Rating:
Genre:
World
Release Date: 03/16/2004
While attempting to show off the diversity of Argentine music beyond the omnipresent
tango,
The Rough Guide to the Music of Argentina may have countered its own intentions, by displaying a wide variety of
tango, certainly, but also by displaying other non-
tango styles, wherein it happens that the influences of
tango can be heard quite often. That said, it's an excellent primer for the diversity of the
tango, with small additions from outside the genre. The album opens with a vocal
tango courtesy of
Adriana Varela, before moving into some candombe-inspired very early-style
tango from
la Chicana. Some straightforward folksinging from the powerful voice of
Lorena Astudillo marks the first departure from the main focus here, but the sound turns quickly enough back to the
tango, with a surprisingly capable rendition on the harmonica.
Juan Carlos Caceres updates the sound with a little more rhythm, and two of the brightest lights in instrumental music are presented in sequence, with
Osbaldo Piro's emotive bandoneon playing and
Roberto Grela's excellent guitar work, both former members of
Anibal Troilo's legendary bands.
Walter Rios performs the heaviest, strangest rendition of
"La Cumparsita" you're ever likely to hear, followed immediately by another updating of sorts, with the addition of
salsa piano riffing to the basics of milonga song. At this point, the biggest three names in
tango come in a somewhat out-of-order sequence:
Carlos Gardel provides a nice vocal piece (unfortunately not
"Por una Cabeza," but good nonetheless), followed by a piece from
Astor Piazzolla and his Four Seasons suite, and then a work from
Anibal Troilo (who, realistically, should have been between
Gardel and
Piazzolla) -- all excellent pieces from the greatest artists. Moving out of the
tango idiom entirely for a bit, the album moves to
Jaime Torres'
charango for a fine huella, an old Mapuche
folk song from
Beatriz Pichi Malen, and the "emperor of the bomba"
Domingo Cura for an excellent example of the chacarera style. Moving back into
tango are violinist
Antonio Agri and
Ricardo Dominguez, followed by something almost Cuban from
Alberto Rojo. Ending the album is a bit of chamame on the accordion --
country music from the heartlands of South America, and mildly similar to some
Tejano singing. Give it a listen for the
tango, and dig a little for the good parts of the non-
tango repertoire as well.
~Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Listen
