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Carlos Di Sarli: Cantan Oscar Serpa y Mario Pomar

DyD 15230

In 1950, two of the great artists of tango, Aníbal Troilo and Carlos Di Sarli, who was returning to the studio after a break of three years, signed to the new TK label. Ever since, tango fans have been wishing they hadn't.

There are two problems with TK, neither of which they could have foreseen at the time.

The first and principal problem is ownership. TK were eventually bought out - but not by one of the big two, EMI (formerly Odeón) and BMG (formerly RCA-Victor). What may have happened is that they were bought by Music Hall, who issued a few CDs (of which the Di Sarli ones were very popular). Music Hall in turn were bought by Universal, who have shown no interest in milking their tango back catalogue. If the masters exist, they are locked in a vault somewhere, and haven't been seen for fifty years.

The second problem is quality. TK's 78s don't seem to have aged quite as well as some others. When you listen to a Pugliese track from 1950, the fidelity sounds a little better than one recorded in 1949. When you listen to a Troilo side from the same period, the opposite is true. (Troilo's recordings fared worse than Di Sarli's, perhaps because his music has more dynamic range).

Now, fifty years is also the length of copyright of a recording, as Sir Cliff Richard found out to his chagrin last year. Untila few years ago, all releases of Troilo and Di Sarli's early 50s sides have had, shall we say, dubious legal status. Euro Records wisely waited for the 50 year limit to pass before inaugurating their new imprint, Archivo TK with their excellent re-issue of Troilo's complete recordings from this period. Tango fans were disappointed that the fidelity wasn't better than it was, because the music is fantastic, is the best available.

Turning at last to Di Sarli's recordings from the early 1950s: these have long been prized by dancers because they maintain more drive than the late 50s recordings on RCA, making them very satisfying for dancing.

The classic releases on the defunct Music Hall label are long gone, but over the past few years the small Argentine label DyD have been releasing a few CDs of his work. It's great stuff, full of drive that makes it great for dancing. Vocalists Oscar Serpa and Mario Pomar are in good form, but it's the instrumentals which are the real cream of the crop. Don't expect the crystal clarity of the late 50s recordings, which are reproduced from original masters, but this is still more than good enough for the milonga - many of these tracks are 5 star tracks on my playlist. La cachila and Don Juan are outstanding; Don Juan is better for dancing than the late 50s version. Great dance music.

If you like this (and you will), do check out the companion album A La Gran Muñeca (originally released with a different cover) which has six instrumentals and six vocals, again with Serpa and Pomar. Al compás del corazón is a great recording, a completely different treatment of this great tango, and makes the Caló/Berón version sound delicate, almost fragile by comparison.

Track list

1. La cachila
2. Verdemar
3. Don Juan
4. Patotero sentmental
5. Comme il faut
6. El pollito
7. Organito de la tarde
8. Sueño de juventud vals
9. Quejas de bandoneón
10. Duelo criollo
11. El cachafaz
12. Tinta verde

Cantan:

Oscar Serpa (2,8) Mario Pomar (4,10)

Rodolfo Biagi: Exitos con Jorge Ortiz

EMI 379158

Fantastic Biagi sides with Ortiz from the early 1940s, full of Biagi's playful syncopations and virile strength. Standout tracks include Humillación and the romantic yet still punchy Todo te nombra (everything names you).

This CD doesn't need much more commentary from me, but note that this is a reprint of Reliquias's very first Biagi CD, Sus éxitos con Jorge Ortiz (EMI 495365) which has been deleted. This was a club CD way back in February 2008 (read more about it there), so make sure you don't have it already!

Track list

1. Humillación
2. Indiferencia
3. Trenzas
4. Yuyo verde
5. Magdala
6. Ya lo ves
7. Todo te nombra
8. Guapo y varón
9. Señor, señor
10. Lágrimas y sonrisas vals
11. Pájaro ciego
12. Romantico bulincito
13. Ahora no me conoces
14. Quiero verte una vez más
15. Yo también
16. Si de mi te has olvidado
17. No le digas que la quiero
18. Carillón de la merced
19. Misa de once
20. La marcha nupcial

Canta:

Jorge Ortiz (1-9,11-20)
instrumental (10)

RR 857

Simply one of the best electronic tango cds. Read more about it on our Tango Nuevo page.

limited stock

Track list

1. Felino
2. Victoriosa
3. Rivadavia
4. Electroqtango
5. 12 Tango
6. Regina
7. El llorón
8. Renacere
9. Misterienzo
10. Sin piel
11. Astorlokefu
12. A fuego violento
13. Retrolanga
14. Mi viejo dolor

Enrique Rodríguez: Recordando sus éxitos (canta: Armando Moreno)

Enrique Rodríguez's orquesta caracteristica turned out foxtrots and pasodobles which as much, or even more, verve as they did tangos. Here's a nice selection with their most successful singer, Armando Moreno.

Some of Rodriguez's fox trot's such as Por las calles de Estambul have become quite popular in some of the more adventurous European milongas, where they make a nice alternative to milonga. Also included are a couple of valses and the great milonga La rumbita candombe

Track list

1. Clavelito chino corrido
2. Cantar gitano fox trot
3. No se haga mala sangre polca
4. Por las calles de Estambul fox trot
5. La higuera corrido
6. Por aquí... por allá vals
7. Yo busco una novia fox trot
8. Ay Catalina paso doble
9. Por mis trabucos corrido
10. La rumbita candombe milonga
11. Luna veneciana fox trot
12. Hice el testamento corrido
13. Marcelina fox trot
14. María polca - paso doble
15. El tucu tun fox trot
16. Con tu mirar vals
17. Hagamos nuestra casita fox trot
18. Vuela vuela palomita corrido
19. Atención y disparar corrido
20. Diez soldaditos fox trot