milonga.co.uk

Pedro Maffia - masters of Tango Argentino vol.1

DZ 3401

A real coup for the club is this rare CD of Pedro Maffia, currently selling elsewhere for double the price of your subscription. Maffia is one of the bandoneón players who influenced Aníbal Troilo, who remarked: before Maffia, there was no-one. Francisco Fiorentino was so impressed by Maffia's excellence that it made him decide to give up the bandoneón and pursue a career as a vocalist.

Maffia's soft velvet tones did not suit the changes brought about by D'Arienzo's revolution of 1935, and he made no recordings at all from 1935-1946. This CD is a unique chance to hear a neglected master at work. Still not sure? Have a listen to Golondrina on youtube, with extensive obligato work from the cello, more than ten years before everyone found Piazzolla's idea of a cello solo in Troilo's Inspiración such a big deal.

Note: This is a special purchase and so is a special offer for this month only. It's unlikely that we'll be able to offer this CD in the club at another time.

Track List

1. Un pobre borracho
2. Perlas negras
3. Romantico bulincito
4. Sentimiento gaucho
5. Estela vals
6. Reliquia gaucha
7. Me estas cansando
8. Rezongón
9. Reo noble
10. Llorando la carta
11. Broche de oro
12. Ché Pascual
13. Chantilly
14. Como te divertis
15. Carillón de la Merced
16. Golondrina
17. La final
18. Llévame en tus alas
19. El entrerriano
20. Dominó

Cantan:

• Luis Díaz (3,6,9)
• Francisco Fiorentino (12,15)
• Rafael Cisca (18)

Alberto Castillo - Candombes y milongas

EMI 499974

Yes that's right - an album consisting entirely of candombes and milongas from the enduringly popular Alberto Castillo, after his break from Tanturi. (Okay there are a few marches as well). Castillo achieved even more success as a soloist than he had with Tanturi, making the most of his ability to play the showman. Like your tango with drums?! Then this is for you!

Track list

1. Siga el baile candombe
2. Baile de los morenos candombe
3. Charol candombe
4. Estampa del 800 candombe
5. El cachivachero candombe
6. La pulgita candombe
7. Candombeando candombe
8. Café candombe
9. El gatito es telado candombe
10. Macumba cumba marcha
11. Mariana candombe
12. Candombero milonga
13. Vestido punzo milonga
14. Bronce milonga
15. Yo soy milonga milonga
16. Candonga milonga
17. El aguatero porteño milonga
18. Es Buenos Aires marcha
19. Soltero o casado marcha
20. Año nuevo marcha

Milongas... pa' sacale viruta al piso

EMI 828544

This excellent milonga compilation is the best available and the only album from the legendary FM tango label still in print.

If you are looking for a compilation for practicing - don't buy this album! Yes it's stuffed to the gunnels with great music; yes, it covers many different flavours of milonga.

The cover art, as on all the FM tango albums, is one of the caricatures by the wonderful Uruguayan artist Hermengildo Sabat. His book of tango caricatures is long since out-of-print, but the fact that they were used again in the 2001 series RCA Victor 100 Años testifies to their enduring popularity.

Standout tracks - well nearly all of them, although personally I can live without José Basso. But this is a great way to get a lot of decent milongas without buying a lot of cds. For instance, very few will want a whole cd of Mariano Mores, but here you can pick up his classic and ground-breaking Taquito Militar. The band's youthful, joyful exuberance is beautifully captured on this YouTube video.

Grela's classic De vuelta y media is another must have, although in this case we would buy more of this great guitarist if only more were available.

You also get two of Pugliese's milongas, otherwise not easy to pick up. Fresedo from the 1950s is too much for me - except in his milongas. The cd gives you his wonderful La trampera. Finally, Tita Merello's classic Se dice de mi (They say about me) which has more attitude than you can shake a stick at. You can see Tita telling it like it is on Youtube - this video is from the 1954 film Mercado de Abasto.

Track list

1. Taquito militar - Mariano Mores (1957)
2. Zapatitos de raso - Argentino Ledesma (1957)
3. La puñalada - Sexteto Mayor (1974)
4. Un baile a beneficio - Osvaldo Pugliese c. Jorge Vidal (1950)
5. Corralera - Alfredo De Angelis (1956)
6. La fulana - José Basso c. Floreal Ruíz (1957)
7. Milongón - Quinteto Pirincho (1952)
8. La señora del chalet - Edmundo Rivero (1958)
9. Azabache - Carlos Garciá (and orchestra) (1958)
10. Milonga que peina canas - Miguel Caló c. Raúl Berón (1942)
11. El firulete - José Basso (1961)
12. Tortazos - Osvaldo Pugliese c. Roberto Chanel (1944)
13. Picante - Rodolfo Biagi (1941)
14. Se dice de mi - Tita Merello (1954)
15. De vuelta y media - Roberto Grela (with Carlos García's orchestra) (1965)
16. Cien guitarras - Alfredo De Angelis c. Dante - Martel (1947)
17. La trampera - Osvaldo Fresedo (1951)
18. Bien criolla y bien porteña - Rubén Juárez (1972)
19. Milonga orillera - Roberto Firpo (1948)
20. Vestido punzo - Alberto Castillo (1945)

Tango Collection - Rosita Quiroga

RGS 1649

Another of the great female voices of tango, Rosita Quiroga conveys an air of melancholy and nostalgia. Her vocal style differs from the other female singers in belonging more to the country than to the city, and has been described as descending from the payadores (troubadours). Her composition Apología tanguera (with lyrics by Enrique Cadícamo) became part of the standard repetoire, with a memorable interpretation in recent years by Lidia Borda.

Track list

1. Sosegate, no seas loco
2. Viejo coche
3. Oime negro
4. Sentimiento malevo
5. Carro viejo
6. Que queres?, soy así
7. Qué vachache
8. Flor de fango
9. Tus besos fueron míos
10. Fumando espero
11. Mocosita
12. La musa mistonga
13. Puente Alsina
14. Las doce de la noche
15. Campaneando la vejez
16. Hacelo por la vieja
17. Negro
18. Mala suerte
19. Sentencia
20. El malevo
21. Gran señor
22. Apología tanguera
23. Gorda
24. Vete