My choice for this week is ‘El puntazo’ (Juan D’Arienzo, 1952). I reviewed 54 performances.
My favorite: Vanessa Gauch Arabacıoğlu & Eşref Tekinalp.
I also liked the performances by Virginia Pandolfi & Edwin Espinosa and Roxana Suárez & Sebastián Achával.
These documentaries, directed by Gabriel Soria, were produced for the Sólo Tango TV station (now TangoCity) and released between 2000 and 2005. Approximately 55 episodes were made. The list below is very incomplete; I welcome any comments and corrections. I provide links to the episodes available online.
Between 1995 and 1998, the Argentine TV channel Volver screened a series of tango documentaries. The series was directed by Eduardo Berti, and includes valuable testimonies from many great musicians and vocalists, as well as commentary from journalists and collectors. As is often the case with things tango-related, there is very little information available about this production. The list that follows was reconstructed from references found in magazines, newspapers, and other reliable sources. I managed to obtain copies of most episodes, which I have since uploaded to my YouTube channel and which you can watch by clicking on the corresponding links below.
My choice for this week is ‘Si la llegaran a ver’ (Juan D’Arienzo with Héctor Mauré, 1943). I reviewed 11 performances.
My favorite: Stephanie Fresneau & Fausto Carpino.
This is another rare tanda, comprising three great milongas by Julio de Caro (the first two composed by De Caro himself). My original plan was to play this set at El Metejón, a local BA milonga where I’ll be DJing tonight. However, a few days ago I announced on my Facebook wall that I’d play “Milonga de los fortines”, by Orquesta Típica Victor, and then realized I couldn’t really fit two milonga tandas from similar periods and orchestras on the same night. So I’ve decided to play a mixed tanda combining “Milonga de los fortines” with Lomuto’s “Qué tiempo aquel” and De Caro’s “No hay tierra como la mía”. I look forward to seeing how dancers react when I play the full De Caro tanda next time I’m DJing.
(With thanks to Alia, the multi-talented Syrian DJ.)
The tangos that Osvaldo Fresedo recorded with vocalist Héctor Pacheco are almost never played in milongas. And on the sites featuring tanda collections that I sometimes consult, I could find only one Fresedo/Pacheco tanda, by DJ Goran. As Goran notes, these tangos are “Very dreamy and romantic, […] ideal for a dimly lit milonga, near the end of the evening.” The four tangos I chose for this set are especially laconic and contemplative. As I listen to this music, I feel transported to Rendez Vous, the elegant boite in downtown Buenos Aires where Fresedo played regularly throughout the 1950s.
This week we have another Di Sarli tanda, which I played at the Oxford Practica yesterday. A friend remarked that she finds these songs kitsch. I think they are wonderful–especially if danced with someone in a soft, snuggly embrace.
This week’s tanda, featuring Carlos Di Sarli with Alberto Podestá, includes some of the greatest, most moving songs ever recorded in all human history.
My choice for this week is ‘El olivo’ (Juan D’Arienzo with Héctor Mauré, 1941). I reviewed 22 performances.
My favorite: Peninsula & Jinsuk Muchacha.
I also liked the performance by Noelia Hurtado & Carlitos Espinoza.