The most Underrated Tango Orquesta in Milongas...

Hello everyone,

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

Solving the "Poema" Enigma...

In late January, I had the great pleasure to be at the Garua milonga in Seattle. One of my DJ friends asked me how to build a good tanda around Poema, the masterpiece interpreted by Francisco Canaro and Roberto Maida in 1935. It's a tough one because Poema is one of these instantly recognizable tangos that gets everybody off their chair and on the dance floor. You have to be careful because if you start a tanda with a masterpiece like this one, you better be able to deliver two or three strong tangos right after. Otherwise, a few dancers might sit after just one (yikes!). Here is my solution to the problem:

1. Poema (Canaro/Maida) - 1935
2. Invierno (Canaro/Maida) - 1937
3. Copos de Nieve (Canaro/Maida) - 1937
4. Todo Corazon (Canaro) - 1936

In this tanda, I am mixing three songs with one instrumental, which is fine. In addition, all tangos have similar speeds (around 120 beats per minute), are from the same era, and have the same "feeling". I have used this little gem many a time at the end of an evening with a lot of success. Try it and tell me how it goes for you. If you have other suggestions about this topic, feel free to comment below.

Happy dancing!

EL