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Francisco Canaro - Original Tangos

EPM 995322

Our journey into this music begins with the most successful tango musician ever, Francisco Canaro. By nature a populist, Canaro adapted himself to the nature of each decade. His later recordings, although cheerful, lack the subtlety and charm of his early work. His earlier recordings display a tremendous musicianship, particularly from the hands of his stellar bandoneon player Minotto Di Cicco, who plays on all Canaro's recordings except in the years 1927-1932.

This CD on the French EPM label is the best Canaro CD ever and likely to remain so. If I could only have one tango CD, it might even be this one. Every track is a standout, the rhythm is the most varied and exciting of anything of anything from this period (including De Caro), and the vocalists are all wonderful. Some of the best recordings ever of La Cumparsita, Don Juan and Derecho Viejo. The catch? It's deleted. Don't worry: an alternative is coming.

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Francisco Canaro - Los grandes orquestas del tangos

BMT601

Great news: almost everything on the French Canaro CD, as well as a handful of his great milongas, is available on the double CD in Blue Moon's series los grandes orquestas del tango.

Do you forgive me now?

Osvaldo Fresedo - Arrabalero 1926-1928

BMT 024

What's this: Osvaldo Fresedo, the darling of the barrio norte (that's the posh part of town), the man who wasn't afraid to use drums, harp and even (gulp) vibraphone in his lineup? Well, when I first heard this, I was as surprised as you might be, reader.

Fresedo's music is beyond doubt the most lyrical of anything from this era. Here, towards the beginning of his career, the sweetness has yet to become cloying, and his refinement shines through.

He recorded prolifically on the Odeón label - 417 electrical recordings before switching to Brunswick in October 1928, the subsequent legal battle meaning that no further discs were issued until 1930. The change of house neatly bookends this part of his career, my favourite. Amazingly, there is nothing by Fresedo from this period available on an Argentine label - one out-of-print cd in EMI Argentina's long-defunct serie guardia vieja, and that's it! Five CDs were produced by collectors in Japan, of which I've heard three. This cd from Blue Moon is the only one available, and it's wonderful. From the opening notes of Arolas's La cachila (the swallow) the music tears on your heart strings in a way that modern music seems to have forgotten about. Snap one up before it goes the same way as its sister CD of Di Sarli's sextet.

At the same time, I'm here to tell you that there is plenty more material of this quality waiting to be reprinted. Just as a for instance, Fresedo's Fumando Espero, not included here, is perhaps the best ever.

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Carlos Di Sarli 1928/1931

EU 17022

The recordings of Carlos Di Sarli's sextet display slightly later dates than those of Fresedo above and there's a clue in there: Di Sarli was one of Fresedo's many pianists. (The latter was so successful at this time that he had five orchestras running simultaneously in different parts of town). It's popular to say that Di Sarli's style is derivative of Fresedo, but I don't really buy it: even at this time, Di Sarli's recordings show their own distinct personality, albeit less developed than what was to come. It's a bit more meaty than Fresedo.

After being first to market, Blue Moon's cd (shown right) has gone out of print. Never mind; salvation is at hand from the Argentine label Euro Records. There are many delights on this cd, most especially the opening tracks, TBC and La guitarrita. Check out especially the recording of the vals Rosamel - the arrangement is almost indistinguishable from the 1940 version with Roberto Rufino.

Track list

Bianco-Bachicha - Original Tangos

EPM 995302

And now to Paris for a very special treat, the Bianco-Bachicha orchestra.

There isn't space to give a full bio of his band, almost unknown in Argentina. The association of the two principals was shortlived, although both never returned home. Eduardo Bianco is the first violin. He miraculously survived the sinking of a ferry in Montevideo in which over 900 of his passengers lost their lives, came to France, toured for a few years and then settled down in Nazi Germany for the war years, during which he famously played for both Hitler and Mussolini: a unique and dubious distinction.

His colleague Juan Deambroggio, nicknamed Bachicha, is the first bandoneón. He stayed in Paris right through the German occupation and beyond, his band playing at La Cupole into the 1950s. He died in obscurity probably in 1960.

Now onto the music. This is an orchestra of Argentine musicians playing in Paris for Parisian sensibilities in the years 1926-1928. As such, the music is tinged with melodrama, and whilst I can no longer take the whole thing completely seriously it still has great charm. If you think No te quiero más (I don't love you anymore) is a bit too much, let me tell you, it has nothing on the high camp of D'Arienzo's 50s version with Mario Bustos, and the lyric of love turned to hate has lost none of its relevance. The truth is so often banal, folks.

Touring a bit further around these tracks. the very fine guitar work, displayed in a most unusual guitar solo in the band's version of La cumparsita, is by Horacio Pettorossi, one of Gardel's regular guitarists. And whilst the church bells on Plegaria may well have you reaching for the fast forward button after the first couple of times, the band's unique flavour bears fruit in the extraordinary Angustia (Anguish).

Cry, cry, my heart,
cry if you have a reason;
for it's no crime for a man
to cry for a woman

Llora, llora corazón,
llorá si tienes porque;
Que no es delito en un hombre
Llorar pa' una mujer

Track list

Now once again my recommendation on the French EPM label is getting hard to obtain, although you should still be able to pick up a copy. However, there are alternatives.

First of all there's Tangos in Paris 1926-1941 on the English label Harlequin (right). Nearly all the tracks I picked out are missing, but what you do get are the comic tangos Asserin asseran (see saw) - a children's nursery rhyme arranged as a tango - and Picolo navio del Maxim's which loosely translated would be the drunken sailor. This cd is also a good choice for its English language sleeve notes.

However my top choice (left) for a cd you should definitely be able to buy is once again on a French label, this time Frémeaux. Two CDs of the orchestra is perhaps a bit too much, but who can resist? Extensive sleevenotes in both French and English complete the attractively priced package.

This album is the second produced by Frémeaux in the series "Argentina in Paris"; if you want more, try the even more eclectic first volume Le Tango A Paris 1907-1941. You won't be able to resist Orlando et son Orchestre du Bagdad, I promise! The cd also includes some of the best tracks of Tano Genaro, which means you won't need to pick up his cd (on yet another French label, Music Memoria) unless you are an especially ardent collector, like me.

Pedro Maffia

DZ 3401

The dark, velvet tone of Pedro Maffia, one of the greatest bandoneon players that tango has ever produced, was already firmly consigned to history with the full-blooded tango of the fourties. He recorded 70 sides for Brunswick in 1929-1930, 76 for Columbia in 1930-31, and then lost his job in the talking pictures revolution. By the time he came back, in 1934, he felt it was too late for his subtle style, and within a few years, like De Caro, he had virtually retired. I wish he hadn't. His arrangements show a tremendous sense of crescendo and diminuendo, and I feel they would have survived the transition to the larger lineups, but it was not a change he was willing to make.

Of the available CDs, by far and away the best is on the German label Danza y Movimiento - it has the cleanest transfers, which all date from the 1930-31 recordings with Columbia. However, when you hear the word German, you should also hear the word "expensive". I can't get this for you (no distribution deal), but if you visit the DyM site and shell out the cash, you can listen to the way Maffia uses neither bandoneon nor violin nor piano for the lower voice, but a cello.

If you want something cheaper, check out El Bandoneón, but the transfers aren't even close.

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Francisco Lomuto

EBCD 138

Many years ago, the now defunct Japanese label Disco Latina produced a disc of Lomuto recordings from 1927-1930 that, despite poorer fidelity, was simply out of this world. It is of course now gone, but El Bandoneón have since produced a cd that is, how shall we say, remarkably similar, although padded out with a few sides from much later, mostly with Jorge Omar on vocals. This is not as lyrical as the work of Fresedo or Canaro and the fidelity of the recordings is not quite as good, but it has more drive: only Firpo from this period has more.

Track list

Juan Maglio

EBCD 86

Juan "Pacho" Maglio was a staunch member of the old guard who disappeared from the scene with the arrival of Juan D'Arienzo and the golden decade of the fourties. He is often associated with his work from the early 1910s, so popular at the time that his discs were referred to as "Pachos", and available on El Bandoneón. Despite their charm, these recordings from 1927-1930 are much more accessible and of rather better fidelity. Maglio's work is solid and somehow less personal than others of this period but for lovers of the genre these recordings are indispensable.

Track list