How many new tangos do I actually play in milongas?

Tango Is Alive!

I've written about new music that inspires me, and recently I've wondered if I put money where my mouth is.

To that end, I have done a quick statistical analysis of my playlist from the first half of 2019.

The data set

I play 3-4 times a month, and I so looked at 20 sets that have under 1000 tracks in total, not including cortinas.

Most of these are normal weekly milongas in Prague. There were a couple specials, such as a festival in Norway.

The take-away

My guess was about 15%.

Reality? 27.2%.

I did not realize I was *this *progressive.

What new music I play

The modern orchestras that most often appear in my sets are:

  • Orquesta Romantica Milonguera
  • Collectif Roulotte Tango
  • Alex Krebs' bands: Conjunto Betterin, The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet
  • Quarteto Sol Tango
  • Sexteto Cristal

What about the other 62.8%?

As I wrote previously, I am invested in the entire tango tradition. The classic 1940s repertoire is at respectable 31.7%, the 1930s music at 13.9%, and the remaining 27.2% goes to the 1950-1970s period (mostly centered on the 50s).

My sales pitch to those interested in hiring me can thus be summarized as: one-half "Golden Age", 1/4 "Silken Age" (1950s, mostly), 1/4 "New Age".

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