What tango tales these walls could tell!

Recently a friend came across photos of some historic cabarets & nightclubs of Buenos Aires - haunts of many great tango bands. Sadly, they were demolished in the name of progress. One, eventually replaced by a supermarket!

Ever wondered what Pabellon de Rosas, the popular D'Arienzo vals, was about? Well, this collection of nostalgia is also thoughtfully peppered with videos of compositions dedicated to these legendary venues.

On a more recent note, many will remember the milonga venue Maipu 444 with great nostalgia - demolished just a few years ago to make way for yet another bank. It didn't have the architectural merit of those old venues, but oh, what memories those walls held.

PP

Happy Birthday, Miguel Calo!

Born 28 October 1907, Miguel Calo collaborated with many of the greats of the Golden Age during his tango career - as bandoneonist, band-leader and composer.

Many a dedicated tanguero would declare a milonga incomplete without a tanda of Calo with singer Raul Beron. Yet, I suspect few know that this immortal collaboration almost came to a very premature end.  Calo's orchestra was broadcasting at a radio station, and the station executives apparently felt that Beron was not up to their standards.  So, they told Calo to sack him, which he did.  But the just-recorded Al compas del corazon became a hit.

Fortunately, they had second thoughts. Otherwise, we would never enjoyed the exquisite Jamas retornaras.

Calo also recorded gems with Alberto Podesta, including Dos fracasos. And here's the goosebump-inducing Que falta que me haces 1961, performed by Javier Rodriguez and his first partner Geraldine Rojas. It's a study in restrained intensity.

Trenzas, recorded with singer Raul Iriarte, was said to be a favourite piece of the late Andrea Misse. Here she is dancing to Trenzas with Javier Rodriguez.

Osvaldo Pugliese

Who has not fallen under the spell of Pugliese's music? Even if you are one of the few who haven't, you may still enjoy this brief but beautiful video collage of the Maestro's life, thoughts and music.

Happy Birthday, Alberto Podestá!

This living legend of tango turns 82 today and he's still singing to appreciative audiences in Buenos Aires.

Di Sarli recruited him at the tender age of 18 and later he also went on to sing with Pedro Laurenz - two of the great orquestas of the Golden Age.  For more about his interesting career, read this interview in Todotango where you can also listen to a number of his hits.  Bill recently forwarded this lovely Youtube video of a recent sub-titled interview with the great man.

When it comes to romantic tangos and valses, he's a master.  Don't Sebastian and Maria Ines capture the romance of Junto a tu corazon beautifully in this performance?

PP

Tete Rusconi and Osvaldo Zotto

How can we make up for the recent loss of these two great dancers? In short, we can't. They take with them to their graves the essential elements that made Tete's valses unique for their vigour and sense of joy, and the beauty that Osvaldo's precision gave to his dance.

Tete was no doubt dancing as a young man during the Golden Age of tango - think of the great musicians and dancers that contributed to what became Tete's dancing. We saw him often at Maipu 444 and El Beso dancing with the energy of a young man; there was absolutely no doubt that the milonga was a second home to him and that he simply loved to dance.

Our first memories of Osvaldo were from his instructional tapes with Mora Godoy in the late 90s, teaching his viewers precisely where to step & how to lead. Later, we would regularly see him at the Club Sunderland restaurant with his partner Lorena and friend Carlos Gavito; it was very obvious how much he cared for Gavito and no doubt took part of him into his teaching and dancing.

Perhaps there is something we can all attempt to do to make up for this loss in a small way. We can strive to pass on to the next generation of dancers what we have gleaned from these two masters: the joy of tango and its simplicity when danced from the heart.

Here is a glimpse of the irrepressible Tete , Osvaldo with Lorena part 1 and part 2 (unfortunately, the recording of their dance to Indio Manso was divided), and finally Osvaldo in a remarkable solo.

Bob

What can we learn from performances?

Obviously it depends on who's performing, but it also depends on what we're looking for.

Geraldine Rojas and the late Carlos Gavito gave one of those unique and "I wish I'd been there" performances a few years ago. Carlos illustrated his mantra "less is more" - that passion, timing, and giving time for his partner to improvise was far more important than what he once referred to as 'dancing like a bunch of washing machines". Geraldine shows her clear joy at dancing with one of tango's greats, but it didn't get in the way of her demonstrating her exquisite skills that complemented her partner's intensity. What can I learn from this piece? Aim to evoke sensuality from the dance and focus on musicality - but that'll mean keeping it simple.

And two dancers who do keep it relatively simple are Sebastian Achaval & Roxanna Suarez while performing this great De Angelis piece; note the word relatively. Mind you, their turns are brilliant - no chance of emulating that - but they otherwise dance small figures that would be familiar to many intermediate dancers. So what puts them on quite a different plane? Their execution is precise, balanced, and grounded for a start. Now add a generous layer of timing while they expertly link their figures seamlessly. And finally, as with the other couple, their musicality - the dance reflecting the moods & changing rhythms of the music. Again, I learned more about timing & musicality, but there's no short cut to the hours of constant practice that needs to go into it.

Bob

Favourite three male dancers

When I thought of my three favourite male dancers, I had little trouble - but it took some analysis to work out why those three were so prominent in my mind.

Hugo Daniel kept repeating "intention" when I spent a number of hours working with him in 2007, and when I watch him dance, I see it, and I see the intensity of feeling that he puts into every moment.

Javier Rodriguez was a great favourite of mine back in the days when he was dancing with one of Pat's favourites, Geraldine Rojas, and what impressed me about him was his speed, his turns, his creativity, and I loved his milongas.

Finally, who could go past the late, great master of tango, Ricardo Vidort, who would lead his partner with subtle, almost imperceptible movements of his body, while his feet played out the changing rhythms of the orchestra - watch his body as he dances to Chique, then play it again and just watch his feet.



So should we try to copy our favourite dancer's or teacher's style? Not at all - even if we were remotely capable of getting close. Besides, performance and social dancing are different. Our mentors can, nevertheless, give us clues on technique and tango style, but in the end, we have to develop our own style - how we can best reflect what the music says to us, within our partner's embrace.

From Hugo I take 'intention', from Javier the creative potential in milonga, and from Ricardo subtlety & musicality. But that's just the start - tango is a never-ending road, isn't it?

Bob

Favourite five

When Bob asked me to name my favourite five tangueras, I thought ... "Easy" and started rattling them off.

But very soon, it simply got too hard, too complicated. So I returned to my initial, instinctive responses - just three names. When I tried to analyse what those women have in common, it came down to technique, musicality and personal surrender to the moment (entrega). Watch them performing - their styles are very different. Seeing them dancing socially is a particular treat. Each one dances in the considerate, rather understated manner expected in the milonga setting, yet at the same time, their sheer class and elegance draw your attention straight to them. (Sadly, video footage of their social dancing is rare.) Of course, as teachers they are also much sought after.

Who are they? Click on the links and take a look at these videos of Aurora Lubiz, Lorena Ermocida and last but certainly not least, Geraldine Rojas to see what I mean.

And here's another:


I imagine they started training in some form of dance as soon as they were old enough to walk, so I shouldn't lose heart altogether!

Pat.

Pugliese, the innovator

Nadim (tanguero from Melbourne) has just sent me this historic link of Osvaldo Pugliese and his orchestra playing at the famous Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. It got me thinking about how Pugliese's tango compositions and arrangements are truly innovative (and therefore more demanding for dancers).


Pugliese was not a mainstream kind of guy. Joining the Communist Party because of the injustices of the Spanish Civil War landed him in gaol several times. As a sign of support during his imprisonment, his orchestra would still perform in his absence, but with a red rose on his piano.

From his early compositions La Yumba and Recuerdo, the distinctive strong, driving beat is present. But particularly in his later work, this is also meshed with exquisite lyrical elements, as well as intense, emotionally demanding passages. Without doubt, that's why so many dancers chose his later pieces, such as Pata ancha (Geraldine Rojas & Javier Rodriguez) and Gallo ciego (Lorena Ermocida & Osvaldo Zotto) for performances.

Despite his huge, trail-blazing body of work, when declared an honorary citizen of Buenos Aires he responded with a modest "I am merely a labourer for tango".

After his death in 1995, Roberto Alvarez, the great bandoneonista of his orchestra, took over the Pugliese baton and now leads the well-known orchestra Color Tango.
Pat