Rodolfo Biagi: Manos Brujos (Enchanted Hands)
Rodolfo Biagi was the pianist with the magic hands whose nervous, rhythmic style was an integral part of D'Arienzo's dance revolution of 1935. After three years with D'Arienzo he split to form his own aggregation. The rhythmic conception was more insistent than D'Arienzo's - Piazzolla found his music insipid - but this allowed him not to accelerate the pace, making it far easier to incorporate singers into his orchestra.
Biagi's orchestra was hugely popular with the dancers of his day for his rhythmic playfulness. Today there is a good selection of CD re-issues for us to enjoy.
What sort of buyer are you?
I'm on a budget - I only want I only want one album of Biagi
El Bandoneón were again "first to market" with a release of Biagi,
(EBCD-40 Campo Afuera).
Whilst it had great selections from his whole career the sound fidelity cannot compare with what has been
released on the Argentine label Reliquias, and it's no longer possible to recommend that CD.
The second release from that stable (BMT 021 Pura Clase)
was much better and even included the electifying milonga Flor de Montserrat, which will set fire to your shoes and the speakers on your hi-fi.
However it went out of print in 2004 and Blue Moon can't be bothered to print any more.
Now we recommend the Reliquias album with his early singers Andrés Falgás and Teófilo Ibáñez (watch out for those accents) recorded in 1938-1940.
The album has all six of their waltzes and the milonga Campo Afuera as well as many excellent fast paced tangos, most notably Biagi's
Son cosas del bandoneón which knocks the spots from the version of Enrique Rodriguez. Essential stuff.
I'm a DJ or collector - I want more
This is easy: start collecting the albums on Reliquias. They are nine in all, and only two are not uniformly excellent throughout. I've decided to spare you the sight of those lime green and yellow covers - here's a list for you instead.
- EMI 495365 Sus éxitos con Jorge Ortíz - mysteriously deleted and reprinted as EMI 379158
- EMI 499966 Sus éxitos con Falgás y Ibáñez - fabulous early hits with (for me) his best singers
- EMI 499967 Sus éxitos con Jorge Ortíz Vol.2 good cd, as a bonus includes the perenially popular instrumental Racing club (now on the instrumental cd).
- EMI 499968 Sus éxitos con Alberto Amor this is the one with the killer milonga Flor de Montserrat.
- EMI 529111 Sus éxitos con Acuña, Lago y Amor
- EMI 529139 Sus éxitos con Duval, Heredia, Saavedra y Amor - some later material with a slower pace.
- EMI 541689 Solos de Orquesta - popular cd
- EMI 595171 La Orquesta y sus Cantores - a mixed bag
- EMI 379158 Exitos con Jorge Ortiz - reprint of EMI 495365
- EMI 235392 Al compás del vals - fabulous Biagi vals cd
Where next...
- Back to building a library
- Milonga home page
