Tag: argentine tango

"Queja indiana" by Rodolfo Biagi with Andrés Falgás in vocals, vinyl disc.

“Queja indiana” by Rodolfo Biagi y su Orquesta Típica with Andrés Falgás in vocals, 1939.

Juan Rodríguez

Pianist, composer and leader (October 19, 1895 – April 4, 1928)

He began his studies at the conservatory in Buenos Aires. Then, his parents took him to Spain, and at the National Conservatory of Barcelona, he perfected himself under the direction of a famous maestro in piano and harmony.

From Barcelona, he traveled to Paris, where he was distinguished.

He returned to Argentina in 1914.

In 1927 he obtained one of the first prizes in the National Record Contest at the Palace Theater, on Corrientes Street, with the tango “Queja indiana”, with lyrics by Juan Velich, which made it possible for it to be recorded by Carlos Gardel.

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We are happy to have a collaboration with the people from tangotunes.com from whom some of you may have heard, they do high-quality transfers from original tango shellacs.

It is the number 1 source for professional Tango DJs all over the world.

Now they started a new project that addresses the dancers and the website is https://en.mytango.online
You will find two compilations at the beginning, one tango and one vals compilation in amazing quality.
The price is 50€ each (for 32 songs each compilation) and now the good news!

If you enter the promo code 8343 when you register at this site you will get a 20% discount!

Thanks for supporting this project, you will find other useful information on the site, a great initiative.

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Marcelo Solis dancing Argentine Tango with Mimi

Looking for tips about learning Argentine Tango dance?

From absolute beginner to a great milonguero/a Tango dancer.

Because you have realized the value of Tango, we are offering here a guide into your Tango journey.

You’ll become more yourself within a community.

Our human nature makes us social beings: we cannot survive in isolation, hence, success is possible for an individual only with the support of one’s peers.

That is to say: you learn to dance Tango not only because of your personal taste and choice. There is also a group of people who share your affinity for Tango, and even you will not agree (and you do not need to agree) with everyone in matters of taste and choices, your success regarding Tango will be always tied to how you relate to those other dancers.

Even if you never dance with most of them, you will still be sharing the same dance floor and seats around it at the same milonga.

Not everybody has the same sensitivity.

If you are willing to take the challenge, as a great milonguero/a does: aim for the highest, most beautiful, most poetic, and most sublime.

For me, that is Tango.

With such people, I feel at home, and that is my environment.

That is what I would like to share with you.

My reason for doing so is that my goal is always to become a better dancer, and by inviting and challenging you to have the same goal, I count on you to challenge me in the same way.

We mutually challenge each other to become better dancers.

This is not going to make us rivals or enemies. On the contrary: we will develop a deep friendship.

I won’t be distant (like on a stage). I will be approachable. I will dance with you or next to you on the same dance floor. I may have more experience than you, but it may turn out that you are more talented. However, on the dance floor of a milonga, we are equals in essence.

The goal of becaming better dancers cannot be quantified.

How do you quantitatively express a good example of a human being?

How do you quantify excellence or the admiration that someone awakens in you?

It is easy to get confused in a world that values quantification the way our civilization does.

For instance, does the number of members in my Facebook group express the level of my dance?

I could set a goal to end the year with over 2,000 members.

That is really easy to do. By the end of this year, I will achieve this goal. Will that make me a better human being?

Let’s make a thought experiment (you now know I like them):

An alien comes to our planet and meets with several people. He meets an industrialist called Henry Rearden, a writer and poet called Oliverio Girondo, Gordon Gekko (a banker), Doug McKenzie (a garbage collector), a nurse called Ratched… etc. and a milonguero called Blas Catrenau…

What this alien will immediately perceive is the egalitarianism and spontaneity of the milonguero, who approaches him the same way he approaches everyone.

He will be surprised he even hugs him as a greeting.

Another aspect is the way the milonguero moves, his expressions, the way he walks: he seems easily in control of himself.

His words are sometimes a little cryptic. He speaks assuming that the alien understands what he is talking about.

However, he speaks with such comfortable self-confidence that the alien cannot avoid agreeing with Blas, even he does not know what Blas is talking about.

For Blas, and for any milonguero in general, it does not matter the way you look, your degrees, your wealth, or your job. If he has something to say about you, he would say it only if you ask his opinion, and only in regard to your dance.

Now you can continue on your own with this experiment.

Imagine any other characters (anyone you want to include) and let me know how you see the alien’s experience meeting them. You can write it here:

Back on Earth, once you’ve made up your mind and accepted that there is no better way to spend your time in life than making it a work of art and that in this endeavor you won’t find anything that makes more sense than dancing Tango, hence, becoming a great dancer (a realization that can take you a period of time ranging from one day to many years), then, the following advice may help you:

1. Be disciplined, regular, and committed to your study of Tango. While dancing Tango is amusing, it is also different from other ways to amuse yourself. Choose these unique characteristics of Tango to be the main core of your dedication to learning it. Steps, choreographic patterns, socializing, close proximity to partners, are all aspects that Tango has in common with other dances and other kinds of activities. On the other hand, its music is unique; and, also, unique is the approach that milongueros have in relation to Tango: for them, Tango is not a “way of life”, but “Life” itself.
2. If Tango is life, then your Tango teacher is a life-coach. He or she is teaching you how to live Tango. Your relationship between you and your teacher is based on trust, mutual understanding, sympathy, and patience. Tango makes both of you meet at a very humane level, where both need to accept their own limitations and flaws, as well as good qualities. The potential for improvement of Tango is infinite. In the face of such a wide-open horizon, both student and teacher are students of Tango. Your teacher is your guide through Tango, but also your road companion. Choose carefully.
3. Tango is a world. Your Tango teacher is a bridge to it. Allow yourself to know that world, its inhabitants, its culture. A Tango teacher who is doing a good job will have different levels of approximation to your definitive contact with Tango and, eventually, living-breathing-existing-embodying Tango. The first pool in your “decanting” to Tango will be your teacher’s inner group of students. Not anyone who shows up to class, but those who show up in class regularly, and are noticeably there to learn about Tango. Be perceptive of this difference. Then, your teacher with or without this inner group will take you to your first local milongas. New questions will arise there, that you will need to discuss with your teacher. Eventually, you will visit Buenos Aires. You must trust your teacher with this. He or she, if authentic, is your most reliable connection to Tango in Buenos Aires.

Start learning Argentine Tango:

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"Lunes", Argentine Tango music sheet cover.

“Lunes” by Juan D’Arienzo y su Orquesta Típica, 1938.

José Luis Padula

Guitarist, pianist, composer and leader (30 October 1893 – 12 June 1945)

This musician son of immigrants, born in the northern province of Tucumán, delved into tango and folk music.

His father was Italian, he transferred to him his inclination for music.

As a child, he played harmonica and guitar.

Unfortunately, he became an orphan at age 12 and he didn’t have the support of his mother.

About her, very little is known. For that reason, being still very young, he went out to the streets to work for his living.

José Luis Padula was an archetype of Buenos Aires, owner of extraordinary natural talent, an impeccable melodist that despite he was unable to read or write music left creations that lasted through time and today are authentic classics of Tango.

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“Tu corazón” by Donato Racciatti y su Orquesta Típica with Nina Miranda in vocals, 1953.

Donato Racciatti

Bandoneon player, leader and composer (18 October 1918 – 27 May 2000)

His orchestra expressed a classic tango style, simple, quite rhythmical, and highly popular.

The most brilliant stage of his orchestra was between the years 1953 and 1960, when its female vocalist Nina Miranda, the best female singer of Uruguay, was showcased.

Donato Racciatti contributed to the vogue of danceable and popular tango, with great acclaim from the commercial standpoint.

He was very often hired throughout Latin America and in Japan.

He was a composer of simple works, with catchy melodies, well received by a massive public that danced humming their lyrics.

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"Color de rosa", Argentine Tango music sheet cover.

“Color de rosa” by Anibal Troilo y su Orquesta Típica, 1945.

Pedro Polito

Bandoneonist and composer (15 October 1894 – 16 October 1958)

The Politos was a tango family because their four brothers devoted themselves to music.

The eldest was Pedro and was followed by Antonio who was four years his junior.

He possessed an inborn musicality and he played the variations melodiously.

He stands out for having played as bandoneonist in the first orchestra fronted by Francisco Canaro.

His brother Juan in an interview said the following about his elder brother: «At a time when most of the bandoneon players made use of only three fingers to play he used to play with both hands. He played by ear but he was capable of playing fast variations and possessed a strong sound».

As a composer, he was not prolific.