milonga.co.uk

Tango de Los Angeles vol.2

BMG 41292

Here is the second volume of the balanced, classy music of Two Angels, pianist and orchestra leader Angel D'Agostino and his singer Angel Vargas (we brought you volume 1 in August).

Sublime, definitve versions of Palais de glace and Hotel Victoria (make sure you have the volume turned up to catch the subtle piano intro), and a couple of 5 star waltzes in Ave de paso and Tristeza criolla. There's also the bizarre tango about army life, A pan y agua (bread and water) which changes from a tango to a milonga half way through. Only DJ that one when you want to fool your close friends!

Track list

1. Madreselva
2. Rondando tu esquina
3. Destellos
4. La última cita
5. Muñequita
6. Mentiras
7. La cumparsita
8. Ave de paso
9. Mas solo que nunca
10. Mano blanca
11. Tristeza criolla vals
12. Hotel Victoria
13. Demasiado tarde
14. A pan y agua (A mi amigo Numa Rossotti)
15. Palais de glace
16. El Morocho y El Oriental milonga
17. Serpentina de esperanza
18. Bailarin de contaseña
19. El espejo en tus ojos vals
20. Esta noche en Buenos Aires

Canta:

Angel Vargas (1-20)

Alfredo De Angelis - Instrumentales inolvidables

EMI 499986

Alfredo De Angelis was one of the few bandleaders who managed to keep his orchestra going through the 1950s. This produced music of variable quality, but as we all know there were some outstanding hits from this period, such as Pavadita. That was a unique track, but there's enough quality output from this period to make a beautiful tanda or two: Mi dolor El tango club and Re fa si are all regularly heard in Buenos Aires, especially in the afternoon milongas. On the other hand, I can't get on with his version of La yumba, which is I feel best forgotten

Don't be put off, though; this is popular music that we get asked for all the time. If the higher fidelity of the later recordings is important for you, then you'll be especially pleased by this disc.

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 argentno
14. Fuegos artificiales
15. La mariposa
16. El torito milonga
17. Canaro en París
18. Tecleando
19. La yumba
20. Lagrimas y sonrisas vals

Juan D'Arienzo - Sus priméros éxitos vol.2

BMG 63342

The second volume of D'Arienzo's 1930s hits on Tango Argentino is a mixed bag. D'Arienzo didn't put a foot wrong in the 1930s and everything he recorded was wonderful, but the public played those records a lot and it's sometimes been hard to find good quality masters. In places this cd suffers a little from the fidelity of the 78 rpm discs used for the transfers. La mariposa is particularly badly affected, which is a pity: it's a great arrangement! In addition - unusually for this label - no filtering has been applied at all, and so there's a fair bit of surface noise. This is sometimes intrusive, for instance on Desde el alma - I believe the only place you can hear D'Arienzo's great arrangement of this famous vals. However once you get over these disappointments are some fantastic tracks here that I listen to and use a lot: The killer vals Mentias, and the tangos Charamusca and Lelia stand out. Oh yes - El cencerro! Did I mention El cencerro? Possibly D'Arienzo's greatest tango ever. It was the B side of Gallo ciego; that was an awesome 78.

Some tracks are now available in better fidelity in the series Homenage en Sony BMG, but many are not; both collectors and D'Arienzo fans will definitely have this CD in their library depite its shortcomings.

Track list

1. El choclo
2. La payanca
3. La catrera
4. El porteñito
5. Desde el alma vals
6. De pura cepa milonga
7. Comme il faut
8. Maipo
9. Ataniche
10. El esquinazo milonga
11. El apronte
12. La mariposa
13. Charamusca
14. Lelia
15. Valsecito criollo vals
16. El triunfo
17. Yunta brava
18. Pico blanco
19. El cencerro
20. Mentias vals

Rodolfo Biagi Solos de Orquesta

Reliquias 541689

I remember when this cd came out because suddenly we were all dancing to this fantastic new instrumental El yaguarón. Biagi truly had manos brujos (enchanting hands) - there's something compulsive about his exaggerated, frequently off-beat rhythm.

FAQ: Bélgica really is named after Belgium; Cielito lindo is not composed by the Fresedo brothers, it really is the famous Cuban bolero of the same name, arranged as a tango by Fresedo; La cumparsita is Biagi's instrumental version, not the one with glosas (spoken lyrics) by Jorge Ortíz. And yes of course you get the stunning Racing Club: it's the opening track.

Track list

1. Racing Club
2. A la gran muñeca
3. La viruta
4. El internado
5. El recodo
6. La huella
7. El irresistible
8. La cumparsita
9. Sentimiento gaucho
10. Bélgica
11. Didi
12. Quejas de bandoneón
13. El entrerriano
14. Re-fa-si
15. La marca de fuego
16. El yaguarón
17. El estribo
18. Pura clase
19. El 13
20. Cielito lindo