Juan Pablo de Lucca Quinteto: Después de todo

The quintet’s debut album has 8 tracks, most of which are written and arranged by their pianist Juan Pablo de Lucca, grandson of famous tango-singer Alberto Castillo. We hear Juan Pablo de Lucca (piano), Santiago Cirmi (bandoneon), Manuel Villar Lifac (contrabass), Mauro Caracotche (drums) and Juan Pablo di Leone (transverse flute). Gabriel Wolff (viola), Emanuel Aguirrez (cello), Luis Caruana (bandoneon), Maia Perduca (flue) Emiliano Lorenz (bass), and Luciano Sellan (guitar) also appear on some tracks.

The compositions and their arrangements explore the narrative textures of contemporary jazz and rely on the rich and vivid tango history, yet they remain in the usual spectrum. The transverse flute and bandoneon as solo instruments are played elegantly and avoid the annoying melodic patterns that can be found quite often in jazz-oriented tango ensembles. That´s one of the strengths of this ensemble, they rely on their own music rather than making the 100^th resuscitation of tango standards from the crypt. The musicians present these new compositions very cautiously and provide a beautifully relaxed atmosphere (even in the more energetic, drum-supported end of “Nuestras ilusiones”). No need to hurry – there’s time to get down to the essentials.

This music fits quite well to a comfortable café, but may be a challenge for non-professional tango dancers at the weekend milongas. For my part, I would prefer my café with the Juan Pablo de Lucca Quinteto!