Ezequiel Uhart Quinteto: “Tango Asesinos”

Ezequiel Uhart is one of those young musicians who have studied bandoneon and tango arrangements, and turns out to be an interesting composer of very vital contemporary tangos. The new album of the Ezequiel Uhart Quinteto “Tangos Asesinos” combines influences of traditional tangos and the nuevo style. The music is always `typical´ (in a good way), and thus invites the dancers with their specific expectations.

The transparent sound of the album is due to Ezequiel Uhart (bandoneón), Juan Ignacio Esteguy (piano), Pedro Sotelo (violin), Federico Ghazarossian (double-bass), and Pedro Cecchi (electric guitar) – and singer such as Ariel Brukman (in “Jugador”, “Luciernaga”, “Paquito y sus Manzanas”, “Pibito”, “Puente Pueyrredon”, and “Que si que no” ), Javier Cardenal Dominguez (in “Mal Dia”) and Anita Co (in the vals “Quien te dice”).

“Tango Asesinos” comes up with a bunch of 12 different songs (two instrumentals), ranging from vibrant milongas to beautiful slow tangos, all written by Ezequiel Uhart. “Milonga Para no Volver” for example is a Piazzollaesque atmospheric instrumental with beautiful melodies (inclusively jazzy guitar solo) and passionate peaks with the full “orchestra” - for me, one of the outstanding songs of this album. Providing some contrast, the syncopated “Paquito y sus Manzanas” offers ab intensive interpretation by vocalist Ariel Brukman, and dramatic rhythmic eruptions of the band.

What I like most is that these tangos have dynamic rhythmic arrangements with a clear pulse, and seductive melodies. The involvement of Ariel Brukman as a singer (reminds me somewhat of Daniel Melingo) is a piece of luck for the quintet, because he adds a very unique dimension which attracts the listener of great songs.     

When Ariel Uhart stated that “the Quintet´s idea is to compose new tangos that are danceable, without depriving the exclusively listening public from musical richness”, one has to admit that he is right. - These songs invite to dance, and are beautiful for the listeners too.  

A shorter version will appear in issue 1 of Modern Tango World

Carel Kraayenhof Ensemble: "Liberación"

Sometimes music projects turn out to be more than accidental collections of some songs. 
The review of composer-arranger-bandoneonista Carel Kraayenhof´s new project Liberación will be published first in one of the next issues of the German language Tangodanza.Later on, I will post the English langiage version here.  

Ariel Hernandez: „Summer Tango“

So here is Ariel Hernandez´s new album „Summer tango“ (Random/Warner, 2014), a colorful mixture of contemporary tangos veering towards jazz with some rock flavors here and there. The 9 instrumentals (+ 1 additional track) are by no means `traditional´ - although they have their roots in the tango tradition; in fact, they expand the genre with interesting rhythmical pattern and progressions, and are thus very `modern´.
As a bandoneonista, Hernandez´s instrument is clearly in the forefront, accompanied by a versatil ensemble - that is Martín Robbio on piano, Juan Fracchi on double-bass, Demián González Premezzi on drums, Paloma Bica on violin, and further Ignacio Basile and Sebastián Barbui on guitars in some songs.
The album starts with the fulminant composition “Marchello” which prepares the listener to await a set of fascinating new pieces of music. This song has a catchy hook line, and a great pushing drum pattern. To surprise the listener, the second song (“El Lago”) is a fine atmospheric song with a simple but catchy melody played by piano and violin, accompanied by light bandoneon figures, and drum beats. One could feel a fresh breeze at a great wide lake with sailing ships. “Summer tango” comes along as a jazzy `lounge standard´ inclusively the sound of stirring jazz brushes on the snare drum. “RG” starts with rhythmic guitar pattern, and continues with a nice pop chorus carried on by the bandoneon, interesting atmospheric breaks, and thus eliciting feelings of bright easiness. “Canción De Julia” is an impressive song starting with the sound of playing children in the background and a slow bandoneon lines, turning to an intensive song with complex drum pattern, a good melodic progression, and solos of bass, piano, and violin– very intense! “Ituzaingó is a further composition of Hernandez which deserves attention, also “La Nave Cadmon, a slow great grooving song with a transparent arrangement.
When asked for his musical influences, the Buenos Aires composer Ariel Hernandez mentions NeoTango icon Astor Piazzolla and Classical Tango icon Anibal Troilo, but also Jazz musician Hermeto Pascoal, and Rock musician Sting. Yet, one has to admit, these influences are clearly in the backside of this album; Hernandez is a very authentic and discrete composer and musician.
Are these songs inspiring the dancers? I would argue that the music suits best in a lounge with a foot tapping audience and big smiles on their face. 

A shorter version will appear in issue 1 of Modern Tango World

Carel Kraayenhof & Juan Pablo Dobal: „Puro. Música Argentina“

An appealingly designed cover is a good `opener´ to approach new music. With their 2012´s CD Puro, the Dutch bandoneonista Carel Kraayenhof and the Argentine pianist Juan Pablo Dobal managed exactly this, inclusively a well featured booklet with several nostalgic photos to indicate what the listeners may expect. Namely a musical journal through different regions of Argentina with their different styles of music (i.e., zamba, chacarera, cueca, guarania, tango, milonga etc.). The duo selected 14 songs of Argentine composers from the first half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, i.e., from Giménez (*1904), Yupanqui (*1908), Troilo (*1914), Barbieri (*1914), Salgán (*1916), Piazzolla (*1921), Falú (*1923), Toro (*1941) and Nieva(*1932), but also from Kraayenhof (*1958) and Dobal (*1964) themselves. The fact that all songs were recorded at one day surely preserved the rich dynamic of their interpretations. With Puro, Kraayenhof and Dobal - who started to play together in 1989 with the quartet Viento del Sur and are performing as a duo since 2010 - picked up the melancholic
impression of the photos from the booklet (i.e., Piazzolla´s lovely „Solitude“, Falú´s touching „Zamba De La Candelaria“, or Dobal´s melancholy „Remanso“). Yet they don´t stick at this nostalgic feeling, and that way Dobal´s „Cuando Despierto Mañana“ surprises with a lively polyrhythmic, or Salgán´s dynamic „A Fuego Lento“. Over and over the delicate sensitivity of both musicians appears – they succeed to they give `space´ for the melodies to unfold, and for their duo partner, too.

Even when the „good old times“ may have gone, the spirit still lives on, invites to dream, to laugh, to weep – and maybe to dance. But for all that, nothing is really gone when someone remembers – and this is what this excellent duo manages to do. 

Even if one may have wished that some of their selected songs would have been presented with a quartet to fathom their full depth, piano and bandoneon are tonally so rich and both musicians so sensitive in their interpretations that one starts smiling after several rounds of listening – actually nothing is missing. Beautiful the way it is.

Do these songs invite to dance? Not really (even when one could dance to all of them, of course): I was fascinated as a relished listener. But stop, there is this strange feeling in my toes: „El Antigal“…  („This is not a true tango!“, „Indeed, it is a zamba.“)

The German language version of this review was published first in Tangodanza (Nr. 60, issue 4/2014).

Anibal Berraute Tango Fusion: "As Tangoes by"

Once upon a time, when Astor Piazzolla came up with his compositions, several tangueros were quite dismissive: "This is not what we would like to dance to, this is jazz." Today, he is recognized as one of the innovators of the Tango Nuevo genre.

When I first heard Anibal Berraute´s CD “As Tangoes By”, I was quite impressed: Fresh and resolute compositions (seven from Berraute himself), presented with some jazzy flavors – but definitely contemporary tangos which hold all the tasty ingredients we would like to hear. The ensemble consisting of Anibal Berraute (piano), Walter Rios / Yukie Kawanami (bandoneon), Federico Britos (Violin), Renyel Rivero (Bass), and Tony Trapanoto (Percussion / Drums) definitely knows how to attract the audience.

If you intend to start listening, you may try “As Tangoes by” (with kind regards from Casablanca) which is a good example for Berraute´s compositions with their different facets. The melodic pattern develops with bass and piano, and attracts with its simple falling cadences played by the bandoneon in the chorus, changes the atmosphere, just to come back to the main motive and the beautiful chorus.

One of my highlights is the contemplative “Romanza”. It pleases with a very slow pas, and a beautiful melodic pattern played by bandoneon and piano, carressed by the violin. For me, it catches the mood of the last hours of a long day, until we close our eyes to find some rest.

“Tango en Siete” is different, energetic but discreet, creating a good atmosphere which invites to dance (although dancers may have a problem with the change of binary and ternary beat). “Eelna” is a beautiful vals which catches us with a fine piano melody (chopinesce, as Berraute suggested), further developed by bandoneon and violin, passed back to the piano, and so forth. The nostalgic “Milonga En Otoño” has the quality of a Piazzolla song, both by composition and arrangement – really moving. You surely have no heart when you are not touched by this piece of music 

Oh yes, it is true, some songs are in fact somewhat jazzy, for example Bronisław Kaper´s “On Green Dolphin Strest”. Listen to Keith Jarret´s or Bill Evan´s version and you may appreciate the tango conversion of this old jazz standard. Definitely, Berraute´s ensemble plays it like a typical jazz standard, but you may dance it as a tango, too.

Not too surprisingly, it was the aim of the Argeninia piano player, composer, arranger and producer Anibal Berraute to combine Piazzolla´s tango brand with jazz and other flavors of music.

From my side, this “Tango Fusion” deserves much more attention!

EPSA Music (2014) 

For more information, visit 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anibal-Berraute-Tango-Fusion/172279782805427?fref=ts

Yona: "Tango a la Yona"

Sometimes inspiring and wonderful new tangos may grow in dark and cold areas such as Finland. While one may have the preconception that tangos from Finland are all camouflaged marches (let´s call it dynamic ballroom tango), Yona´s 2014 album “Tango a la Yona” may change the listener´s mind. The music of the Finnish folk and jazz singer Johanna Pitkänen has so much more to offer. For example track 7 (“Sen teen”)  is starting with a double bass line to define the harmonic structure, followed by Yona´s cautious voice which gently starts to fly during the chorus, some curious cello harmonies here and there, and decent piano voicings in the chorus. A colorful violin solo contrasts with the strange cello harmonies, and later on the listener is surprised by some clarinets. Very touching. - Oh, by the way, this is the Finnish version of Francesca Gagnon´s “Querer”, written by the Canadian composer René Dupéré (who wrote for the Cirque du Soleil). Kudos to the pianist and arranger Sami Baldauf who has done an excellent job. 

The opener of this album (“Soi maininki hiljainen” written by Fridrich Burk) is a duet with the Finnish `tango king´ Kyösti Mäkimattila. Accompanied by decent strings, double bass, guitar, drums and bandoneon, both singers create an atmospheric slow tango, again transparently arranged by Sami Baldauf.

Indeed, several songs impress by unexpected and transparent orchestrations. Yona´s own song “Syyssävelmä” starts with a percussive string arrangement (and bandoneon) which brings Tom Waits´ “Bone Machine” to my mind (not the album, the instrument), leading to a well-balanced sing-along chorus which reminds us that the dark side is only out for a short break.  

“En enää vaieta mä voi” invites to swing with a close harmony vocal trio (Siskot), accompanied by guitar, piano, bandoneon, bass and drums (and a jazzy trumpet solo), perfect for a Quickstepp.

Not all of these nine songs are originally Finnish tangos. "Sulle silmäni annan" is the Finnish version of the pop song "Ti regalo gli occhi miei" from the Italian singer Gabriella Ferri (1942-2004). Also the Italian-Belgian composer and pop singer Salvatore Adamo is credited for one song, or the Russian composer Nikita Bogoslovsky (1913-2004). However, particularly this last one challenges me to adjust to a (unnecessary) `lalalala´ choir…

In summary, I fully recommend this album which surprises with so many interesting facets of a beautiful singer. Give Yona´s tangos a chance to convince you, too.   

KAIHO records (2014)

Rosana Laudani and Carlos Libedinsky: “Otra Luna”

So far Carlos Libedinsky´s Narcotango was an outstanding instrumental project with only some rare vocal flavors of the singer Rosana Laudani. While he was one of the early pioneers in the genre called “electro tango”, Narcotango´s songs are definitely different from several others who simply compile some uninspired grooves with weak melodic structures. Most of Narcotango´s songs have wonderful melodies and good groves, while their last album Cuenco (2013) continued what started with Limanueva (2010) and Libedinsky´s new band mates, Fernando del Castillo, Marcelo Toth and Mariano Castro, i.e., more jazzy arrangements and a lot of room for improvisation. For me, with their approach to music Narcotango goes beyond the boundaries of what tango has to be or should be.

Now in 2014, completely different from Narcotango, Carlos Libedinsky performed with the singer (and also his wife) Rosana Laudani classical songs from Anibal Troilo, Lucio Demare, Juan Carlos Cobián, José´Dames and Homero Manzi, but also from modern composers such as Fito Paez and Liliana Felipe, and three of his own songs – all with lyrics, and Libedinsky´s bandoneon as main instrument.  

Most of the 10 interpretations and arrangements are very atmospheric rather than straight forward (the only exception is Libedinsky´s grooving composition “Plano seuencia”). In fact, Carlos would confirm the suggestion that this duo project is intended for listening and seeing. “We are very intense on stage”, he stated – and it is easy to believe that these songs unfold a very special and intensive atmosphere.

Rosana explained that - after a career as actress and singer in musicals - meeting in music with Carlos and his bandoneon was a “new and fascinating experience”. Moreover, she says that she is convinced that their instruments vocals and bandoneon “were chosen before we ourselves realize of that `we did´ when we choose a song to share”.

When asked about the background of this new project, Carlos Libedinsky stated, “When I played guitar with Rosana, we didn’t have the connection we needed to experiment. But when I play bandoneon at home, the experience becomes very intense between us, as artists and also as a couple. This was a great challenge for me, because a duo of voice and bandoneon is not very typical, and it encouraged me to experiment with different possibilities of this incredible instrument. This specific sound gave Rosana a new atmosphere to explore her voice.”

Most songs start very intimate, very slow and with only a few melodic lines and harmonies played by the bandoneon. Libedinsky used the bandoneon rather as a flavor than a dominant instrument. Listen to “Un vestido y un amor” by Fito Paez, and you know what I mean. Later on, a bass played by Horacio Mono Hurtado, supports the harmonic and rhythmic structure of this wonderful song, and a string quartet lets it shine. Very moving!

The CD opens with one of Carlos Libedinsky´s most impressing instrumental songs from 2003´s album “Otra luna”, now with lyrics and a new arrangement, i.e., vocals, bandoneon, piano, bass and gentle drums. This song might be seen as a blue print for the underlying concept to present the songs as highly reduced versions, and they succeed to keep the listeners attracted, even the strict duo versions are fascinating. This acclamation can be ascribed also to Rosana Laudani. She is singing without any pathos or dramatic attitude – instead, simple, candid and respectful towards the songs. This natural approach convinces.

It was their Argentinian producer and arranger, Mariano Agustin Fernandez, who took the concept of their way to interpret the songs, and decided which additional flavors would fit best (i.e., piano, guitar, double bass, drums, or strings). They all are convincing in their specific `clothes´ - simple but not mean.

This duo is not begging for applause, they deserve it!

Booking info: laudanilibedinsky@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/RosanaLaudaniCarlosLibedinsky

A shorter version of this review appeared in the German language quarterly Tangodanza (issue 2/2015)
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