Sunday, November 8, 2015

Milonga Nuestra playlist, November 2015

November is a month rich in tango history dates. Great tango orchestra directors Francisco Canaro, Francisco Lomuto, Alfredo De Angelis, Federico Scorticati were all born in November. But trying, as I often do, to celebrate all of them by showcasing additional interesting tandas turned out to be hard in a 3-hour milonga. Because the only way I could do it was by excluding several other great orchestra favorites, and in the end I remained undecided if it was worth doing...

01. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental "Ataniche" 1936 2:32
02. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental "Union Civica" 1938 2:28
03. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental "Champagne Tango" 1938 2:25
04. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999 0:24
Francisco Canaro, the most prolific of all the tango directors, was born on November 26, 1888. Much has been written about Canaro's rags-to-riches path, which started from his first violin fashioned out of an empty oil can, and about his many bands and projects. My first Canaro tanda for the night is from his 1950s instrumental quintet named after Francisco's childhood nickname. I already wrote about his quintets, and about Pirincho the bird, last year...
05. Quinteto Pirincho - Instrumental "Rodriquez Peña" 1959 2:36
06. Quinteto Pirincho - Instrumental  "El chamuyo" 1950 2:51
07. Quinteto Pirincho - Instrumental "Alma de bohemio" 1959 2:29
08. The Beatles "All you Need is Love cortina" 0:19
Francisco Lomuto, a pianist and composer, was born on November 23, 1893. His musical career has been strongly linked to Francisco Canaro, his 5 years older mentor and onetime employer. Neither had any formal musical education. Both grew up in large, poor families. It's often told that Lomuto composed his first tango at the age of 13, and dedicated it to Salvarsan (a.k.a. Compound 606), a syphilis drug. Of course tango of the early 1900s was never more than one step away from indecency, but this much-retold story of "El 606" isn't really correct. The drug wasn't even discovered until Lomuto was 17, and the tradition of the humorous tangos about doctors and medicines didn't start until the First Ball of the Clinical Residents (Baile del Internado) in 1914 - pioneered by Canaro (read more about it here). And indeed Lomuto's other earliest composition are dated 1915. Francisco Lomuto convened his first orchestra in 1923, and, following Canaro again, he soon diversified into jazz (and added a really powerful winds section, so unusual for a tango orchestra), and then into theater musicals, but always retained the old-guard sensibilities and its steady beat.
09. Francisco Lomuto - Alberto Acuña y Fernando Díaz  "A su memoria (vals)" 1931 2:48
10. Francisco Lomuto - Carlos Galarce "Un vals | Se fue" 1944 2:26

Lola Cruz,
"Damisela Encantadora"
I occasionally play this Lomuto's unusual, habañera-scented vals, but haven't retold its story yet. Actually there are two real stories in one, a story of sisterly love and a story of a beauty and ruin. The vals was composed by famous Cuban pianist, Ernesto Lecuona, who was first taught and supported by his equally talented older sister Ernestina. An early marriage stopped Ernestina's musical career and she invested everything into her kid brother. Nearly 30 years later, after all Ernestina's children grew up, Ernesto invited her to try touring together - and soon her career took off again, and then she visited Argentina for the first of many times. But she didn't just promote her own compositions, she showcased her brother's work as well, and that's how "Damisela encantadora" entered the world of tango. The vals was a part of Ernesto's zarzuela play, "Lola Cruz" which premiered just the year before. Lola Cruz, a Cuban beauty of a mythical stature, was known "the Pearl of Yumurí Valley" (where the Lecuonas hailed from, too). Poets, musicians, and painters fell all over themselves to immortalize young Lola. She married a rich and influential landowner and arts patron, José Manuel Ximeno, and moved in to a 60-room palace. But soon, the Ten Year's War, the first salvo of Cuba's protracted fight for independence, broke out. The Ximenos were ruined; then Lola's husband died suddenly, but she wouldn't stop supporting charities, selling off her increasingly meager possessions, growing old back in her parents' modest house...
11. Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar  "Damisela encantadora (vals)" 1936 2:58
12. Bonobo  "Flutter 1 (cortina)" 2003 0:23
13. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas "Así era el tango" 1944 2:49
14. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas "Shusheta (El aristocrata)" 1945 2:47
15. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas "A Quién Le Puede Importar" 1945 3:11
16. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999 0:24
These vocals with Jorge Omar are my 2nd and final Lomuto tanda. Thought to play a milonga too and just couldn't fit it in :)
17. Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar  "Nostalgias" 1936 3:05
18. Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar  "A la gran muñeca" 1936 3:01
19.  Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar "La melodia de nuestro adios" 1938 2:20
20. Zhanna Aguzarova "Cats" 1987 0:21
The two earliest, slowest milongas which marked the rebirth of the milonga genre in 1933 - and a milonga remix of an old tango which was reportedly the first tune little Canaro extracted from his oil-can violin.
21. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "Milonga Sentimental" 1933 3:10
22. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "Milonga Del 900" 1933 2:54
23. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "El Lloron" 1941 2:14
24. Bonobo  "Flutter (slower cortina)" 2003 0:29
Alfredo De Angelis, a pianist and tango composer born on Nov 2, 1910, put together a tango orchestra in 1940 and started recording only in 1943. His is a prolific orchestra, but often considered to be second-rate, "just good for the dancers" whatever it should mean. I often play De Angelis's late, dramatic instrumentals, and his great valses, but I find it harder to build a worthwhile tanda with vocals. Here's my newest attempt, yet again not 100% satisfying me... 
25. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental "Pura mana" 1943 2:47
26. Alfredo de Angelis - Floreal Ruiz "Marioneta" 1943 2:49
27. Alfredo de Angelis - Floreal Ruiz "Dejame asi" 1943 3:01
28. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999 0:24
29. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos "Se Va La Vida" 1936 2:44
30. Edgardo Donato - Romeo Gavioli "Amando En Silencio" 1940 2:51
31. Edgardo Donato - Romeo Gavioli, Lita Morales "Yo Te Amo" 1940 2:50
32. The Beatles "All you Need is Love cortina" 0:19
Three great valses from the tie when "OTV" was directed by Federico Scorticati, a virtuoso bandoneonist (born Nov. 6, 1912). I already mentioned some details of his bio, but I didn't add that, by his own admission, Scorticati couldn't stand the administrative chores and was happy to quit OTV to become the leading bandoneon with Di Sarli and Lomuto. We'll hear his amazing bandoneon solo with Di Sarli's orchestra a bit later...
33. Orquesta Típica Víctor - Lita Morales "Noches de invierno" 1937 2:47
34. Orquesta Típica Víctor - Ángel Vargas "Sin Rumbo Fijo (vals)" 1938 2:18
35. Orquesta Típica Víctor - Mario Pomar  "Temo" 1940 2:55
36. Bonobo  "Flutter 1 (cortina)" 2003 0:23
I rarely get a chance to play Canaro with Famá, because Roberto Maida sang many more popular tangos. But I gotta try playing both tonight...
37. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "No me pregunten porque " 1939 2:54
38. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "Tormenta" 1939 2:38
39. Francisco Canaro - Ernesto Famá  "Te quiero todavia" 1939 2:54
40. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999, 1999 0:24
41. Miguel Calo - Alberto Podesta  "Si tu quisieras" 1943 2:44
42. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron  "La abandone y no sabia" 1944 2:50
43. Miguel Calo - Alberto Podesta  "Yo soy el tango" 1941 2:46
When the cortina pulsates with rock, you may guess that alternatives are coming...
44. Victor Tsoy  "Blood Type (cortina)"  0:36
45. Color Tango  "La luciernaga"  2:19
46. Miguel Di Genova "Amor Que Se Baila" 2005 4:10
"Amor Que Se Baila" is an outlandishly long for a milonga, so I'm evaluating the floor as it plays, then decide to add the third track to the set...
47. Otros Aires  "Los Vino`" 2010 2:43
48. Bonobo  "Flutter (slower cortina)" 2003 0:29
49. Cirque Du Soleil "Querer" 1994 4:35
50.  Carlos Libedinsky "Otra luna" 2002 3:43
a less known track of this set, this Dutch song sings of sadness of singing tango.The Al Sur project was part classic tangos, part Piazzolla, part their own compositions
51. Van Esbroek - Sexteto Tango al Sur "Lied Van Welk Verdriet" 1989 3:27
52. Bonobo  "Flutter 1 (cortina)" 2003 0:23
Possibly a wrong order of tandas here - it may be harder to sustain the energy of a small block of alternative tandas past as lyrical a tanda as the previous one; once it's over, a "wake-up call" of high-drive classic tangos may work much better than an energetic but still kind of amorphous alternative tanda:
53. 5Nizza "Soldat" 2003 3:13
54. Soha  "Mil Pasos" 2008 4:07
55. Javier Alvarez  "Por que te vas" 2001 2:55
56. The Beatles "All you Need is Love cortina" 0:19
57. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante y Julio Martel "Soñar Y Nada Mas" 1944 3:04
58. Alfredo de Angelis - Carlos Dante y Julio Martel "Flores Del Alma" 1947 3:00
59. Alfredo de Angelis - Floreal Ruiz "Mi novia de ayer (vals)" 1944 2:36
60. Bonobo  "Flutter (slower cortina)" 2003 0:29
Final Canaro tanda for the night. Alas, no time for his valses, slow and fast, and many more flavors of tango music...
61. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Envidia" 1936 3:18
62. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Solo una novia" 1935 3:23
63. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Invierno" 1937 3:25
64. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999 0:24
65. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "La Chacarera " 1940 2:24
66. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "Son cosas del bandoneon" 1939 2:44
67. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "Cielo!" 1939 2:31
68. Zhanna Aguzarova "Cats" 1987 0:21
Two of the three milongas are Uruguayan, but this Ángel Sica's piece which I haven't played before comes a bit too light...
69. Cuarteto Roberto Firpo - Instrumental "Milonga del 38" 1938 2:12
70. Ángel Sica - Instrumental "Milonga Oriental" 1942 1:57
71. Emilio Pellejero - Enalmar De Maria "Mi Vieja Linda" 1941 2:26
72. Bonobo  "Flutter (slower cortina)" 2003 0:29
and here we find Federico Scorticati again - in the only Di Sarli's recording of then-half a century old El Choclo, prefaced by the words of Di Sarli himself professing the love of his life, the eternal love to the music of tango. The Lord of Tango had just 5 years left to live when he embarked on his project of remixing the oldest tangos, and he probably already sensed that the time was running short... Carlos Di Sarli never liked giving to big a role to the bandoneon before, but now he broke his rule to allow Scorticati to play an extensive solo segment.
73. Carlos Di Sarli - Palabras de Carlos Di Sarli "El Choclo" 1954 3:00
74. Carlos Di Sarli - Instrumental "Milonguero viejo" 1955 2:48
75. Carlos Di Sarli - Instrumental "Nueve Puntos" 1956 3:27
76. "Sting - Windmills Of Your Mind" 1999 0:24
77. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Farol" 1943 3:23
78. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel  "Corrientes Y Esmeralda" 1944 2:49
79. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel  "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:49
80. Alla Pugacheva "Million Scarlet Roses" 1982 0:19
81. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental  "Mi dolor" 1957 2:51
82. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental  "Pavadita" 1958 2:50
83. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental  "Felicia" 1969 2:47
84. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental  "La cumparsita" 1961 3:33
85.   "silence"  0:06
86. Goran Bregovic  "This Is A Film (feat. Iggy Pop)" 2003 4:18
87. Carolina Chocolate Drops & Luminescent Orchestrii  "Knockin'" 2011 5:28
88. Apocalyptica  "Nothing Else Matters" 1998 4:46


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