Tango Is Alive! | Reviews

Can't get enough of Orquesta Típica Andariega? Shortly after they released their album Avanti, which I reviewed in my previous post, Sexteto Andiamo released their first album Gira Gira.

Have you heard? Andariega has a new album out, Avanti. And it features Marisol Martinez, whom we know from her collaboration with Orquesta Romantica Milonguera. Andariega remakes old tunes with varying degree of fidelity but always with care and precision. And they care about dancers all the time.

I wrote a while back how I like the non-serious, slightly drunk side of tango - as if danced in a smoky pub. If I ever get a chance to DJ in such environment, I'll play some Tango Esquinas there. Today, I'm reviewing their newest album, Orchestra Esquinas, from 2018.

I think Biagi is a good gateway drug to the 1950s. If I were to nudge a recalcitrant "traditionalist" towards newer music, I could very well start with this album.

Romantica Milonguera remade four Beatles songs in a tango fashion.

It takes two to tango but at least three to make tango, and possibly four to create a rich enough sound space for tango to flourish. Quarteto Sol Tango manage that beautifully. Their new release "Sin palabras" has been out since early January.

This is a story of unfulfilled expectations. Of "what might have been."

A fresh new record arrived to my collection of American-made tango music, the "Guapeando" album by Cuarteto Tanguero out of Indiana. Conveniently, it comes with three tandas of music: one in a brisk Troilo instrumental style, another with a lot heavier Pugliese / late Troilo charm, and one with swift and crispy milongas.

Tango is alive in Germany, and more importantly, great new tango records are being made there, too. The album "Viento norte" by Sexteto Cristal is a gem. The band resides in Hamburg, and if I needed one more reason to visit the city, hearing them live would certainly fit!