Juan D'Arienzo
In my point of view, tango is, above all, rhythm, nerve, strength and character. I tried to rescue for tango its masculine strength, and today tango has been re-established, our tango, with the vitality of its best times. My major pride is to have contributed to that renaissance of our popular music.
The revolutionary Juan D'Arienzo, "El Rey del Compás" - The king of the beat, single handedly swept tango from middle class drawing rooms back to its real home, the dance hall, propelling an entire generation to its feet with his irresistible and joyful beat. No collection of tango music is worthy of the name without at least some recordings of his legendary and seminal band.
Listen to the opening of Felicia (1939).
D'Arienzo has been well represented in the re-issues of the past decade and you should have no trouble picking up some really cracking discs.
Be careful though - as we move towards the end of his long career, the D'Arienzo style veers towards the camp,
most notably in the vocal numbers.
D'Arienzo's fortunes exploded with the incorporation of pianist Rodolfo Biagi in 1935 and he maintained his band right through to his death in 1976. The band carried on without him under the name "Las Solistas de D'Arienzo" - be careful.
One way to track the evolution of the band is to look at the recordings of La Cumparsita.
- 1928/9: D'Arienzo recorded two versions of La Cumparsita in the pre-Biagi era. These guardia vieja versions lack the charm of early Canaro or Fresedo and the whole thing just fails to ignite.
- 1937: Now this is much better, Biagi on piano, and the band is on fire.
- 1943: Fascinating - D'Arienzo has added the piano variation, taking the piece out to 4'00", that will make the 1951 version such a sensation. An interesting transitional version - very hard to obtain.
- 1951: This is it: the seminal recording. The arrangement is the same as the 1943 version, but the band lets rip with utter assurance and the faster pace brings it home some fifteen seconds quicker. Tremendously exciting.
- 1963: I just can't get excited about this stereo version recorded for "D'Arienzo for Export". The pace is slow (back at 4 minutes) and the performance lacks the electricity of the 1951 version.
- 1971: D'Arienzo's swan song? It's back to the pace of the 1951 version, but there's an innovation: before the classic one string violin solo, there's an additional violin section whose restraint and lightness of touch has me thinking of, well, anyone but D'Arienzo. A great version.
What sort of buyer are you?
- I'm on a budget- I only want one album of D'Arienzo
- I want a little more
- I'm a DJ or collector - I want lots more
- I want everything
I'm on a budget - I only want I only want one album of D'Arienzo
You have to really be on a budget to want only one D'Arienzo CD - this is a tough assignment. But, if I have to choose, then I would get the old FM Tango disc - still available on Solo Tango. It covers the best of D'Arienzo's entire oeuvre with a selection of hits from the late 30s and the early 50s, and is still the only one with the seminal 1951 recording of La Cumparsita. This is one of our essential cds and you can find the track info there.
On the other hand, if you a beginner, or looking for a teaching cd, you might be better to get the solid beats of Sus priméros éxitos vol.1 on Tango Argentino, which sticks largely to his tangos from the 1930s.
Track list
La cumparsita; Don Juan; Gallo ciego; Pasión vals; Sabado Inglés; El caburé; Jueves; Milonga vieja milonga milonga; Re fa si; 9 de julio; La viruta; Lágrimas y sonrisas vals; El pollito; Derecho viejo; Que noche!; La puñalada milonga; El cachafaz; Rodriguez Peña; Joaquina; Felicia
I want a little more
The new choice for those looking to collect D'Arienzo is the splendid 15 disc series released by BMG in 2005. Start with the first disc with it's plethora of waltzes. The first seven or so discs are a must, and you can always get all 15 in the end.
To get his best stereo versions from the 60s and 70s: get the cd "El Rey del Compás" on BMG (ECD1100) which includes
the tango milonga Papas Calientes
and the wonderful Este Es El Rey.
Ignore the fact that the cover photo is printed back to front, this is a marvellous cd.
Released as an lp in 1982 and then on cd in 1993, it's been in print ever since.
I'm a DJ or collector - I want lots more
For more of his thirties/fourties material:
- volume 2 of Sus priméros éxitos if you only have volume 1
- A cd of D'Arienzo with singer Héctor Maure - either on Solo Tango (reprint of FM Tango) or the pirate on El Bandoneón (EBCD-99).
- To hear the early hits with Alberto Echagüe: EBCD-43 on El Bandoneón.
- To hear more of the milongas and valses: EBCD-84 on El Bandoneón.
For more of his great 50s instrumentals: the album on Euro Records shared with Di Sarli, Dos músicos, dos estilos (EU16019). The quality is fabulous - you must get this CD.
For more of the stereo recordings you can buy the cd reissues of the D'Arienzo for Export lps. The four lps were re-issued over three 3 cds. They still make excellent listening. Or you could get the RCA Victor 100 Años disc - but not before you get the El Rey del Compás cd recommended above.
I want everything
If you must hear D'Arienzo's 1950s vocal interpretations, don't let me stop you. D'Arienzo's 50s sides with his most popular singer Alberto Echagüe are available on the cd Sus Grandes Exitos which is really quite good in places, with more available on Tango Argentino on the cd Joyas del lunfardo. That label is also the place to hear his sides with Mario Bustos (Tangos Orilleros) & Jorge Valdéz (Sentimental vol.1 and 2). You can hear more of Bustos on the BMG album Bueno, Derecho y Varón (ECD1101), the sister cd to ECD1100. Plus there's a cd covering the years 1954-1957 (EU16009) on Euro Records. There's more on Tango Argentino (11 cds in all) but it's too boring to list them all here - ask me if you're really interested.
You can hear the 1928 orchestra on El Bandoneón (EBCD-133). Carlos Dante and Francisco Fiorentino are the estrebillistas.
Where next...
- Back to building a library
- Milonga home page