Favourite Tango CD

[bordertangoman]

I propose that we all share in our favourite tango cds

which should include a short review, track listing and composer and/or label and avaliability (ie where you got it eg Amazon, local store Buenos Aires) oh and you should say if you can dance to it or not

I am now going to browse through my collection and try to decide which is my favourite :) :)

[Sagitta]

I don't really do Argentine tango, so I cannot comment much, except to say that the tango CD I have and like the best is "Tango Fiesta", which madamsamba mentioned a while back.

[MadamSamba]

Woohooo. Thanks, Sagitta! I was starting to think that thread was a wee bit unloved! :) It's fabulous...I'm trawling through my collection and will come back with the names of the best. (Must check spelling as my Spanish ain't fabulous). :)

[OOPS]

"The fabulous Tango Collection" and "Buenos Aires by Night" are two CDs that are nice for dancing. Osvaldo Pugliese's "Ausencia" is nice for listening.
My favorite song to Tango to is Loreena McKennitt's "Tango to Evora", also known as "Nedelli's Tango."

[JohnK]

I wish I knew more about AT, but I was trolling iTunes recently for conventional tango music and came across a very passionate, stirring piece by Lito Vitale (solo piano) simply named "Tango". Certainly not an "American" tango, but wonder if it would work for AT. Any one care to offer an opinion (some day I'm gonna learn how)?

Here's a link to a "teaser":
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AI0PA/qid%3D1084932650/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/103-7205698-9351817

[Marino]

... for obvious reasons :lol: , the one my partner gave me yeasterday as my birthday present: Cafe Argentino - with a lot of music by Astor Piazolla (perhaps my favourite composer)

[newbie]

I like very much the album "Tango" by Julio Iglesias (despite not being at all a fan of his usual repertoire), and expecially his interpretation of "La Cumparsita".
I have it at home, but never heard it in any milonga. I wonder why, as the sound quality (voice and orchestra) is much better than the usual old scritch-scritch stuff that the tango DJs always play.

[pygmalion]

I think a lot of tango purists really like the old stuff. To each his own, I guess.

Welcome to the forums, newbie. :D

[TemptressToo]

Despite my hating to dance tango...the best tango compilation I've found (which is mostly downloaded on my PC) is a (I believe) double-CD called...

Pure Tango

It has a bit of everything.

[Sagitta]

Okay bordertangoman. I've given you enough time. How about some selections for your collection? :wink: :)

[bordertangoman]

Okay bordertangoman. I've given you enough time. How about some selections for your collection? :wink: :)

okay its coming......be patient

[bordertangoman]

Here it is; the Official BTM list

1. The Tango Lesson Soundtrack by Sally Potter; my all time favourite Pugliese tracks are on this. Zum and La Yumba are masterpieces of the dramamtic tango.

2. Echoes from Afar; Old World Tangos volume 1. I love dancing to these scratchy recordings of Eastern European crooners - a must have.

3. Gotan Project; not for purist. I have seen a dance floor fill up when a Gotan Project track got played

4. Tracing Astor: Gidon Kremer plays Astor Piazzolla; a strictly listening album but with added bonus of Sollima’s Violoncelles Vibrez!


5. If I had only one tango CD to dance to it would be: Joaquin Amenabar y su Orquesta Tipica: De La Guardia Vieja
9 tracks of classic style in a masterful arrangement: 4 Bandoneons; contrabass; violines & piano

6. No collection is complete with a CD of D’Arienzo 15 Grand Exitos is just that. (Ditto Canaro; Calo; Di Sarli)

7. The one I’m playing at the moment is Electronic Tango; Purists will hate it but there is a Sudamerica Grace with a really smoky voice. Don’t know if any of it is tangoable( I shall try of course) some is definitely closer to House.

8. Soul of the Tango by Yo-Yo Ma: more Piazzolla played beautifully. One day I’m gonna dance to Le Grand Tango all 11 minutes of it even if it has to be choreographed!!!

9. Zum – Gypsy Tango Passion; for a real band who twist tango into a jazzy fusion; stunning and innovative and no I don’t think you can dance to it.

10. okay I think this one came free with a case of Argentine wine: its called Trapiche; tracks played by Anibal Troilo.
It is consistently good with one or two classics. Worth drinking a crate of wine for.

[Sagitta]

Well worth waiting for BTM. Thanks. What about you MadamSamba and ILM?

Yo Ma Ma is a wonderful accomplished musician. I've enjoyed his music. :) He has come and played live at Ithaca.

[The Tango Addict]

Otro Aires is nuevo but it has sampling of the old tango mixed in.

besos,
Eva

[Ampster]

I think a lot of tango purists really like the old stuff. To each his own, I guess.

Welcome to the forums, newbie. :D

You guess correctly!

I basically tango to just about anything.
BUT, nothing beats the purity, elegance, romance, and intimacy of a traditional Argentine Tango danced to the scratchy old stuff. There is a certain appeal to it that can only be explained once you get into dancing AT seriously.

The new arrangements sometimes lack depth, most especially the nuevo stuff... (just my opinion)

Here are a few of my favorite CD's from my collection. All ordered through Amazon, some were shipped from Argentina!

Francisco Canaro
http://www.amazon.com/Bailando-Tangos-Valses-y-Milongas/dp/B0000TANDA/ref=pd_sim_m_1_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184269038&sr=8-3

Carlos Di Sarli
http://www.amazon.com/Instrumental-Vol-Carlos-Di-Sarli/dp/B00005QAKN/ref=pd_sim_m_3_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184269038&sr=8-3

Juan D'Arienzo
http://www.amazon.com/Sus-Primeros-Exitos-1935-Vol/dp/B00005QAKJ/ref=pd_sim_m_3_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184269038&sr=8-3

Osvaldo Pugliese
http://www.amazon.com/Instrumentales-Inolvidables-Osvaldo-Pugliese/dp/B00005QAKD/ref=pd_sim_m_2_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184269038&sr=8-3

Anibal Troilo
http://www.amazon.com/Yo-Soy-el-Tango-1941/dp/B00022FPQU/ref=pd_sim_m_4_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184269038&sr=8-3

With these you have enough to host a small authentic milonga. All the selections contained are danceable.
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Other favorites:



Forever Tango Sountdtrack
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Tango-1994-Original-Broadway/dp/B0000064YE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1184270172&sr=1-1

Modern orchestral arrangements of old classics. Some of the arrangements were written for performances, so when you dance to them they tend to throw you off if your musicality is not fast enough to pick it up... And I have danced a few tandas with the lady on the album cover (I just had to brag, sorry) ;)
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TANGO "The movie soundtrack"
http://www.amazon.com/Tango-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B00000I0DI/ref=pd_bxgy_m_img_b/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184270172&sr=1-1

Good sevection. Every collection's must have. 80% of the selections are very danceable to the traditional styles (e.g. Salon, milonguero, apillado, etc.)
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Otros Aires
http://www.amazon.com/Otros-Aires/dp/B0009SQ46M/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1184270431&sr=1-1

Modern licks infused and alternated with classic arrangements. Fun! Best danced to an athletic nuevo style tango. Good for showing off, not so for being "At one" with your partner.
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Narco Tango
http://www.amazon.com/Narco-Tango-Carlos-Libedinsky/dp/B0001WPSBS/ref=pd_sim_m_1_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184270431&sr=1-1

Earthy nuevo Tango music. Danceable, best suited to nuevo.
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Bajofondo Tango Club
http://www.amazon.com/Bajofondo-Tango-Club/dp/B00007M5CO/ref=pd_sim_m_2_img/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&qid=1184270431&sr=1-1

REALLY fun album. Good to dance to, if your into the physical type of nuevo
Like the movie "Shall we dance?" This is where they got the tracks for the trailers and opening scenes from. Also, a facial creme commercial-"Monserrat"
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Gotan Project
http://www.amazon.com/Revancha-del-Tango-Gotan-Project/dp/B00008NRL8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-4074677-4417440?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1184270840&sr=1-2

Like the movie "Shall we dance?" This is where they got the track for the [stylized "goofy-tango"] J-Lo/Gere number-"Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre)"
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...and with that, I will stop rambling for now :rocker:

[new-ish]

One CD that I keep going back to is "Hector Varela y Sus Cantore."

Ampster's list is very good. I don't think you can go wrong with a general CD by Osvaldo Pugliese or Carlos DiSarli.

I have a Juan D'Arienzo 1937-38 CD that I really like too.

[Me]

http://www.clicmusique.com/images/large/QP046.gif

My favorite. IMPOSSIBLE to find. It is an import. eBay has none. Amazon has one copy on the marketplace... for $60! :x

It was a gift from my sweetheart. :) He knows how to feed my little tango-crack addiction.

Not very danceable, but beautiful to listen to.

[newbie]

My favorite. IMPOSSIBLE to find. It is an import. eBay has none. Amazon has one copy on the marketplace... for $60! :x

Not very danceable, but beautiful to listen to.

Would it be your favourite if it wasn't rare? (Not a rhetorical question, the shop around the corner has one copy for 20 bucks but I cannot listen before I buy)

[calandra]

I'm looking for the name/artist of a song that I've heard lots of places but don't know the name of. Have just discovered it's the audio that they play on the Comme il Faut (shoes) website opening page.

[bordertangoman]

I'm looking for the name/artist of a song that I've heard lots of places but don't know the name of. Have just discovered it's the audio that they play on the Comme il Faut (shoes) website opening page.

Perhaps its Comme Il Faut?

[Ampster]

I'm looking for the name/artist of a song that I've heard lots of places but don't know the name of. Have just discovered it's the audio that they play on the Comme il Faut (shoes) website opening page.

As far as I know, Comme il Faut does not have a website of its own. They do have "Authorized" dealers who have their websites.

In any case, "Comme il Faut" is also an AT piece. Here's a web sampling: http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B0000064YE001007/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_007/102

calandra, Is this what your looking for?

[salsamale]

... Yo Ma Ma is a wonderful accomplished musician. ...
What a funny typo :).

[calandra]

http://www.commeilfautlondon.com/commeilfaut.htm

This is the website I'm talking about. The tune is not Comme Il Faut - I'm pretty sure anyway. It's an electronic tango piece.

[Me]

Would it be your favourite if it wasn't rare? (Not a rhetorical question, the shop around the corner has one copy for 20 bucks but I cannot listen before I buy)

Oh you should buy that. :) If you aren't into hardcore Piazzolla though, you might want to pass.

I have several reasons for being so attached to it. :) My sweetheart gave it to me shortly before Katrina hit us. We were without power for over a month, but I had a plentitude of batteries, so I listened to this CD almost constantly during this time. Mostly listened to it at night so that I could hear it better... during the day even on the second floor the generator made this most horrid noise... ahhh, flashbacks, help!

[dchester]

Here's one I really like, that I haven't seen listed.

Tangos Con Armando Moreno
by Enrique Rodriguez
http://www.tangostore.com/cds-1499-Tangos-Con-Armando-Moreno-Enrique-Rodriguez

In particular, the song "En la Buena Y en la Mala" is one of my favorites.

FWIW, here is a very nice performance to that song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6YMpeJGg6U

[piimapoika]

Right, you asked for it and now you're about to get it. Piimapoika's favourite tango records.

Top of the list is Cabarute by the New York Tango Trio (LYRCD 7428). If you only get one tango CD get this one. Every track is a gem, throbbing with sweaty sexuality. Particularly outstanding are 9 de Julio (sexiest tune ever written about a date) and a very jazzy and raunchy version of El Enterreano.

Next: 20 Best of Classical Tango Argentino by Hugo Diaz. (EUCD 1480). The numbers range from the suave and foxtrotty Organito de la Tarde to the orgasmic Canaro en Paris.

You may have seen a reference to Hugo Diaz en Buenos Aires as being among the best tango LPs ever issued. The 3 LPs have just been reissued on CD by HMV Japan (VICP-60902-3). The 2 CD set includes the tear-jerking El Adios, the gaucho favourite Adios Pampa Mia, and a sex-sodden version of La Cumparsita. There are extensive sleeve notes in Japanese. Unfortunately the set is eye-wateringly expensive. After Japanese prices, customs duty, and VAT, I ended up paying over £50.

But you may not want to have your ears ravished by randy Uruguayans (both Hugo Diaz and Raul Jaurena, bandoneonist of the New York Tango Trio, come from Uruguay). You might want a bit of foreplay first. Fear not: with Tangos de la Guarde Vieja by El Cuarteto de la Ochava (ANS 13105) that is what you will get. The delicate sounds of flute, violin and two guitars (no bandoneon) will tickle and tease your aural erogenous zones. Particularly titillating is A Tripoli Se Van with its feline daintiness.

If you like your tangos mournful, get Conversando con el Fueye by Ciriaco Ortiz (EB-CD-57) and a box of Kleenex and you will soon be sobbing into your absinthe. Noteworthy are La Cumparsita, Mi Noche Triste, and Tiempos Viejos.

Classical Tango Argentino - Divina by Hugo Diaz (EUCD 1390). More bandoneon mastery for Diaz fans. A nice sexy slinky version of A Media Luz, three classic milongas by Villoldo, and other favourites such as El Marne and La Punalada. Desde el Alma is a bandoneon solo, without accompaniment of piano or anything else. It reflects all the joy and anguish of a doomed love affair.

Classical Tango Argentino (EUCD 1443) is a 2 CD set by Hugo Diaz. It might be a bit avant garde for some, with a fair sprinkling of Piazzolla and others, but there is something for us sensualists as well, notably Gran Hotel Victoria, a raunchy number with a bass accompaniment that runs its tongue down your back from the nape of your neck to the cleft in your buttocks. Then there is nothing but a sweet tinkly piano, reminiscent of the Palm Court of said hotel; or perhaps a quiet post-coital ciggie in the privacy of your suite upstairs. But soon the breathy pulse of the bandoneon indicates a returning urge and we are in for another session, ending in a climax of wailing reeds and sweat-soaked sheets. And all in 2 minutes 35 seconds. This is followed by La Trapera and Parrillera, two wild and abandoned milongas scattering discarded inhibitions and underwear in their wake. At the other end of the scale, there are versions of La Cachila and Chique so arty and intellectual that I didn’t recognise them.

There is something about the mouth organ. The words mouth and organ are sexually suggestive, and to get the beautiful music the player has to find exactly the right spot with his tongue. I wonder why there are so few female mouth organists?

La Armonica del Tango by Luis Saltos (Diapason AV 175792) provides an interesting contrast with Hugo Diaz en Buenos Aires. It was produced in Argentina, though the only source I know of is HMV Japan. The titles and very brief sleeve notes are in Spanish. The music is suave and restrained, unlike the wild and passionate Diaz, and which some people may prefer (I myself like wild and passionate). An odd number is Quejas de Bandoneon, which was written to show off the versatility of the bandoneon. The mouth organ doesn’t really do it justice. There is a stately version of Canaro en Paris, very different from the versions by the New York Tango Trio and Hugo Diaz. Las Mareados, although a tango, has 8 bars in ¾ time. It has a startling chord right at the end which would be a challenge to the interpretative skills of any leader. The best track is La Cumparsita, different from every other version I have heard of this classic number. The question is, is the CD worth buying, particularly as there are only 10 tracks on it? I would say yes - if you can find it cheap on a market stall in Buenos Aires. It isn’t worth paying Japanese prices.

Are you tired of sex? Are you bored with sweaty grapplings and fevered couplings in seedy Uruguayan dives reeking of smoke and pheromones? Wouldn’t you rather go for a healthy walk in the fresh air with some virtuous pure-minded young companions? Me neither. Which is a pity, as there is a lot to enjoy in La Cumparsita, by Miguel Villasboas (ANS 13029-2). The music is old-fashioned, reminiscent of D’Arienzo, but the sound quality is clear and bright, not a bit like recycled 78s. Sleeve notes are non-existent, but according to a man in the know, Villasboas is from Uruguay, and was active in the 50s and 60s. Bands became smaller in those years for economy reasons, hence the retro sound.

The rhythm is constant, clearly defined and fairly brisk. El 16 is a typical example. You must press on: no chance to cuddle your partner and do a lazy lapiz while you wait for the tempo to pick up. La Pulpera de Santa Lucia is a nice lively vals. La Loca de Amor is also in ¾ time but sounds more like a mazurka to me. El Amancer has the usual dawn chorus, but it is done on the violin rather than the bird whistle. El Torito and La Clavada also have delightful ornaments. There are no vocals. This is the only Villasboas CD available from Amazon, but he seems to be popular on the other side of the world, as HMV Japan has 8 of them. So how about it? A bit of clean living, just for a change? It’s only for 55 minutes 30 seconds. Come on, it’ll do us good.

If I enjoyed the Villasboas, why didn’t I couldn’t I get so enthusiastic about the genuine pre-war (1938) Arrabalera, by Quinteto Pirincho (MLN 55033)? Well, the muddy sound quality doesn’t help. But I found it worth persisting with, and it grew on me. The title track is a jolly milonga with vocal comments. A la Gran Muneca and Pampa are good robust tangos, the latter with a little help from Franz Liszt. Recuerdos I suppose is intended to be a milonga, but it sounds more like a polka.

Back in our Uruguayan dive, Tango Argentino (EUCD 1327) is another in the similarly titled series by Hugo Diaz, and just as brilliant. What can I say about Diaz that hasn’t been said before? El Choclo swings from slinky to raunchy and back again to jazzy. La Cachila is very different from the version on Classical Tango Argentino: it wraps itself sensuously round you and ends in a wild climax. Desde el Alma is more suave and less anguished than the version on Classical Tango Argentino Divina. Recuerdo (not the same tune as Recuerdos on the Pirincho record) and El dia que me quieras are soulful unaccompanied bandoneon.

Best ballroom tango record is the EP Brilliant Tangos by Alfred Hause, with its marvellous sultry sexy picture on the front. I bought it in 1963 when I was 15 and the ballroom tango was the most exotic thing imaginable. It still works its magic after all these years: the swirling strings and the pounding pulse (just faster than the human heartbeat) driving you onwards to something the inner teenager can barely imagine. There is a Japanese reissue of classic Hause tracks, called Twin Best. Unfortunately, it doesn't contain any of the tracks on the EP, and the version of La Cumparsita which is included isn't as good. It is also, as you might expect of a Japanese record, expensive.

This has gone on for long enough, so I will leave the Finnish tangos for another time.