San Diego Decir Tango playlist, September 2018

Many thanks to the amazing Patricia Becker for inviting me to DJ at Practica Tinto Chocolate in San Diego! So great to meet So Ca friends again! It's not even two hours of music, but a wonderful memory...
01. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos y Lita Morales "Sinsabor" 1939 2:53
02. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales, Romeo Gavioli "Yo Te Amo" 1940 2:50
03. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos, Lita Morales, Romeo Gavioli "Triqui trá" 1940 2:34
04. Gilda  "No Me Arrepiento de Éste Amor cortina long"  0:40
05. Juan  D'Arienzo - Instrumental "El Internado" 1938 2:31
06. Juan  D'Arienzo - Instrumental "Ataniche" , 1936 2:32
07. Juan  D'Arienzo - Instrumental "El Cencerro" 1937 2:40
08. Tatyana Kabanova  "Mama, ya zhulika lyublyu cortina"  0:21
09. Carlos Di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Pena Mulata" 1841 2:27
10. Carlos Di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "La Mulateada" 1941 2:22

Podesta with Alex Krebs orchestra!

September is a month to celebrate one of the most-played tango singers, Alberto Podestá. He was born Alejandro Washington Alé in San Juan on September 22, 1924 and lived to the age of 91 - even touring the US in his late 80s and famously performing with Alex Krebs's tango band in Baltimore! Given that Alberto Podestá started singing on stage at the age of 13, earning himself a nickname "Gardelito", after his father died and his family was left destitute, it means over 75 years on stage! By the age 15, of Alberto Podestá already moved to Buenos Aires to sing there, and at 16, recorded his first ageless hits with Miguel Caló, such as vals "Bajo un cielo de estrellas" (still under a different stage name - it was Carlos Di Sarli who gave him the now-famous scenic name of Alberto Podestá the following year). The milonga "Entre pitada y pitada" ("Between one whiff and another") was their first recording, said to have been commissioned as a jingle for a tobacco company:
11. Carlos Di Sarli - Alberto Podestá "Entre pitada y pitada" 1942 2:32
12. Los Iracundos  "Puerto Montt rock" 1971 0:27
I just featured Jorge Ortiz, born on September 18, 1912, in three tandas the night before. There is only time for two tonight, showcasing the singer short but very productive stint with Calo, and long collaboration with Biagi.
13. Miguel Calo - Jorge Ortiz  "A las siete en el cafe" 1943 3:07
14. Miguel Calo - Jorge Ortiz  "Barrio De Tango" 1943 3:06
15. Miguel Calo - Jorge Ortiz "Pa'que seguir" 1943 2:13
16. Soda Stereo  "Corazon elator"  0:28
17. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Todo te nombra" 1940 3:33
18. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Carrillón De La Merced" 1941 2:31
19. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz  "Quiero Verte Una Vez Más" 1940 2:58
20. Gilda  "No Me Arrepiento de Éste Amor cortina long"  0:40

OTV in the 1920s

Adolfo Carabelli, an incredibly talented and very underappreciated jazz and tango musician, has been born almost exactly 125 years ago to date; I only had a chance to plane a lone track of his the previous tonight, but will make up for it tonight with two full tandas. Carabelli formally trained as a composer in Europe; having returned home for a summer break in 1914, he ended up stuck in Argentina due to WWI. By the early 1920s, he's built himself a name in jazz - and then Victor Argentina gave him a job of the musical director, which put Carabelli in charge of tango programming and Victor's house bound, the famous OTV, Orquesta Típica Victor. The OTV's talent pool and the zeal to innovate were just amazing; many musicians from Carabelli's jazz band took part, and soon, the band also started recording tangos under the name of Orquesta Típica Carabelli. But then, buoyed by Carabelli's achievements, Victor made a business decision to organize a whole array of house tango orchestras, undercutting the success of its flagship OTV on the radio. Just as importantly, the OTV musicians worked in the studio and slept at night, instead of working the night clubs and the milonga halls. further limiting its appeal to the dancing public. As the D'Arienzo Revolution unfolded in the second half of the 1930s, and as the dance scene of tango exploded again, Carabelli found himself on the sidelines, then lost his orchestra director job just as the Golden Age of Tango of the 1940s came into bloom. He died in oblivion 7 years later. 
21. Orquesta Típica Victor (dir. A. Carabelli) - Lita Morales "Noches de invierno" 1937 2:47
22. Orquesta Típica Víctor (dir. A. Carabelli) - Ángel Vargas "Sin Rumbo Fijo" 1938 2:18
23. Orquesta Típica Victor (dir. A. Carabelli) - Mario Pomar  "Temo" 1940 2:55
24. Soda Stereo  "En la ciudad de furia"  0:24
25. Orquesta Típica Victor (dir. A. Carabelli)  "Nino bien" 1928 2:43
26. Orquesta Típica Victor (dir. A. Carabelli)  "Che, papusa, oi" 1927 2:37
27. Orquesta Típica Victor  (dir. A. Carabelli)  "Coqueta" 1929 2:47
28. Eruption  "One way ticket cortina long"  0:31
Tango historians argue, without ever agreeing, who created the paradigm of the Singer of the Orchestra which defined the vocal tango of the Golden Age, after the earlier orchestras carefully experimented with adding little vocal snippets into tango for dancing (as opposed to tango for listening, where vocal soloists were the norm ever since Gardel sang "Mi niche triste" in 1918). Both Ángel Vargas, in D'Agostino's orchestra, and Francisco Fiorentino, in Troilo's orchestra, demonstrated this equal partnership between the vocalist and the band by 1941. Tonight, we shall celebrate the great "Fiore", born September 23, 1905.
29. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino "Maragata" 1941 2:45
30. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino "El Bulín De La Calle Ayacucho" 1941 2:29
31. Aníbal Troilo - Francisco Fiorentino "Te aconsejo que me olvides" 1941 2:58
32. Tatyana Kabanova  "Mama, ya zhulika lyublyu cortina"  0:21

Alberto Podesta with Laurenz's orchestra at Radio Belgrano
from tangosalbardo blog

Alberto Podestá has the fondest memories of the orchestra of Pedro Láurenz, especially remembering their super-fancy, same-style, same tailor shop suits. The night before, I played their dramatic tango classics. Let's turn to a couple of their excellent milongas tonight!
33. Pedro Láurenz - Alberto Podestá "Yo soy de San Telmo" 1943 2:31
34. Pedro Láurenz - Alberto Podestá "Maldonado" 1943 2:04
35. Pedro Láurenz - Martín Podestá "La Vida Es Una Milonga" 1941 2:25
36. Sandro de America  "Yo Te Amo cortina" 1968 0:23
The Uruguayan band of Donato Racciatti is, alas, better known in Japan than in the West. Their pianist - whose name I don't even know, because Uruguayan tango is so much less studied - is totally awesome. But to me, Racciatti greatest strengths are his own compositions (eagerly picked by the leading orchestras of Buenos Aires),and, especially, his stunning female vocals. A signature example is "Hasta siempre amor", recorded in September 1958. Shall we mark the occasion tonight?

37. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Hasta siempre amor" 1958 2:57
38. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Sus Ojos Se Cerraron" 1956 2:47
39. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Queriendote" 1955 2:49
40. Russian Folk  "Gypsy Girl (cortina)"  0:22
Jorge Maciel was born on September 17 ,1920. It's impossible to pay tribute to him without playing "Remembranzas", a song which first propelled him to fame when he sang it with Gobbi's orchestra in 1948. Yet later, with Pugliese, Maciel outdid himself!
41. Osvaldo Pugliese - Jorge Maciel "Esta Noche De Luna" 1955 3:45
42. Osvaldo Pugliese - Jorge Maciel "Cascabelito" 1955 2:41
43. Osvaldo Pugliese - Jorge Maciel "Remembranzas" 1956 3:41
44. Los Naufragos  "Zapatos Rotos rock"  0:34

Salamanca and his orchestra - Todotango photo

I already featured Salamanca, one of tango's most talented pianists and arrangers, who unfortunately left us too few records because of political blacklisting, in the previous post. Please read it. The guy was really amazing ... directed his first tango band at 14 and continued into his 70s ... 17 years with the King of the Beat, 380 D'Arienzo recordings featuring Salamanco on the piano!... One thing I may have to add is how masterfully Salamanca captured the new technical possibilities of the improving recording technology in the mid-1950s, adding signature flowing, higher-pitch sound of the violin into the arrangement. A truly unique tonal and emotional treasure.
45. Fulvio Salamanca - Armando Guerrico "Adios Corazon" 1957 2:40
46. Fulvio Salamanca - Armando Guerrico "Todo Es Amor" 1958 2:47
47. Fulvio Salamanca - Armando Guerrico "Bombomcito" 1958 3:22
48. Juan D Arienzo "La cumparsita" 1955 4:03

Milonga Sin Nombre del Muertos playlist, October 2016

Halloween tango parties aren't quite the usual milongas. Its music better be playful and a touch weird. This time we decided to split Halloween milonga DJing in halves, with Sergey starting out with Di Sarli-Rufino, Demare-Beron, Laurenz, 2 Fresedo tandas (including one with Ruiz, superbly bracketed by Buscandonte and Mi Gitana), and a refreshing selection of alternatives. I jumped in after a vals tanda mid-way through the night, and made a more or less careful effort to avoid these themes and sounds.

01. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Recuerdos De Paris" 1937 3:12

02. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Envidia" 1936 3:18

03. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Nada mas" 1938 3:00

04. Ricardo Tanturi - Instrumental "Comparsa Criolla" 1942 2:50

05. Ricardo Tanturi - Instrumental  "Argañaraz" 1940 2:21

06. Ricardo Tanturi - Instrumental  "Una Noche De Garufa" 1941 2:30

07. Cuarteto Almagro "Cosmotango (cortina 2)" 2003 0:18

08. Enrique Rodriquez - Armando Moreno  "Se va el tren" 1942 3:11

09. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "Maruska" 1943 2:07

10. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "Contando las estrellas" 1942 2:23

11. Alla Pugacheva  "Winter Night (Svecha gorela) cortina"  0:19

12. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Nada"  2:45

13. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podesta "Nido Gaucho"  3:22

14. Carlos Di Sarli Alberto Podestá "Lloran Las Campanas"  2:58

15. AR Rahman  "Ringa Ringa cortina long 3"  0:29

16. Sting "Until" 2001 3:09

17. 17 Hippies "Gelb Zwo Drei" 2002 2:33

18. Klezmatics "Di Krenitse (milonga cut)" 2003 3:39

19. The Beatles "All you Need is Love cortina" 0:19

20. Rodolfo Biagi - Hugo Duval  "Solamente Dios y yo" 1958 2:30

21. Rodolfo Biagi - Hugo Duval  "Alguien" 1956 3:14

22. Rodolfo Biagi - Hugo Duval  "Esperame en el cielo" 1958 2:52

23. Carmen Piculeata  "Egy kis cigainy dal" 0:29

24. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos "El Adios" 1938 3:09

25. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales,  Horacio Lagos y Romeo Gavio "Sinfonia de Arrabal" 1940 3:07

26. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos y Lita Morales "Carnaval De Mi Barrio" 1939 2:25

27. The Blues Brothers  "Theme From Rawhide 3" 1980 0:20

28. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Largas las Penas" 2011 3:02

29. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Ella Es Asi" 2011 2:32

30. The Alex Krebs Tango Sextet  "Negrito" 2011 1:53

Angel Vargas sings and Angel D'Agostina dances!
(from Jose Mario Otero's tangoblog)

31. Elleen Burhum  "Interlude long slow cortina" 2006 0:41

Continuing with the October birthdays of the tango's greats. Ángel Vargas, born October 22 1904, is one of the Argentina's most beloved tango singers. Together with Fiorentino, Vargas set the highest standard for the orchestra singer of the Golden Age of tango. Born to a poor working-class family, young "Angelito" worked as a machine operator at a giant meat-packing factory "La Negra" at the docks of Riachuelo, and occasionally entertained his fellow workers with singing. Already in his 20s, he tried a new career track, singing at a cabaret, but the Great Depression struck, and going was hard. To stay afloat, Ángel Vargas sang with different outfits. This included his first stint with the orchestra of D'Agostino, his future long-time employer, in 1932, but they left no recordings. Vargas finally recorded his first great hits with Orchestra Tipica Victor in 1938 - and then, in November 1940, came the first of his almost 100 records with the orchestra of Ángel D'Agostino. Their work together had a truly seminal influence on the tango universe of the 1940s, showing the way of perfectly seamless integration of voice into the tango music for dancing which continues to inspire us to this day.

32. Angel D'Agostino - Angel Vargas, glosas: Julian Centeya "Cafe Dominguez" 1955 2:58

33. Angel D'Agostino - Angel Vargas "No Vendrá" 1945 2:30

34. Angel D'Agostino - Angel Vargas "Ahora no me conoces" 1940 2:34

35. Jennifer Gasoi  "Happy happy me (cortina 1)" 2012 0:21

Donato Racciatti's birthday is also in October. He was born in a hillside village in the Italian region of Abruzzo on October 18, 1918. After immigrating to Uruguay, Racciatti became a professional bandoneon player by the age of 20, and convened his own orchestra when he was 30. His compositions were eagerly picked by the leading Buenos Aires bands, from Di Sarli to De Angelis, But Donato Racciatti's own great records, all made in Uruguay, remain underappreciated in the world of Argentine tango. For more bio details, please look at our October 2014 commemorative flyer!

36. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Hasta siempre amor" 1958 2:57

37. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Sus Ojos Se Cerraron" 1956 2:47

38. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Queriendote" 1955 2:49

39. Carrapicho  "Tic Tic Tac cortina 2" 2007 0:18

40. Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar  "Damisela encantadora (vals)" 1936 2:58

41. Francisco Lomuto - Instrumental  "Noche de ronda (vals)" 1937 2:34

42. Francisco Lomuto - Fernando Díaz, Mercedes Simone  "Lo que vieron mis ojos" 1933 2:22

43. Kisty Hawkshaw  "It's gonna be a fine night cortina long"  0:34

44. Hector Varela - Rodolfo Lesica "Y todavia te quiero" 1956 3:06

45. Hector Varela - Rodolfo Lesica "El destino la llevo" 1959 3:01

46. Hector Varela - Argentino Ledesma "Fueron tres años" 1956 3:26

47. A.R. Rahman "Ringa Ringa cortina long" 2008 0:32

48. Alacran  "Reflejo De Luna" 2010 3:44

49. Haris Alexiou  "To Tango Tis Nefelis" 1998 4:07

50. Souad Massi  "Ghir Enta" 2008 5:06

51. Maya Kristalinskaya  "Nezhnost (Tenderness)"  0:17

52. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Corrientes y Esmeralda" 1944 2:46

53. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Farol" 1943 3:22

54. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:49

55. Juan D Arienzo - Instrumental "La Cumparsita" 1955 3:44

Milonga Nuestra Playlist, October 2015

Pedro Laurenz (1902-1972)
Wikipedia photo

I tried featuring three great orchestra leaders who were born in the month of October - Pedro Laurenz (Oct 10, 1902), Miguel Calo (Oct 28, 1907), and Donato Racciatti (Oct 18, 1918). Last year we already had a flyer celebrating Calo and Racciatti. The music of Pedro Laurenz may be even more important to my playlist-building than even Calo's, because it covers so much stylistic ground and so many epochs of tango history. Laurenz learned to play bandoneon in Uruguay as a teenager, and his first stint playing tango was in Montevideo together with another future superstar, violinist Edgardo Donato. Several years after returning to Buenos Aires, Pedro Laurenz was hired to Julio de Caro's revolutionary new orchestra, together with an unsurpassed genius of bandoneon, Pedro Maffia. These guys contributed an unbelievable lot to the complexity, beauty, and spirit of the tango music. The two Pedros also recorded a number of duet pieces - in fact the very first Argentinian disk of the Victor label featured Pedro Maffia and Pedro Laurenz. Laurenz established himself as a great composer and arranger, often in close collaboration with Maffia and De Caro. In 1937 Laurenz convened his own orchestra, which recorded on and off until 1953. As the things got tough for tango orchestras, Pedro Laurenz remained faithful to the tango, collaborating with Salgan in the original Quinteto Real with its 3 tours of Japan and then briefly assembling his own quintet to remix an album of his compositions in 1966, entitled "Pedro Laurenz interprets Pedro Laurenz".

01. Osvaldo Fresedo - Instrumental  "Pimienta" 1939 2:52
02. Osvaldo Fresedo - Instrumental  "Derecho viejo" 1941 2:31
03. Osvaldo Fresedo - Instrumental  "Arrabalero" 1939 2:32
04. "Nature doesn't have bad weather"  0:24
05. Juan D'Arienzo "Don Juan" 1936 2:28
06. Juan D'Arienzo "Ataniche" 1936 2:32
07. Juan D'Arienzo "El Flete" 1936 2:56
08. Carrapicho  "Tic Tic Tac cortina 2" 2007 0:18
Calo's vals super-hits
09. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron "El Vals Sonador" 1942 3:29
10. Miguel Calo - Alberto Podesta  "Bajo un cielo de estrellas (vals)" 1941 2:37
11. Miguel Calo - Alberto Podesta  "Pedacito de cielo (vals)" 1942 2:21
12. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 1992 0:27
13. Carlos di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Cascabelito" 1941 2:34
14. Carlos di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Canta pajarito" 1943 3:16
15. Carlos di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Tristeza Marina" 1943 3:05
16.  "Nature doesn't have bad weather"  0:24
Earlier-period, dynamic tangos of Laurenz
17. Pedro Laurenz - Martin Podesta  "Al verla pasar" 1942 3:23
18. Pedro Laurenz - Juan Carlos Casas "Vieja amiga" 1938 3:13
19. Pedro Laurenz - Juan Carlos Casas "No me extrana" 1940 2:44
20. The Blues Brothers "Theme From Rawhide 3" 1980 0:20
Last October, I played Calo's super-hit candombe-milonga, "Azabache", in a mixed-orchestra tanda. I still find it counterproductive to mix together (so stylistically dissimilar) milonga pieces of Calo, so here we go with a mixed orchestra tanda again, this time featuring Calo's best classic milonga.
21. Miguel Villasboas "La Milonga Que Hacia Falta" 1961 2:18
22. Julio De Caro - Luis Diaz "Saca Chispas"1938 2:30
23. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron  "Milonga que peina canas" 1942 2:22
24. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 1992 0:27
25. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales y Horacio Lagos "Carnaval De Mi Barrio"  2:23
26. Edgardo Donato - Horacio Lagos  "Lagrimas" 1939 2:50
27. Edgardo Donato - Lita Morales, Horacio Lagos, Romeo Gavioli "Sinfonia De Arrabal"  3:09
28. "Nature doesn't have bad weather"  0:24
Beron or Podesta? Which of the two great voices rings the best in Calo's tangos?
29. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron "Jamás Retornarás" 1942 2:28
30. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron "Corazón, no le hagas caso!" 1942 2:57
31. Miguel Calo - Raul Beron  "Que te importa que te llore" 1942 2:44
32. Carrapicho  "Tic Tic Tac cortina 2" 2007, 2007 0:18
I used to say that "Mendocina" and "Mascarita" are so overplayed that these great Laurenz valses might as well be avoided ... but the winds of fashion must have shifted, and I don't hear them nearly as often now:
33. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podesta  "Paisaje" 1943 2:53
34. Pedro Laurenz - Carlos Bermudez y Jorge Linares "Mendocina" 1944 2:33
35. Pedro Laurenz - Juan Carlos Casas "Mascarita" 1940 2:53
36. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 1992, 1992 0:27
37. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Recuerdo de bohemia" 1935 2:36
38. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23
39. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Sollosos" 1937 3:27
A rock cortina marks transition to a 3-tanda alternative block
40. Victor Tsoy  "Blood type (cortina)"  0:36
41. Haris Alexiou "To Tango Tis Nefelis" 1998 4:07
42. Jem  "Come On Closer" 2004 3:47
43. 5Nizza "Soldat" 2003 3:13
44. Zhanna Aguzarova "Cats" 1987 0:21
45. Otros Aires  "Milonga Sentimental" 2005 3:57
46. Otros Aires  "Rotos en el Raval" 2005 3:53
47. Otros Aires dos  "Los Vino"  2:41
48. Canaro - Hugo del Carril  "Marcha Peronista cortina"  0:16
49. Carlos Libedinsky "Otra luna" 2002 3:43
50. Shigeru Umebayashi "In The Mood For Love" 2001 2:29
51. Jean-Marc Zelwer  "La Rêve De La Fiancée" 1990 4:59
52. Carmen Piculeata  "Variation Corelli" 2013 0:28
The dramatic highlights of the mature period of Laurenz's orchestra:
53. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podesta "Garua" 1943 3:09
54. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podesta "Recien" 1943 2:43
55. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podesta "Todo" 1943 2:37
56. Carrapicho  "Tic Tic Tac cortina 1" 2007 0:17
Lomuto's rarely played valses have an unforgettable texture, and the Cuban-themed "Damisela encantadora" stands out especially strongly with its streaks of habanera beat. So Hans told me that I must have played this tanda before - and in fact I did in Missoula MT in May
57. Francisco Lomuto - Jorge Omar  "Damisela encantadora (vals)" 1936 2:58
58. Francisco Lomuto - Instrumental  "Noche de ronda (vals)" 1937 2:34
59. Francisco Lomuto - Fernando Díaz, Mercedes Simone  "Lo que vieron mis ojos" 1933 2:22
60. Zhanna Aguzarova "Old Hotel" 1987 0:22
Complex, rich, and danceable, the Quinteto Laurenz instrumentals may have been too much for the predominant skill level of the studio students - but there're so few of them now, and a few experienced leads and follows there too. The DJ's aim is to satisfy most of the audience, statistically speaking, but with so few people, the statistical turns into personal, and I'm getting queasy. Worse, I realize with a heightened clarity that the biggest reason why I organize, blog, and DJ may be selfish - simply to score more good dances for myself. That I might never get a kick just from helping to put together a good event - if I can't dance my fill there. So a deenergized milonga and my achy feet gradually make me feel dejected and tangicidal, and the quandary of choosing the strongest closing tandas just doesn't help. Will there be life after tango?
61. Quinteto Pedro Laurenz - Instrumental  "Orgullo Criollo" 1966 2:48
62. Quinteto Pedro Laurenz - Instrumental  "De puro guapo" 1966 2:48
63. Quinteto Pedro Laurenz - Instrumental  "Mal de amores" 1966 3:16
64. Zhanna Aguzarova "Old Hotel" 1987 0:22
Lone Racciatti tanda of the night
65. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Hasta siempre amor" 1958 2:57
66. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Sus Ojos Se Cerraron" 1956 2:47
67. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Queriéndote" 1955 2:49
68. Zhanna Aguzarova "Old Hotel" 1987 0:22
69. Osváldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1943 2:48
70. Osváldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Corrientes Y Esmeralda" 1944 2:49
71. Osvaldo Pugliese - Jorge Maciel "Remembranza" 1956 3:41
.... and we travel full 40 years back in time, fro 1966 to 1926, for the Cumparsita, interpreted by the duo of the greatest bandoneonists just as they were launching the musical revolution together with De Caro.
72. Pedro Láurenz - Pedro Maffia  "La cumparsita" 1926 3:01
73. Mecano  "Hijo De La Luna"  4:29
74. Goran Bregovic  "This Is A Film (feat. Iggy Pop)" 2003 4:18
(74 total)

Milonga Sin Nombre "Homenaje a Miguel Caló y Donato Racciatti" playlist

It's great to be back home & to host another milonga in the beautiful Old North Church! 

This time, the special empanada flavor was banana - Maui lilikoi, and the special cortina flavor, the Hawaiian steel guitar of the late 20s - early 30s.

For bios of Miguel Caló y Donato Racciatti and my thoughts about their role in tango's history, please check the milonga flyer. And now, to the playlist:

01. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Marejada" 1941 2:32

02. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "Don Juan" 1941 2:34

03. Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental  "El recodo" 1941 2:20

04. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

05. Juan D'Arienzo - Héctor Mauré "Dime mi amor" 1941 2:40

06. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Qué importa" 1939 2:10

07. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Nada más" 1938 2:43

08. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

I love Biagi's valses, but among them ""Dejame Amarte Aunque Sea un Dia" holds a special place in my memory, reminding me of a rainy evening in Prague and a milonga in a beautiful Art Nouveau pavillion perched high on a hillside overlooking the city, amid vineyards

09. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás  "El ultimo adios (vals)" 1940 2:09

10. Rodolfo Biagi - Alberto Amor  "Paloma (vals)" 1945 2:29

11. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "Dejame Amarte Aunque Sea un Dia (vals)" 1939 2:55

12. "Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

Many orchestras played "Ninguna", but D'Agostino's is the dearest for me. There is strange personal touch there - as a genetic genealogist, I've got to know Ninguna's magnolia-skinned girl's real-life parallel. She was in her 70s then, and her birth name, 木蘭, a Chinese voice-over of Russian Юля (Yulya ~~ Julia), meant "magnolia flower", the name which also denoted the color of her skin she inherited from her mother. She was looking, in vain, for her untold past, for the families of the parents from the faraway Harbin she never knew after having been adopted by American missionaries, and I wondered if this song of the lady whose skin was like magnolia lit by moonlight, and of the gentle rain of tears of the eternity crying for the past which has gone forever, might give her any consolation.

13. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas"No Vendrá" 1945 2:30

14. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "A quién le puede importar?" 1945 3:11

15. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas  "Ninguna" 1942 2:57

16. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

Beautifully archaic sound of di Sarli's sextet!

17. Sexteto Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental "Racing Club" 1930 2:34

18. Sexteto Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental "T.B.C." 1928 3:02

19. Sexteto Carlos di Sarli - Instrumental "Pobre yo" 1929 2:12

20. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

I picked this set of classic instrumental milongas for the first of my three Racciatti tandas for the night, to try to cover all genres. But in the end, after dancing to it, I wasn't super impressed. Better to rely on Racciatti's vocal recordings, especially the tangos he composed himself!

21. Donato Racciatti  "La Puñalada" 1:45

22. Donato Racciatti  "Silueta Porteña" 1:35

23. Donato Racciatti  "El Porteñito" 2:47

24."Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

Can there be a night of tango without Caló with the voice of Raúl Berón?

25. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Al Compas Del Corazon" 1942 2:48

26. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Que te importa que te llore" 1942 2:44

27. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón "Jamas Retornaras" 1942 2:31

28. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

29. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "El encopao" 1942 2:34

30. Enrique Rodríguez - Armando Moreno "Como has cambiado pebeta" 1942 2:37

31. Enrique Rodríguez - Armando Moreno "Yo no se porque razon" 1942 2:43

32. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

Vals super-hits:

33. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "El vals soñador" 1942 3:32

34. Miguel Caló - Alberto Podestá  "Bajo un cielo de estrellas (vals)" 1941 2:37

35. Miguel Caló - Alberto Podestá  "Pedacito de cielo (vals)" 1942 2:21

36. "Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

"Hasta siempre amor" is definitely the highlight of this vintage Uruguayan tanda, but I really love all three:

37. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Queriéndote" 1955 2:49

38. Donato Racciatti - Felix Romero "Te burlas tristeza"  2:46

39. Donato Racciatti - Olga Delgrossi "Hasta siempre amor" 1958 2:57

40. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

This tanda of Caló's classics tangos includes one great track of his "reborn" Orchestra of Stars in the 1960s:

41. Miguel Caló - Alberto Podestá  "Yo soy el tango" 1941 2:46

42. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón "La abandone y no sabia" 1944 2:50

43. Miguel Caló - Alberto Podestá  "Que falta que me haces" 1963 3:16

44. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

Aces of Candombe tanda v.2! (compare with the version from May) - here we have Caló's only milonga for the night, and to cap the tanda, another unsurpassed Uruguayan piece, Gavioli's "Tamboriles". I already mentioned Romeo Gavioli's short and tragic life on this blog when writing about an "erased page of tango history", the untold tale of Lita Morales. Romeo Gavioli is best remembered for his singing, alongside with Lita Morales and Horacio Lagos, for Edgardo Donato's orchestra. But Gavioli was also a talented violinist and composer. After Edgardo Donato's orchestra (which drew many talents from Uruguay to Buenos Aires) fell apart, Gavioli returned to Montevideo and, in 1943, organized his own orchestra, renowned for its candombes, full of Uruguayan spirit. 

45. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "El tucu-tun" 1943 2:34

46. Miguel Caló - Raúl Berón  "Azabache" 1942 3:05

47. Romeo Gavioli "Tamboriles" 1956 2:56

48. "Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

Nina Miranda was the legendary voice which first launched Donato Racciatti's orchestra into fame. I recently wrote about her amazing life story here.

49. Donato Racciatti - Instrumental "La Viruta" 1972 2:30

50. Donato Racciatti - Nina Miranda "Tu corazón" 1960 2:32

51. Donato Racciatti - Nina Miranda "Gloria" 1952 2:47

52. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

Biagi's rhythmic goodness distilled.

53. Rodolfo Biagi - Jorge Ortiz "Humillación" 1941 2:42

54. Rodolfo Biagi - Teófilo Ibáñez "Gólgota" 1938 2:32

55. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "La chacarera" 1940 2:24

56. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

The name of Orquesta Típica Los Provincianos sounds like a snide kind of a reference to the world of Buenos Aires tango orchestras, in a classic Argentine divide between the provincials and the capital-city dwellers, the Provincianos vs. Porteños. Orquesta Típica Los Provincianos in the early 1930s was christened, and led, by Ciriaco Ortiz, a bandoneonist genius from the city of Córdoba, also famous for his sense of humor. The Provincianos left few records, but their valses are quite remarkable.

Orquesta Tipica Los Provincianos

57. Los Provincianos, Luis Diaz  "A Tu Memoria, Madrecita" 1934 2:45

58. Los Provincianos, Carlos Lafuente  "Un Placer (vals)" 1933 2:34

59. Los Provincianos, Alberto Gomez  "Samaritana (vals)" 1932 2:58

60."Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

61. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Siempre es carnaval" 1937 3:27

62. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "En la huella del dolor" 1934 2:48

63. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23

64. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

Less frequently played Caló favorites:

65. Miguel Caló - Jorge Ortiz  "Pa'que seguir" 1943 2:13

66. Miguel Caló - Jorge Ortiz  "De barro" 1943 3:10

67. Miguel Calo - Jorge Ortiz  "A las siete en el cafe" 1943 3:03

68. "Palolo - Charlie Wilson" 0:27

All-time fav milongas:

69. Carlos Di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Yo Soy De San Telmo" 1943 2:20

70. Carlos Di Sarli - Alberto Podestá "Entre Pitada Y Pitada" 1942 2:33

71. Carlos Di Sarli - Roberto Rufino "Pena Mulata" 1941 2:27

72. "Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

73. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "En la buena y en la mala" 1940 2:26

74. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "Danza Maligna" 1940 2:37

75. Enrique Rodriguez - Armando Moreno "Llorar por una mujer" 1941 2:47

76. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

and we are getting into a dramatic homestretch of the final 3 crescendo tandas...

77. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podestá "Todo" 1943 2:37

78. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podestá "Garua" 1943 3:09

79. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podestá "Recien" 1943 2:43

80. "Na Pua O Hawaii - George Ku Trio" 0:22

The final track of the penultimate tanda was my recent surprise discovery. I already wrote about "Dark Eyes", the classic Russian Gypsy romance, and its influences in Russian and Argentine tango, and a little bit about composer Oscar Strok, the "King of Russian Tango", and Petr Leschenko, his most famous vocalist. Well, it turns that Strok-Leschenko's "Dark Eyes" actually made it all the way to Buenos Aires, where the orchestra of Florindo Sassone recorded a stunning interpretation of this 1920's Russian tango classic:

81. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental "Mi dolor" 1957 2:51

82. Alfredo De Angelis - Instrumental "Felicia 1969" 2:48

83. Florindo Sassone - Instrumental "Ojos Negros (Oscar Strok)" 1968 2:28

84. "Lady Be Good - Sol Hoopii Trio" 0:23

85. Osváldo Pugliese - Jorge Maciel "Remembranzas" 1956 3:41

86. Osváldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel "Rondando Tu Esquina" 1945 2:48

87. Osváldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel  "Farol" 1943 3:22

88. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental "La cumparsita" 1951 3:49

89. Damour Vocal Band  "Sway"  3:49

(89 total)

Let's celebrate Miguel Caló and Donato Racciatti!

-A Milonga Sin Nombre flyer -

October is the birthday month of Tango orchestra leaders Miguel Caló and Donato Racciatti! 

Miguel Caló 

28 Oct 1907 – 24 May 1972

A bandoneonist and an orchestra director, Miguel Caló started his music career with Fresedo's orchestra at the age of 17, and convened his first tango orchestra in 1928. During the Golden Age, Caló's orchestra was blessed with the amazing voices of  Raúl Berón, Alberto Podestá and Raúl Iriarte, and spectacular piano play by Osmar Maderna and Miguel Nijensohn. The early 1940s were the undisputed pinnacle years of Caló's tango. Miguel Caló composed such signature tango pieces as  "Jamás retornarás" and "Qué te importa que te llore", both recorded in 1942. And in the Dark Age of tango during the 1960s, he reunited the talents who played and sang with him in the past into "Orquesta de las Estrellas"

Donato Racciatti

18 Oct 1918 - 27 May 2000

The most famous Uruguayan tango orchestra leader, composer, and bandoneon player, Donato Racciatti was an immigrant from Italy and a late comer to the tango world. His orchestra has been formed only in 1948, and sustained itself primarily by touring small-town Uruguay and Brazil. It burst to continental fame after 1953 with the voices of amazing female singers, Nina Miranda (singing in this picture, with Racciatti on bando to the right) and Olga Delgrossi. Their signature pieces,  "Tu corazón", "Queriéndote", and "Hasta siempre amor", were all composed by Racciatti himself. Uruguayan public remained highly appreciative of Donato Racciatti's talent through the years which were marked by the loss of tango culture in the nearby Argentina, and he played and inspired until his death at the age of 81.

Practica Del Centro Playlist, 4/21/2014

Totally squeezed for time, between a major spring cleanup / kids moving in after the semester and a Canada trip. But I still found an hour to try different tunes, measure them up, roll them together, & it was fun!
01. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Nada más" 2:43
02. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "No mientas" 1938 2:39
03. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "Qué importa" 1939 2:10
I suspect that I played far too little D'Agostino lately :)
04. Ángel D'Agostino - Ángel Vargas "A Quién Le Puede Importar" 3:14
05. Ángel D'Agostino  - Ángel Vargas "El Yacaré" 3:09
06. Ángel D'Agostino  - Ángel Vargas "Adiós Arrabal" 3:10
"Tangon" was supposed to be a new all-rage genre of 1935, when the grand orchestras were locked in fierce competition for novelty, and Sebastian Piana's original reborn slow milonga, then fast milonga, and then milonga candombeanda all already debuted. But the new would-be hit rhythmic trend fizzled with just this one track, and Canaro moved on. "Tangon" remained one of tango's one-of-a-kind, hard-to-match unusuals.
07. Francisco Canaro  - Roberto Maida "Milonga Brava" 2:35
08. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Milonga criolla" 1936 3:05
09. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Tangon" 1935 3:17
Can't have enough Rodriguez!
10. Enrique Rodríguez "Como has cambiado pebeta" 2:37
11. Enrique Rodriguez "En la buena y en la mala" 1940 2:26
12. Enrique Rodriguez "Danza Maligna" 1940 2:27
"Gitana Rusa", a self-described "Tango Europeo" originally composed by Saul Zhadan, a Jewish fiddler in Ukraine just before his death in the Holocaust, is another hard-to-match unique sound of Argentine tango, and I don't think I did good service to it by combining it with two different-quality Malerba records...
13. Ricardo Malerba -"Embrujamiento"  2:52
14. Ricardo Malerba - Antonio Maida "Encuentro" 2:20
15. Ricardo Malerba & Garcia "Gitana Rusa" 2:47
The 2nd of the three D'Arienzo's valses may have been a hasty choice here...
16. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "Corazon de artista (2) vals" 1936 2:22
17. Juan D'Arienzo - Alberto Echagüe  "En tu corazon (2) vals" 1938 2:46
18. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "Pabellon de las rosas" 1935 2:50
We were talking with a friend in Ukraine about Uruguayan tango music, a topic precipitated by my quest for Lita Morales biography (see below), and I mentioned Nina Miranda (the most famous female voice of Uruguay of her time, who sang with tango orchestras of Racciatti and Pellejero). In fact I just pointed my own attention to Donato Racciatti and Nina Miranda for the first time a couple months ago, when my much-loved teachers from Tokyo, Akiyoshi and Noriko, performed to "Tu corazón" at a festival in Honolulu. Racciatti almost missed the Golden Age of tango; an Italian immigrant to Uruguay, he put together his orchestra in 1948, but didn't really reach fame until the mid-1950s. The success came to Raciatti with the amazing voices of his two female singers, Nina Miranda and later on, Olga Delgrossi.
19. Donato Racciatti - Nina Miranda "Tu corazón" 2:32
20. Donato Racciatti - Nina Miranda "Gloria" 1952 2:47
21. Donato Racciatti - Nina Miranda "Sin estrellas" 1953 2:46
So many amazing records Laurenz records, so little time in the playlist!
22. Pedro Laurenz - Alberto Podesta  "Todo" 1943 2:37
23. Pedro Láurenz - Instrumental  "Amurado" 1952 2:58
24. Pedro Laurenz - Juan Carlos Casas  "Al Verla Pasar"  3:23
An admission to make: I always think of "Ella Es Asi", "That's the Way She Is", as a song about my beloved dancing half. "A ray of light, a beautiful flower, you're filled with kindness - and candor". But do I have enough Donato materiel to mix this perfect milonga track into a tanda?
25. Edgardo Donato  "Ella Es Asi - milonga" 2:35
26. Edgardo Donato  "La Milonga Que Faltaba" 2:24
27. Edgardo Donato  "El Torito - 1939" 2:19
Could "Así Se Baila El Tango" - sometimes boastful, more often ironic and mildly self-deprecating title meaning "This is how Tango is danced!" -  be a perfect practica track ;) ? Kind of like, "look what I can do ... or can I, really? Let's give it a shot!". 
28. Ricardo Tanturi - Alberto Castillo  "Así Se Baila El Tango"  2:34
29. Ricardo Tanturi  "Que Nunca Me Falte"  2:42
30. Ricardo Tanturi - Enrique Campos "Oigo Tu Voz" 3:07
Only one Fresedo track for the night? Only three songs of sheer sweetness to accentuate the bitters of tango?
31. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Isla de Capri" 1935 3:16
32. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Canto de amor" 1934 3:25
33. Osvaldo Fresedo - Roberto Ray "Vida mia" 1933 3:23
34. Rodolfo Biagi - Alberto Lago  "Amor y vals" 1942 2:48
35. Rodolfo Biagi - Andrés Falgás "El Ultimo Adios (vals)" 2:08
36. Rodolfo Biagi - Teofilo Ibanez  "Viejo porton (vals)" 1938 2:27
Donato, as I already mentioned, is, in a way, an Urugayan musician, although Argentine-born. He and his band were only invited to play in BsAs after years of increasing success in Montevideo, and many of his later BsAs team members came from Uruguay. But Lita Morales? The most captivating female voice of tango, like, ever? The one whose song lyrics were so often first-person that one just won't dare to separate the singer from the character: "I'm this little girl who kept on repeating how life is like a sea with a bright bue boat", "I love you, my heart, I love you for your gift of passion" ... ?

From RCA poster

 Well, we don't know anything about Lita Morales. Not even when or where she was born, or died. Hardly more than a couple faded pictures exist.
Lita Morales briefly sang for OTV in 1937 and then joined Donato with her husband, Horacio Lagos (Stigliani), forming a wonderful duet. In 1939, an Uruguayan violinist and singer Romeo Gavioli joined the ochestra. People suggest that over time, the vocalist trio may have become a triangle, and finally, late in 1942, Edgardo Donato (famed for his absent-mindedness, as if living on the Moon), decided to terminate them all. Soon, the whole world of what has been Donato's orchestra fell apart. The band itself didn't survive much longer, with his pianist brother Osvaldo leaving first, and most of the rest of the musicians leaving to join Osvaldo soon after. Gavioli returned to Uruguay in 1943 and formed his own orchestra, recording some remarkable candombes. But, overcome with depression, he plunged his car into the sea off Montevideo embankment, killing himself at the age of 44. Maruja Pacheco, who wrote tango lyrics specially for Lita, left tango and embraced religion. But what happened to Lita and Horacio is simply unknown. According to a Todotango commenter, they had a son named Daniel Stigliani, and Lita died in about 1994. Discographies tell that she recorded a handful of tangos with Vieri Findazini more than a decade later, in 1955; the voice in those recordings is considerably more coarse but perhaps recognizable. Tango "is" full of sadness, there is no denying that; but how can we tangueros totally consign to oblivion one of tango's  most inspiring voices? It is depressing. Should we listen to her voice, full of sparkling laughter, and try to forget the injustice? I start from one of the happiest tangos ever, Carnaval de Mi Barrio.
37. Edgardo Donato  "Carnaval De Mi Barrio" 2:25
38. Edgardo Donato  "Yo Te Amo (Lita Morales)" 2:50
39. Edgardo Donato "La Melodía Del Corazón" 1940 3:18
40. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida  "Ciego" 1935 2:57
41. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Solo una novia" 1935 3:23
42. Francisco Canaro - Roberto Maida "Condena (S.O.S.)" 1937 2:39
Milongas with abandon!
43. "Orquesta Tipica Victor - Milonga De Los Fortines - Mariano Balcarce" 19372:52
44. Orquesta Tipica Victor  "Cacareando"  2:45
45. "Emilio Pellejero - Mi Vieja Linda - Enalmar De Maria - 1941" 2:26
And finally, for the close, dramatic late De Angelis and of course Pugliese, topped by a couple post-Cumparsita cleanup-and-last-hugs tracks.
46. Alfredo de Angelis - Instrumental  "Mi dolor" 1957 2:51
47. Alfredo De Angelis  "Felicia 1969" 2:48
48. Alfredo De Angelis  "Pavadita 1958" 2:53
49. Osvaldo Pugliese "La Abandone Y No Sabia" 1944 3:12
50. Osváldo Pugliese "Farol" 1943 3:22
51. Osvaldo Pugliese - Roberto Chanel  "Rondando tu esquina" 1945 2:48
52. Juan D'Arienzo - Instrumental  "La cumparsita" 1951 3:49
53.  Goan Bregovic & Kayah "Tabakiera"  4:15
54. Carlos Libedinsky  "Otra Luna" 2006 3:43
(54 total)