The son of Esteben Malvicino, a railway employee, Horacio grew up in Concordia where, between the ages of 6 and 14, he was taught to play the guitar by Augustin Satalia.
His teacher would only allow him to play classical music and in those days jazz was rarely heard in the city.
The jazz-like improvisations of Malvicino on electric guitar in, for example, Piazzolla's 1955 composition Marron y Azul, had never been heard before in tango.
Over the years he has played various genres of music with many of the great names in the music world including Dizzy Gillespie, Gary Burton, Miles Davis, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto, Susana Rinaldi, Milva, Tanguito, Los Chalchaleros, Palito Ortega, and Plácido Domingo.
In 2008, Malvicino published a book entitled El Tano y Yo, where he recorded stories of his musical career as an electric guitarist in Piazzolla’s various ensembles, and was vice-president of the Argentine Interpreters Association.