Tango Orchestra Preferences

[bastet]

I've heard it said that Troilo was one of the four great bands, but I don't personally like him all that much. From what I know of his (my own collection of 3 CDs), he seems somehow a bit homogenized, uninspiring, elevator music.

Tends to be my feeling also, but like Andreas said, there are a few tracks that are very good.

 

[opendoor]

..only the stuff from... 1941-1943 or so..

..you´ve got it to the point! :notworth:

 

[Zoopsia59]

For a newbie, Canaro, Calo, & Rodriguez should be right up there, along with Di Sarli & D'Arienzo. http://www.tangocd.com/Tango_Music/prodView.asp?idproduct=193&idCat=47&curPage=1&sortField=pop

Yeah, I'm a little surprised at the emphasis on Troilo over Canaro in the links posted.

 

[Zoopsia59]

True, but tango is important to the BsAs economy, and the dance exports successfully all over the world. It just puzzles me that there are virtually no traditional tango orchestras

Remember that in Argentina, "Tango for export" is a different beast than what a traditional tango orchestra would likely be playing for the home crowd so there's already a paradox in your logic.

 

[Zoopsia59]

My opinion is that a lot of the bands that get into tango theses days, don't do as well as they could ... because:

• The Musicians are often playing more for themselves than for dancers.
• They play a lot more Pugliese (and Piazzolla) than what is typically found at milongas.
• Some of the arrangements of very popular songs have more of a jazz feel to them.

I will say that when you get a good band that sticks (mostly) to songs from the golden era, and doesn't do too many tempos changes and stuff when playing, the crowd just goes crazy with excitement. People get out there to dance, and don't want to sit until the set is over.

I admit that I have been disappointed with live music on more than one occasion because it was much harder to dance to. Thank you for laying out just why that might be true.

 

[Zoopsia59]

I'm wondering if the tango musicians who are either:
A) better
or
B) more aligned philosophically with making DANCE music,

first seek employment in the orchestras that travel with tango shows before resorting to forming bands that hire out per gig. Certainly, if you want to make a living, a booking of an entire season tour is better than aiming for enough one-offs at social dances to survive.

I've heard some totally dynamite performances by orchestras as part of the big tango shows, and I almost always wish I was dancing instead of watching. That isn't true of some of the stuff that's been played at milongas with "Special this month, LIVE Orchestra!!!!" I've attended

 

[jantango]

The era of tango orchestras in BsAs and the big bands in the USA of the 1940s will never happen again. It costs too much for live performances, and we have their recordings.

Young musicians have to study tango and be trained in all the orchestra styles. That has been going on for the past ten years in BsAs with the Orquesta Escuela del Tango Emilio Balcarce.

The dancer who has no musicial training can learn more about "How to Listen to a Tango Arrangement." http://www.tangovia.org/ingles/edu_workshops.htm