Tango Music

We are often asked for advice and suggestions about Tango music – what to look for, what to buy etc.

One thing for sure, genuine Argentine Tango is quite a “Niche” market – unless you know what you are looking for, buying “Tango’s Greatest Hits” from your local High Street store will most likely lead to disappointment.

Firstly, some of the main Tango Orchestras to check out on iTunes or Amazon mp3 (it’s also worth putting these names into You Tube)

Probably in order of priority for people just starting Argentine Tango:

Carlos Di Sarli  -  elegant and melodic, one of the greatest greats

Juan D’Arienzo -  known as “the king of the beat” because of his driving rhythms

Francisco Canaro  – gorgeous early Tangos, Milongas & Valses, very nostalgic

Pedro Laurenz  – beautifully arranged and orchestrated – a bit of a “musician’s musician”

Miguel Calo  -  lovely music to dance to, clear rhythms, lovely melodies

Rodolfo Biagi  -  very syncopated, sharp rhythms.  Fabulous once you get the hang of it

Osvaldo Pugliese  -  hugely important and long career, but can be very intense and sometimes hard to dance to, so choose carefully

Anibal Troilo  -  was immensly popular with dancers – a wide variety of music over time, but again, I would choose carefully

We have written articles on some of these musicians on the Tango South Blog.

Some more modern possibilities  – but not always so good to dance to, at least in the authentic Salon style:

Astor Piazzolla

Gotan Project

Bajofondo

Otros Aires

If you want to buy CDs of classic Tango music in the UK, a reliable source is Michael Lavocah at www.milonga.co.uk

To see some interesting demonstrations of Tango dancing, here are some YouTube suggestions – paste these names into the You Tube search box, then follow your nose  – there’s a lot of good listening and watching to be had:

Carlos Gavito – probably the All Time Master

Homer Ladas -  lovely dancer & teacher based in the US – classic and nuevo style

Tango por Dos -  world famous Tango Show, starring Miguel Zotto

Osvaldo Zotto – Miguel’s brother who tragically died recently at the age of 46

Pablo Veron -  starred in the film “The Tango Lesson” with Sally Potter.  Watch out for his dance with Geraldine Rojas during the closing credits of the film “Asassination Tango”

There’s much, much more we could suggest, but hopefully this will keep you going for a while!