Danceable Tangos

Each period of tango had its dancing public, from the very origins of tango when men danced among themselves at the beginning of the 20th century, to the legendary and multitudinous dances in the neighborhood clubs in the mid 40s. This beautiful tradition-which begins, develops, and ends with an embrace-was abandoned by the youth of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but at last was rescued in the 90s. Today, the tango is a popular dance all over the world, and thanks to the consistent work of innumerable Argentine "maestros"-real missionaries of the genre-the understanding of this dance has grown markedly, reaching people of different generations and backgrounds. As part of this recovery, many young musicians have been drawn to tango, producing danceable tango with a strong commitment to the very best of the tradition. This CD presents three fundamental groups in the new generation of musicians who play tango to inspire today's milongueros (dancers), those indefatigable inhabitants of the night capable of dancing to the same tangos over and over again never tiring and never repeating a step.

Ignacio Varchausky
Artistic Director, TangoVia Buenos Aires
August, 2008

Tangos with Lyrics

Many tango lyrics are famous for their poetic richness and profound emotion, however not everyone knows that the first tangos with lyrics described the world of the brothel.  The themes were vulgar, obscene, and with little poetic flight.  It is only since the time of poets like Pascual Contursi that the lyrics begin to have a narrative development and principal themes of love, abandonment, and rootlessness.  The recording by Carlos Gardel of the tango “Mi Noche Triste” (My Sad Night) by Contursi in 1917 created a new language that from then on was known as “Tango Song (Tango Canción).” From that moment everything changed forever and the tango became the vector of an extraordinary creative force.  Fundamental poets like Enrique Santos Discépolo, Homero Manzi, Enrique Cadícamo and Homero Expósito found in tango the best context in which to create their works.  Heirs to that rich tradition which had its apogee in the 40s and 50s, today’s musicians propose visions as dissimilar as they are stimulating.  From those that subtly evoke the old tradition to those who are more experimental, the singers included in this selection offer through their styles and repertories a very representative panorama of the current landscape of tango.

Ignacio Varchausky
Artistic Director—TangoVia Buenos Aires
August 2008

Instrumental Tangos

The tango is a creation “by the peoople,” born thanks to the spontaneous mix of different cultural influences and the input of intuitive musicians. The first groups had guitar, violin and flute.  Later the piano and the emblematic bandoneon would be added.  The bandoneon was invented in Germany to play religious music, but would end up in the brothels of Buenos Aires, brought by immigrants.  And it is that sound of the bandoneon together with the piano and strings that many feel is one of the greatest contributions tango makes to music in general.  This tone color combination does not exist in any other genre, and perhaps the tango orchestra is its maximum expression.  Since those first intuitives—pioneers of the “Guardia Vieja” (Old Guard)—the tango evolved into an elaborate and complex music.  The arrival of figures with greater musical understanding like Roberto Firpo or Julio De Caro in the ‘20s changed history and the bases of modern tango were established.  All the contemporary artists included in this CD are representatives of that tradition and, at the same time, a vibrant part of modern tango. This great variety of tone colors and aesthetic proposals gives us the opportunity to enjoy the full dimension of the art of instrumental tango.

Ignacio Varchausky
Artistic Director—TangoVia Buenos Aires
August, 2008

Rare Scores: Horacio Salgán

Salgán was always determined to work within the genre boundaries of tango. He wanted his orchestra to have a danceable rhythm, and that the melody could always be recognized.  And he accomplished it: his genius pushed those limits with a effortless mastery, and although the form continued to be traditional, the content was revolutionary and deeply propelled by new musical ideas.   

There are many classic tangos that bear his signature as composer: “A Fuego Lento,” “Don Agustín Bardi,” “Grillito,” “La Llamo Silbando,” and “Del 1 al 5.” In addition to these, Salgán’s arrangements of existing tangos are so creative that they are widely considered as original as compositions.

The pianist Andrés Linetsky—chosen disciple of Don Horacio plays here a series of pieces for the piano until now only know by the close colleagues and students of the Maestro.  This repertory for solo piano includes zambas, tangos, miniatures, and Brazilian music, some of Salgáns own passions.  These are the compositions that Don Horacio plays, even today, in the intimacy of his home, compositions which the greater public never knew, a wonderful work available to all at last.

The pianist César Salgán continues the legacy of his father.  Leading the “Gran TangoVia Buenos Aires Orchestra” (Grand TangoVia Buenos Aires Orchestra), he recovers here something of enormous musical value:  a series of original arrangements of Horacio’s orchestra from the 40s and 50s, a sound that becomes new again for various generations of new Salgán enthusiasts who have never heard these arrangements played live.  The repertory includes the re-premiere of tangos and arrangements never recorded or published by his father, music that has not been heard for decades. Here we can hear the never recorded arrangement of “Naranjo en Flor,” originally written for the singer Ángel Díaz, and now finally recorded by Marcelo Tommasi.   We also hear for the first time in 50 years a “special” arrangement of “Flores Negras” for piano and strings, and a never-recorded orchestration of “Aquellos Tangos Camperos.”

As a bonus, we decided to include, by Horacio’s own request, three lost pearls:  the “Choro en Fa Sostenido”—the first commercial recording Salgán made; the original orchestral version of “Mis Calles Porteñas”—a tango he recorded as a demo in 1946 and never released; and “A César los que es de César,” a fun, jazz-styled piece dedicated to his son César which the maestro Horacio recorded thirty years ago with an organ in his own home. Rare scores!

This is an historic accomplishment—Thank you, Maestro Salgán!

Ignacio Varchausky
November, 2008