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| Videos of tango musicians | ||
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Since the appearance of YouTube, many tango dancers have turned to videos for entertainment and even instruction (although there's still no proof that learning to dance from videos is a good idea). A few devotees in Argentina (most notably Hugo Aranguiz) and elsewhere have at the same time posted videos of tango musicians—sometimes vintage film footage taped from TV broadcasts, sometimes modern performances. Many dancers find these clips at least as inspiring as footage of dance performances, if not more so. Some of them are absolute treasures. Enjoy!
Note: The sound quality in many of these videos is NOT very good! |
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La yumba (1946)
Osvaldo Pugliese Priceless footage of Pugliese's orchestra swinging like mad at a milonga in the late 1940s. Also contains a nice explanatory intro by Daniel Binelli. Not only is it a pleasure to see the original Pugliese orchestra (which played together from 1939 until the mid-1960s) in their youth, but it's informative to watch the violinists circle the microphone on stage like a clutch of gangsters. The style and verve of the musicians is palpable. |
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Chiqué (1986)
Osvaldo Pugliese Hair-raising performance of the classic tango "Chiqué" by Osvaldo Pugliese and his orchestra at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the biggest concert hall in South America. This historic concert played a key part in the tango revival of the 1980s. Pugliese's fans, enraptured by his orchestra's clear excellence, had been chanting "al Colón! al Colón!" for decades; this concert came as a late tribute to the always modest Pugliese, who was in his eighties by the time of this performance. |
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Tres esquinas
Angel D'Agostino & Angel Vargas This video opens with a talk-show style interview hosted by lyricist Enrique Cadicamo, the guest being orchestra leader Angel D'Agostino. The footage from 1940 is D'Agostino's band playing the tango they co-authored, "Tres esquinas"—featuring the great singer Angel Vargas. In a moment either touching or sad, D'Agostino in the studio plays the piano solo. The entire program seems to be a memorial to Angel Vargas, who had died (in 1959) by the time it was taped. |
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Quejas de bandoneon
Aníbal Troilo This footage of Troilo's band in the 1960s shows the maestro's inspired calm during what became his signature tune from the 1940s onward. Univerally considered the greatest bandoneonist of the tango, Troilo ("Pichuco") plays the difficult passages with the look of a man sighing (as his sidemen visibly labor at it). |
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Inspiración (solo)
Unnamed bandoneonist A virtuoso bandoneonist (unnamed) plays the classic tango "Inspiración." This is a fine example of the counterpoint between the two registers of the instrument—and it's a bonus to hear the instrument clacking and breathing as the player works the bellows. |
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Heliotropo (solo)
Pedro Maffia Rare footage of the great virtuoso bandoneonist Pedro Maffia, playing the plaintive "Heliotropo" in a TV studio. Maffia was a key musician during the 1920s and 30s, when he played with the De Caro sextet (and later led the Orquesta Típica Brunswick). His style was subtle, and not a good match for the more exuberant sound of the big bands during the Golden Age, but he nonetheless left his mark on the tango as a stylist and composer. |
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Nieblas del Riachuelo (solo)
Ciriaco Ortiz Another solo bando performance—the great Ciriaco Ortiz playing the famous tango "Nieblas del Riachuelo" ("Mists on the Riachuelo river"). Ortiz was at one point the lead bandoneonist for D'Arienzo in the 1930s, and the delicacy of his playing (especially in the high register) is impressive. |
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Derecho viejo
Eduardo Arolas (portrayed) A bio-pic (from the 1940s?) portraying the "Tiger of the Bandoneon," Eduardo Arolas, accompanied by a lone guitarist. (It seems that an actor is playing Arolas here, as in the other clips from this film.) "Derecho viejo" is one of the many classic tangos composed by Arolas, who since the 1910s had been a leading figure (later a music teacher) in the development of the tango. As in many movie clips, you can see some intricate (and somewhat goofy) dancing here—exemplary above all for its enthusiasm. |
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La cumparsita
Juan D'Arienzo 1960s TV footage of Juan D'Arienzo bullying his orchestra through a volcanic version of "La cumparsita." While tango dancing is improvised, tango music is not—as is made clear by the encore here, where the band simply repeats the last section of the arrangement. |
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Paciencia
Juan D'Arienzo Charismatic singer Alberto Echague sings this old hit with D'Arienzo's orchestra. The maestro himself was an intimidating guy—part of his act as a consummate showman. There's a story that on a certain night at a club, one of D'Arienzo's bando players broke a strap on his instrument and the crowd went wild; for years thereafter, D'Arienzo had him break it on purpose. |
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Nueve de julio
Juan D'Arienzo July 9th is Argentina's independence day—but it's also the name of the largest avenue in the world in Buenos Aires, with its 19 traffic lanes. It's pretty clear that D'Arienzo's inspiration for this force of nature was not the "9 de julio" on the calendar, but the one with sprinting pedestrians and speeding cars. |
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Adiós nonino
Florencia Amengual With a few noteworthy exceptions early in the history of tango, the bandoneon was traditionally (and for no apparent reason) a "man's" instrument. This video therefore showcases two things you don't see very often: a young woman playing the bando, and an interesting interpretation of a famous Piazzolla composition. Florencia Amengual begins the piece on a lark, and summons a lot of heart as she plays through its elegaic development. An inspiring moment of street performance. |
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