QuarTango: Tangopera

In the booklet, mastering engineer Bernard Slobodian wrote about this recording that initially he had the intention “to test out a new piece of recording equipment by using the performances of these excellent musicians as testing samples. I didn´t even tell Quartango that I was recording them…” Now these unexpected live recordings were published as a programmatic 14-track album, entitled “Tangopera”.

QuarTango are classically trained musicians with a passion for tango; after 30 years and death of their pianist-composer-arranger Richard Hunt in 2011, now with a new line-up, comprising Stéphane Aubin (piano), Antoine Bareil (violin), René Gosselin (double bass), and Jonathan Goldman (bandoneon). For this showcase they were accompanied by the Canadian opera singer Marie-Josée Lord; Tango meets Opera.

Does this experiment work? Yes, it is an intimate set of excellent songs presented as chamber music with opera flavor. We hear classical tangos (i.e., Gardel´s “Mi Buenos Aires Querido”, Villoldo´s “El Choclo”, Rodriguez´s “La Cumparsita”, Laurenz´s “Milonga de mis Amores), tango nuevo (i.e., Piazzolla´s “Adios Nonino”, “Yo soy Maria” and “Oblivion”), but also songs adapted from several other genres (i.e., Pucini´s “Quando men vo”, Bizet´s “Habanera”, Gershwin´s “Summertime”, Brubeck´s “Blue Rondo à la Turk, “Weill´s Youkali”, Velazquez´s “Besame Mucho”) – and “Milonga Celtica” from deceased Richard Hunt.
These non-tangos were elegantly arranged, sensitively presented, and several can be taken as tango-sound-alikes.

What about songs such as Oblivion, will these recordings add something new? Richard Hunt´s arrangement is more transparent than several others, and Marie-Josée Lord sings this beautiful song really elegant, creating a floating atmosphere which keeps the listener on her site. Of course a trained opera soprano is singing unlike a passionate vocalist from the cafés in the suburbs; this has its special charm. Also the nearly-played-to-death song “La Cumpasita” benefits from its new arrangement and the quartet´s passionate interpretation. 

Are the songs danceable? – Let´s argue: Are you dancing to chamber music or during an opera performance? Forget your expectations and enjoy an evening with some exciting interpretations performed by accomplished musicians. 

Tanghetto – Hybrid Tango 2

The influential ensemble Tanghetto from Buenos Aires presents their new CD „Hybrid tango II“ which links to their influential 2004 album “Hybrid tango”. Again, pianist-producer-composer Max Masri and guitarist-composer Diego S. Velázquez offer a blended mix of melodic and textural tango music (with bandoneon and piano), electronica (with synthesizer and samples), pop (with electric guitars and drums), `chamber music´ (with violins and violoncello) etc. Not surprisingly, this album was nominated as “Best Tango Album” for the Latin Grammy.

Among several attractive and danceable songs, there are some outstanding tracks. For example the instrumental “El Miedo a la Libertad”. It has a slow pace, a fine melody, a diversified arrangement including strings, and thus generates a wonderful pleasant atmosphere. Completely different the straight-forward dancefloor suited track “Quien me quita lo bailado”; from time to time this is all what is needed to let go all that what distracts in daily life.    

Montevideo tango singer and composer Tabare Leyton impresses with vocal appearance in “No me ringo”, a vibrant song with a good melodic progression, and a strong chorus which calls for more. Later on the singer enchants us again with “Aires de Buenos Aires”. Max Masri is lead singer of Piazzolla´s “Vuelvo al Sur”; one more version of this evergreen, here with a simple and good groove.  

I would recommend to hear particularly the accentuated songs loud, their flow is much better! When Tanghetto is the DJ, “life is a dancefloor” – at least this evening

Tangothic: One last tango

Starting in 2004, Tangothic is out now with their 4th album. Times have changed, and they publish it as a download album, not as a CD. Maybe this is adequate for today´s audience, I don´t know. But what I do know is that the dancers will find a bunch of electrotango tracks with all the grooves and atmospheres they may expect from this genre, i.e., trip hop, dub, chillout, upbeat etc., combined with well-established bandoneon lines. Mariano Mattone and Adolfo Trepiana from Buenos Aires are the masterminds which come up with fresh tracks suited for modern milongas. Bandoneon, keyboard and drum samples are dominating, here and there some vocal samples (in Spanish, French and English language), and vocals of singer Gaby Oh! in two songs.

“Amore” is a slowly grooving track which attracts with a great atmosphere (inclusively string samples), and Gaby Oh! as a singer with English language lyrics. “Higher Ground” can be found on the other side of Tangothic´s spectrum, a milonga with a simple and catchy melodic structure, some breaks to come down and to prepare the next arc of (mild) suspense. “Carousel” invites as a samba-milonga to sweat. Similarly, the elegant “Colours” (again with vocal inputs of Gaby Oh!) has a good flow and is suited for the dance floors all over the world.

These songs (most around 4 min. long) are obviously written to attract the dancers to let go. They are perfect in that way, and Tangothic´s songs will surely find their way to the electrotango milongas all over. - For me, Tangothic is worth it.  

Xena Tango: “Le strade de tango da Genova a Buenos Aires”

Tango is assumed to be Argentina´s legitimate heritage. In fact, tango is inscribed on the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” since 2009, and “considered one of the main manifestations of identity for the inhabitants of the Río de la Plata region”. Yet, to be true, tango has different parents and a multitude of ancestors. The Xena Tango project reminds us that the tango has roots in Italy, too, and that tango was also shaped by the emigrants from Genova who came to Buenos Aires in the late 19th century.
The parents of this ambitious project, consisting of an album with 12 songs (plus two bonus tracks) and a 254 pages book with background material (in Italian language), are Roberta Alloisio (Italian singer and actress), Luis Enríquez Bacalov (Argentine pianist and Oscar decorated composer), and Walter Ríos (Argentine bandoneonista and composer).
As composers of these 12 songs which follow the trail of the immigrants from Genova and Buenos Aires, we find the Argentine tango icon and singer Carlos Gardel (1890-1935), Argentine violinist Juan de Dios Filiberto (1885-1964), Italian composer Umberto Bindi (1932-2002), and several contemporary musicians from Genova who contributed songs for this project, i.e., songwriter and playwright Gian Piero Alloisio (brother of the project´s singer), rock singer Vittorio De Scalzi, singer Carlo Marrale, singer Ivano Fossati, Corsician singer Stéphane Casalta, and Roberta Alloisio herself - and, to finally reach the literal harbor of Buenos Aires, the Argentine singer Pablo Banchero, the "official singer of the Republica de la Boca" (the quarter in Buenos Aires where the Italian emigrants settled at the end of the 19th century). Following the “Street of Tango from Genova to Buenos Aires” we consequently hear these songs in Spanish language and Genoese dialect, respectively (the lyrics are kindly printed in up to four languages, i.e., Spanish, Genoese, Italian and English).
Most of these songs were recorded on both sides of the Atlantic, in Rome (arranged for a full ensemble of strings, brass section, bandoneon, piano, guitar and drums, and conducted by Luis Barcalov) and in Buenos Aires (arranged for piano, bandoneon, guitar, doublebass, drums, and conducted by Walter Ríos).
What catches our ears first is the warm and expressive voice of Roberta Alloisio, the pleasant arrangements of her collaborators, and the sensitive interpretations of enrolled musicians (inclusively guest singer Pablo Banchero in the song “Genova”).
This album convinces with several highlights, i.e. Carlos Gardel´s “El Dìa Que Me Quieras”, “Milonga Do Magon” written by Pablo Banchero & Roberta Alloisio, Stéphane Casalta´s hymnic ”L'angelo Custode”, Vittorio De Scalzi´s touching “Barbon” (sung with proud sadness and restricted pathos), and the heart breaking “Mi No Veuggio Ëse Mi” written by Gian Piero Alloisio: “Me, I don´t want to be myself. I want to be a handkerchief in the hand of a girl getting married in San Lorenzo tomorrow morning. I´ll be the dress, the bride, the incense. I don´t want to be a woman, I want to be a voice that sings, an orchestra that plays.”
When we here these songs, we become aware that we share the same dreams, the same hope, the same sadness, the same life – maybe at different places and different times - yet, it is the same heart which beats on both sides of the Atlantic.

Xena Tango´s website: https://www.facebook.com/xenatango

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Paula Castignola: Un cielo de serenata

Sometimes, when you are filed up with too much exertive modern tango music with (seemingly) arbitrary melodic and harmonic progressions, and unexpected change of motifs, and you feel irritated and uneasy - than it might be a good idea to turn to some simple classical tangos which are merely beautiful. Nothing more - and nothing less.
Paula Castignola´s album “Un cielo de serenata” is such a candidate: A typical tango orchestra is simply doing a good job to accompany a singer with a warm and appealing voice singing classical tangos and some contemporary compositions, ranging from Francisco Canaro (1888-1964), Carlos Gardel(1890-1935), Anibal Troilo (1914-1975), Héctor Stamponi (1916-1997), AstorPiazzolla (1921-1992) to Eladia Blázquez (1931-2005) and Paula & Gustavo Castignola. 
As musicians we hear Cristian Zárate on piano, Juan Pablo Navarro on double and electric bass, Carlos Corrales on bandoneon, Pablo Agri and Raúl di Renzo on violins,  Benjamín Bru on viola, Diego Sánchez on violoncello, and in some songs Ricardo Lew on electric guitar and Hernan Corrales on drums.
Eladia Blázquez´s vals “Un cielo de serenata” is the opener, other classical tangos follow and entrap the listener and the dancers with a pleasant atmosphere. Carlos Corrales´ orchestral arrangements and Paula Castignola´s voice are dynamic and ifind their way to the listeners heart. Let´s call it music which suits.
“Brucia la terra”, written by the Italian composer Nino Rota (1911-1979) for the movie “The Godfather”, is a highlight of the album: a beautiful melody, a dynamic arrangement, and a sensitive  interpretation - warm-heartedly and touching. Also “Navidad Porteña” deserves attention because it was co-written by Paula Castignola and her father Gustavo, who transmitted his passion for tango music (and pasta) to his daughter. “Italian blood and passion for tango”, as the singer says.
Pedro Maffia´s “Cornetin” (from 1942) reveals a more light-footed site of Paula Castignola: accompanied by (funky) electric guitar, e-bass, drums, piano and bandoneon (and guest singer Emiliano Castignola), this milonga spreads high spirits. Also Alfredo Malerba´s salsa-milonga “Ropa Blanca” (from 1943), a further highlight of the album, surprises the dancers with a great grooving band (with slapping e-bass, drums, funky guitar licks, and jazzy piano lines): Difficult to resist.
All in all: If you prefer a good balance of lyrical and dynamic tangos which provide a pleasant and a bit nostalgic atmosphere, you may be perfect on Paula Castignoli´s side. 

Artist´s website: http://www.paulacastignola.com/