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Tango Collection - Francisco Lomuto

RGS 1715

Finally, a CD of early recordings of Francisco Lomuto at a bargain price. Lomuto's early sides have a deep steady beat with a melancholic tinge and they are just fantastic for dancing. As a bonus the CD includes a decent transfer of the hard-to-find Lomuto Cumparsita.

This album picks up Lomuto's discography in 1929 at a point when he had already cut nearly 400 sides! At this time, recordings had long since switched from acoustic to electrical. The fidelity is really good - someone has been hiding these 78s away somewhere.

All but four of the 22 tracks are from the neglected period on the Odeón label, which ends in the summer of 1931. Mar de fondo is from the end of 1931, The cumparsita is from 1936, whilst Criolla linda and Sentimiento gaucho from 1942. (The few dates below are for disambiguation, i.e. to clarify which recording is meant on those tangos which Lomuto recorded more than once). Listen carefully and you can hear the introduction of the diminished sixth cadence - the ending which goes the wrong way, down rather than up - which would later become Lomuto's trademark. I won't tell you where though, to keep your ears sharp :-)

By the way, note that Track 14, Sin clemencia is incorrectly listed on the CD as Corazón de oro.

What are you waiting for?!

Track list

1. Tango argentino
2. Serpentina dobla
3. Patadura
4. Mi pibe
5. Medianoche
6. Cuando despiertes
7. Puerto nuevo (1929)
8. Viejo amigo
9. Piñataro
10. Como los nardos en flor
11. Buenos Aires (1930)
12. Cuentas claras
13. Bigotito (1930)
14. Sin clemencia
15. Amor y celos vals
16. Pan
17. Alondra
18. Mar de fondo
19. La cumparsita
20. Cuando llora la milonga (1930)
21. Criolla linda
22. Sentimiento gaucho

Alfredo De Angelis - Instrumentales inolvidables

EMI 499986

I can still remember when the tango world discovered the stunning late De Angelis instrumental Pavadita: it was during my second trip to Buenos Aires, so that would have been 1997.

Not everything that De Angelis recorded at the time is worth listening to, but much of it is. This is the album that collects those tracks together: Mi dolor, Tango club, Re fa si and others, including an excellent La cumparsita. De Angelis sails close to the edge, though, and I must confess that I can't bear this rendition of Lágrimas y sonrisas.

Perfect for anyone looking for later material that is still good for dancing.

Track list

1. La cumparsita
2. Flores negras
3. A la gran muñeca
4. Re fa si
5. Pavadita
6. El tango club
7. Mi dolor
8. A media luz
9. Caminito
10. Sin aliento
11. Felicia
12. Loca bohemia
13. El apache argentino
14. Fuegos artificiales
15. La mariposa
16. El torito milonga
17. Canaro en París
18. Tecleando
19. La yumba
20. Lágrimas y sonrisas vals

Juan D'Arienzo: Discografía Completa vol.1

Magenta 055101

Yes I know it's a terrible cover, but read on.

This ambituously titled CD (Complete Discography vol.1!) is Magenta's attempt at one of those 2 in 1 CDs we used to get, being the coupling of their albums El Rey Del Compás and La Morocha. Both of these, remember, were CD issues of 16 track LPs on. The only trouble was, even stretching to the 80 minute format, they ran out of room! So we get a 30 track CD with 76'34" of music - outstanding!

This CD features only the early years of D'Arienzo's orchestra (1935-1939) with everything except Hotel Victoria featuring Biagi on piano, and plenty of tracks from Alberto Echagüe on vocals - many of the ones from the La morocha album being simply unavailable elsewhere. The first half is also the only place you can currently find the 1938 recording of Florida on CD.

Track list

1. La cumparsita
2. Hotel Victoria
3. 9 De Julio
4. Lágrimas y sonrisas vals
5. Paciencia
6. El choclo
7. Jueves
8. Florida
9. Milonga, vieja milonga milonga
10. Yunta brava
11. Tu olvido
12. Milonga del corazón milonga
13. No llores madre vals
14. Pico blanco
15. Valsecito de antes vals
16. La morocha
17. Cabeza de novia vals
18. Ansiedad
19. No mientas
20. Que Dios te ayude
21. Retintín
22. Don Esteban
23. El baqueano
24. Pénsalo bien
25. El irresistible
26. El vino triste
27. Melodía porteña
28. Unión Cívica
29. Estampa de varón milonga
30. Milonga querida milonga

Cantan:

• Enrique Carbel (5)
• Walter Cabral (11)
• Alberto Echagüe (12, 17-20, 24, 26, 29-30)

Francisco Canaro: Ojos Negros

Magenta 9053

Another Canaro album; is it any good?

Well, I'll be frank. As a product, this album is a bit of a mess. Magenta have nice covers but also a reputation for some of the least reliable information in the industry. On this album though they really go to town, printing dates on the back. How wonderful you say, recording dates will be really helpful with Canaro who had such a long career! But no no no my friends, these are not recording dates! These are the dates that the pieces were composed. They have no relationship to the recording dates at all; some are more than 30 years later. Moreover, the CD also includes tracks from the Quinteto Pirincho

However: buried in amongst all this are some real gems. El triunfo is simply beautiful, and the tango Canto por no llorar with Charlo - who else - exquisite.

Ojos negros is the beautiful instrumental version from 1932, unavailable elsewhere on CD. (By the way: it turns out that Ojos negros que fascinan on La Cumparsita - Tango Argentina is not with Ernesto Famá at all, but is with Roberto Maida from 1935). Si yo fuera millonario is an excellent, typically up-beat Canaro tango from 1933 and the vals Vibraciones del alma is the 1956 version by the full orchestra.

And for those of you who like the modern sound, there are 5 tracks recorded in the 1960s - in stereo! These are: Pájaro azul Quiero verte una vez mas Bandoneón arrabalero Tres esperanzas and Tiempos viejos (Te acordás hermano). The unfamiliar names of the vocalists are a bit of a clue here, although not in the case of Eduardo Adrián who was singing with Canaro back in the 1940s.

To clear up the remaining confusions: the tangos Tierra negra, A la gran muñeca Milonga con variaciones and the milonga Arrabalera are by the Quinteto Pirincho whilst the delightful polca (!) Recuerdos is by the earlier incarnation of that group, Quinteto Don Pancho.

Goodness, that was hard work. This is why you come to milonga.co.uk!

For anyone who selects this CD, we can send you the mp3 version properly tagged including recording dates and cover art, for a small additional fee.

Track list

1. Pájaro azul (1964)
2. Milonga con variaciones
3. Ojos negros
4. Arrabalera milonga
5. Tierra negra
6. Quiero verte una vez mas (1961)
7. Canto por no llorar
8. Bandoneón arrabalero
9. El internado
10. Tres esperanzas (1960)
11. A la gran muñeca
12. El triunfo
13. Vibraciones del alma (1956) vals
14. Recuerdos polca
15. Tiempos viejos
16. Si yo fuera millonario

Francisco Canaro y su orquesta except:

• Quinteto Pirincho (2,4,5,9,11)
• Quinteto Don Pancho (14)

Cantan:

• Alberto Arenas (sings the pregón on 5)
• Ernesto Rondó (6,15)
• Charlo (7)
• Isabel de Grana (8)
• Eduardo Adrián (10)
• Ernesto Famá (16)

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