by Kevin T McEneaney
The tango (a fight, a lewd dance, a celebration) was born between 1880 and 1900 in brothels and/or prisons on the South American continent. The most likely place was Buenos Aires, although many locales claim to be its birthplace. No location wished its virginity to be pierced until the city of Paris approved its musical DNA. It is generally thought that musical rhythms predate lyrics.
The golden age of tango is usually considered to be from 1930 to 1950. Its earliest instrumentation for orchestras were for violin, piano, and flute, with the bandoneon (accordion-concertina) and clarinet arriving belatedly. Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardell are reputed to be the height of tango sophistication.
One might say that tango lives in a limbo between folk music and classical music where a tango rhythm may migrate into a more classical compositional technique via complex melodies. Buenos Aries still holds the greatest international Tango Festival each year.
Latin GRAMMY Award-winning Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet, the spearhead of a current tango revival from Argentina, opened this year’s North American tour with a debut at the New York Lincoln Center this past January. Bi-lingual Pedro (who has a substantive array of CD recordings) confessed to being influenced by Astor Piazzolla, American jazz bands (when Pedro was a jazz band leader in New York City), and European Classical music.
Giraudo’s compositions are original, surprising, amusing, feeling like a fresh breeze sweeping through a palm tree at the beach with the heightened rhythm of crashing waves.
Pedro plays double bass. The quartet opened with “Michelangelo 70” by the prolific Astor Piazzolla, with Shinjoo Cho on bandoneón, Nick Danielson on violin, and Ahmed Alom on piano. The infectious rhythm of this melody nearly compels one to get up and dance. There is a jazzy edge to this memorable composition. They were paying homage to the tradition out of which Pedro works. There must be nearly a hundred different recorded versions of this well-known masterpiece, with a thrilling violin stomping-streak amid ebullient piano and a thrumming bass line with soaring Shinjoo on bandoneón.
“Ávido” by Pedro was written during the COVID-19 pandemic. They played in unison, then each instrument had a brief solo that illustrated life living in isolation from friends. The instruments yearned to be played in unison. It concluded with Ahmed on piano leading the instruments at a reunion party.
“Invierno” and “Verano” (Winter and Summer) by Piazzolla followed. This was a tango version of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons, which was set in Buenos Aires. Ahmed, on piano, tinkled the gentle fall of snowflakes as Pedro on double-bass intoned isolation along with Nick’s plangent violin. Snowfall turned into a great storm as the piano raced in turmoil while the bandoneón nearly screamed with excitement; then, the double-bass signaled the decline of the storm. Summer featured a slow, earthy bass that dramatized heat as the bandoneón screamed sweat, and then there was a vivid ensemble night party led by the piano. The execution of this work was evocative and thrilling!
“Juego de manos” (Sleight of hand) by Giraudo refers to a charming two-person children’s game of hand clapping with lyrics that tell a little story, perhaps the catching of mice in a house or some other humorous domestic incident. Here, instruments paired and “slapped” each other in a delightful round.
“Astucias” (Tricks) by Giraudo presented each instrument as giving a misleading cue as if to trick another instrument into a wayward note. This was cute, clever, and playful.
“Con un nudo” (With a knot) by Giraudo describes the awkwardness of physical or symbolic neck-congestion in being unable to speak, a knot in your throat. Nick’s violin proffered the situation while Shinjoo on bandoneón delivered its slow, awkward agony.
“Escualo” (Shark) by Piazzolla dramatized the sighting of a beachside shark with a thrilling melody where the violin offered warning thrill and the bandoneón captured the danger while the double-bass underlined the seriousness and thrill of the situation.
“A Campo Abierto” (In the open field) by Giraudo let the instruments play freely as they swapped leads with a jazzy sense of immediacy and improvisation.
“Milonga Infausta” (Unfortunate dance party) by Giraudo with violin lead comically presented the instruments as not being on the same page.
“La Muerte del Ángel” (The Death of an Angel) by Piazzolla laments the death of a young woman in fugue format. “Resurrección del Ángel” dramatizes the solemn return home of a young woman once thought to have died.
“Canaro en Paris” (Canary in Paris) by Scarpino/Caldarella refers to the plight of a countrywoman who had left her rural hut to go to Paris.
For an encore, they performed “Oblivion” by Piazzolla with a vigorous violin lead by Nick, middle bandoneón solo by Shinjoo, and mellow piano conclusion by Ahmed, all underlined by Giraurdo on double-bass.
This concert offered a great variety of emotions in the playlist, which was in turn playful and serious. The energy of Nick’s violin, the nuance of Shinjoo on bandoneón, the fluency Ahmed on keys, and the lower foundation of Giraudo on double-bass delivered immediacy and excitement whereby the audience exploded with a long ovation!
