There are orquestas I would like to hear (or play) more often in milongas. Of course, we hear plenty of D'Arienzo, Tanturi, Di Sarli, etc. But what about tango bands that did good music and are (almost) never played in milongas? In my opinion, the most underrated tango orquesta is that of Julio De Caro. This choice will probably surprise a few, so let me explain... Julio De Caro is generally regarded as the founder of the "de Carean" school of tango. He is mostly responsible for the revolution of tango music aesthetics of the late 1920's. However, his discography is largely considered "un-danceable". While I agree that over 90% his music is somewhere between tough to dance to and un-danceable, let me point out that much like other tango orquestas, De Caro's went through several phases. Listening to his discography, I can discern at least four distinct period:
- From 1924 until about 1932: this is the epoch he is most most known for. His recordings during that time are innovative, but difficult to dance.
- From about 1935 until about 1940: after telling D'Arienzo that his new style would not last (a comment that D'Arienzo never forgave him for), De Caro was eventually forced to realize that times had changed... and he embraced some of the D'Arienzist elements. He recorded several gems in that timeframe (more on this later).
- 1940-1943: De Caro slows the music down and it is difficult to dance it.
- 1949-1953: De Caro comes out of retirement to record a few more pieces. There are few more beautiful songs from that time.
Out of these four periods, I enjoy his music from the second and the fourth. From the second period, I have a great tanda of milongas:
- De Contrapunto (De Caro) - 1936
- Saca Chispas (De Caro/Diaz) - 1938
- No Hay Tierra como la Mia (De Caro/Farrel) - 1939
From the fourth period, I have the following tanda which usually works well at the end of a long milonga:
- Anibal Troilo (De Caro) - 1949
- Recuerdo (De Caro) - 1952
- El Arranque (De Caro) - 1951
Please feel free to share your opinion on the most underrated tango orquestas...
Best Regards,
EL
Can't believe I am commenting on my own post ;-) But on second thought, I think I should really add the orchesta of Francisco Lomuto to that list. His music is played in milongas (much more than De Caro's), but Lomuto's band is still very underrated.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
EL