subsequent decision to give up any other means of income that didn´t come directly from performing.

That means: I decided to become exclusively a concert artist.

My model is changing nowadays, but I´ll tell you more about it in the next few days since some very interesting things are coming up that I want to share with you.

For now, I just wanted to let you know that I have only 20 copies left of my first studio album Suite Latinoamericana, they´re the last 20 copies that are available for purchase.

After that, the album will officially be out of print and you won´t be able to buy it or listen to it anywhere else, ever (since it´s NOT on streaming platforms like Spotify).

Have a great day (and hassle-free travels if you happen to be travelling :)

Claudio.

P.D. If you´re one of those who still treasures physical items that reproduce sound (such as cd´s) in your hands, like me, then you would certainly enjoy that album… and…

P.D.D. You also get the chance to buy a couple of other albums of mine at less than half the price. It´s all on the same link…