|
|
Tango fusion
confusion
May 5, 2007
There's many who claim to have incorporated the
'passionate Tango' in their music, but often this
is no more than an attempt to appeal to potential
buyers of the album.
Or could it be, that the musicians haven't heard
or experiencend any passionate Tango yet and they
have no idea what they talk about? So, there's a
lot of rubbish on the 'Tango' market.
But also, there's some good stuff to get, so
it's not just all a waste of time. The editor went
through a pile of these albums and sifted out a few
to comment upon.
NarcoTango, May 5 in Paradiso,
Amsterdam. Narcotango in
Amsterdam, photos by Paul
Verbruggen "At the hour when there are only a few couples
left on the dance floor, magic sneaks (or
'creeps'?) into the milonga, and I watch people
dancing and experimenting with a new kind of tango
dance. When my body was exhausted from dancing for
hours and I didn't want the night to end, at that
hour NARCOTANGO was born. It was then that I could
imagine the music that I wanted to dance to, and to
see others dance to."
Carlos Libedinsky Let's go straight to the audio page of the
NarcoTango website. NarcoTango in Kassel, Kulturfabrik-Salzman,
2005 NarcoTango in concert Dancing at NarcoTango music:
Group of young dancers doing a great job
mixing different styles of dancing Pablo Tegli y Veronica Vieyra, in
Paris Tango Campeonato in Buenos Aires Young people dance 'Murga' style (very jumpy)in
a group choreography '3 is a crowd' Chicho & Eugenia Martin Gutierrez & Carolina Pizzo Mariana & Murat Marisa Galindo y Daniel Rodriguez Marisa y Pat Tango Lorca Claim: "Merge old world tango aesthetics with a
sinuous texture of jazz, flamenco and classical
music and you have the immediately distinctive
sound of Tango Lorca. Tango Lorca plays their music
with a deep understanding of tradition as well as
an obsessive desire to evolve the art form to new
plateaus".
The 4 samples at te web however contain no
traces of flamenco or jazz, but they're great
tangos.
Go to 1. Nuestra Hora Favorita
Zona Tango Claim: "Electro bossa & tango. This CD
introduces to the world the first innovative
mixture between electro tango & bossa nova "
However, part from the melodie and text, there's
nothing tango-like in this music. It is and stays
typical brazilian music
Go to cdbaby.com/cd/zonatango
Tango No. 9 Claim: "The songs are steeped in tradition and
yet speak of the timeless emotions of passion,
nostalgia, and struggle (...). Taking Piazzolla's
driving, complex compositions, Tango Number 9
created their own sound by arranging and adding
improvisation."
Texts like these appearently tell you nothing
about the quality of the music. Emotion, struggle
or passion, I didn't hear it. Though, speaking of
emotion, the tangos do sound funny...The musicians
are definatly having fun, and they're most likely
able to radiate this to the audience. Listen to the samples at
La Balteuband La Balteuband is a NYC based instrumental
ensemble lead by Emilio Teubal. His compositions
are a blend of jazz and elements of Argentine
music, such as rhythms like chacarera and zamba
along with the lyricism of tango melodies (...).
The compositional influences of Emilio Teubal
include Astor Piazolla, Hermeto Pascual, Egberto
Gismonti, and great masters of the jazz tradition
such as Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, and Charles
Mingus."
9 samples, but only the first one may be
interesting for the neotango milongas
Track 1. 'A Caballo'
Suzanne Teng 'Katyia's Dance'
Claim: "This song has evolved from being a solo
dance performance piece in our Mystic Journey shows
into a passionate tango...for two. So grab someone
you love and enjoy the dance!"
track 2. 'Katyia's Dance'
Sorry, but where's the passionate Tango...?
The editors favorite
one:
Pablo Aslan "Buenos Aires-born bassist and composer Pablo
Aslan is the leading exponent of the vibrant New
York tango jazz scene. His sextet "Avantango"
features the top Argentinian native tango and jazz
musicians residing in New York."
Modern jazzy tango Go to 1. Derviche
Francis Covan Covan is playing all instruments himself, one by
one...
Neotango lovers, if you like the music of the
movie Amelie, you'll like this music too.
11 Samples at the website 7. Latine.
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus funny european style tango, in between gipsy and
Malando like interpretations . 'Philomena' makes me
think of KatzenTango from Sweden. played on
accordion.
Enjoy some of this crazy stuff at cdbaby.com/cd/bindlestiff
6. Orificular Tango
Mandragora Tango Orchestra Claim: "Mandragora Plays Tangos and Sad Waltzes"
Only the first tune would be appreciated in a
milonga. The album contains the european
interpretation of tangos, the bandoneon part played
on accordion.
Go to cdbaby.com/cd/mandragora2 1. Pelimannin Jaahyvaiset
Joe Powers Claim: "The album features 14 sizzling tracks of
DANCEABLE Tango music"
Yes, it is danceable. And it is well played. But
after a few songs dancers may cry for something
else. The harmonica is on the foreground the whole
time and that makes the ears tired a bit faster,
than when it would blend in with the other
instruments. I'd compare it with the effect the
tuba of Tuba Tango has on me. Too much of the same
instrument.
But check it out yourself, please. All 14
tracks have 2 minute samples at the website of
CD baby! Joe Powers (USA) will play with Mark Wyman (USA)
in the milonga of TangoDiep in Amsterdam, next
tuesday, May 8.
|
|
||||||||||