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Francisco Canaro

Francisco Canaro and his orchestra The figure of Francisco Canaro dominates tango music from 1916 to 1935. Perhaps the most popular tango artist ever, his discography weighs in at over 3700 entries. As a musician Canaro was average but as an artistic director he was accomplished, disciplined and innovative. He knew better than anyone how to read the pulse of the public and this was the key to his popularity and his success - he was phenomenally wealthy, richer than Gardel.

In a way, Canaro had no real style of his own, no musical vision to imprint. But this doesn't detract from his importance to the history of tango music. To give you an idea, here is a little list of Canaro's "firsts":

With the arrival first of D'Arienzo and then Troilo and the golden decade of the fourties, Canaro's importance wanes. We could say that his contribution to tango music ends with the decade of the thirties. His tangos from the twenties are extraordinarily innovative, his milongas from the thirties are full of excitement, but his fourties material - especially the tangos - is left behind by the artists that came after him.

Canaro on CD

Canaro, like other orchestras with a populist bent, recorded many valses and milongas and you'll want some in your collection.

Bailando Tangos, Valses y Milongas

Reliquias 595159

cover artwork With seven valses and six milongas (count them!), this cd outclasses the old favourite EBCD-30 on El Bandoneón and is the cd of choice for beginning a collection of Canaro's music - even if the cover isn't as nice.

normal UK selling price: £10.49
our price: £9

Track list

  1. Retintin
  2. Pampa
  3. Maleva
  4. Quiero verte una vez más
  5. Desde el alma vals
  6. Corazón de oro vals
  7. Tres jolie (muy lindo) vals
  8. Etincelles vals
  9. Milonga de mis amores milonga
  10. Reliquias porteñas milonga
  11. Milonga de antano milonga
  12. Milongón milonga
  13. Pimienta
  14. Sentimiento gaucho
  15. El tigre
  16. Amor y primavera vals
  17. Dolores vals
  18. Aclamación vals
  19. Historia sentimental milonga
  20. Milonga de mis tiempos milonga

Cantan:

Roberto Maida; (1,3-16,26); Ernesto Famá (18-25); Instrumental (2,17)


Poema

Suramusic FR002

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This fabulous cd takes a narrow slice through Canaro's career, presenting only recordings made between March and September of 1935. At this time. Canaro's singer was Roberto Maida. Whilst less well remembered than the singer who followed him in Canaro's orchestra, Ernesto Famá, Maida's tenderness and sensitivity made him a great match for the orchestra on this period, as exmplified in the title track Poema, which appears here for the first time on cd.

Our price: £12

Also check out Canta Roberto Maida vol.2 on Reliquias, not quite as good as this album, but nevertheless a good cd which also contains Poema.

Track list

  1. No hay que hacerse mala sangre
  2. Alma de bandoneón
  3. Cambalache
  4. Ciego
  5. Soledad
  6. Noches de Buenos Aires
  7. Cogote
  8. Sueño de muñeca vals
  9. Poema mp3
  10. Hotel Victoria
  11. De puro guapo
  12. Aunque no lo crean
  13. Casas viejas
  14. Tú y yo vals
  15. La copla porteña
  16. El buey solo

Cantan:

Roberto Maida (1-9,11-15)
Instrumental (10,16)


La Cumparsita - Tango Argentino (26 Original Mono Recordings 1935-1940)

Living Era 5456

Another stunning album of Canaro recordings from the late 1930s, most featuring Roberto Maida, about whom we've raved above.

The tracks mostly appear in strict chronological order, except for the opening and closing track.

In this cd we can also hear some of Canaro's experimentation with new rhythms: the irresistible tangón of the opening track - something between a milonga and a tango in feeling - which he reworks in El porteño.

Our price: £15 deleted - unobtainable at present

Track list

  1. Tangón nuevo danza
  2. La cumparsita
  3. Ojos negros
  4. Noches de Buenos Aires
  5. Casas viejas
  6. La copla porteña
  7. Horizontes
  8. Donde
  9. Yo también soñé
  10. Las doce menos cinco
  11. Envidia
  12. Como te quiero
  13. El porteño nuevo tangón
  14. Milagro
  15. Recuerdos de París
  16. Cuando el corazón
  17. Lorenzo
  18. Tormenta
  19. Vanidad
  20. Lo pasao… pasó
  21. Y no puede ser
  22. Quiero verte una vez más
  23. Al subir… al bajar
  24. Que es lo que tiene la fulana?
  25. Misterio!
  26. Adiós muchachos

Cantan:

Roberto Maida; (1,3-16,26); Ernesto Famá (18-25); Instrumental (2,17)


los grandes orquestas del tango - 40 grandes éxitos

BMT 601

A superb double album of Canaro's early works covering the late 20s and the 1930s. Read more about this cd on the los grandes orquestas catalogue page.

Our price: £18 temporarily out-of-print

Track list

Disc One
  1. A media luz;
  2. Organito de la tarde;
  3. El pañuelito;
  4. La última copa;
  5. Milonga sentimental milonga;
  6. El acomodo;
  7. El chamuyo;
  8. Charamusca;
  9. Hotel Victoria;
  10. Mi noche triste;
  11. Milonguita;
  12. El adiós;
  13. Milonga brava milonga;
  14. La maleva;
  15. No hay tierra como la mía milonga;
  16. El entrerriano;
  17. Felicia;
  18. La morocha;
  19. Don Juan;
  20. Chiqué

Cantan:

Charlo (4); Ernesto Famá - Angel Ramos (5); Roberto Maida (11,12,13); Ernesto Famá (15); Ada Falcón (18)

Disc Two
  1. Nueve de julio;
  2. Pájaro azul;
  3. La tablada;
  4. Nobleza de arrabal;
  5. El gavilan;
  6. La guitarrita;
  7. Alma de bohemio;
  8. Sentimiento gaucho;
  9. El pollito;
  10. Inspiración;
  11. Halcon negro;
  12. Ahí va el dulce;
  13. La cumparsita;
  14. Desde el alma vals;
  15. Milonga de mis amores milonga;
  16. Pampa;
  17. Retintin;
  18. Reliquias porteñas milonga;
  19. Lorenzo;
  20. Re fa si

Quinteto Pirincho

cover artwork In 1937, in parallel with the activities of his orchestra, Canaro started a studio group dedicated to the guardia vieja. This group was the Quinteto Don Pancho, which from mid 1940 was known as the Quinteto Pirincho.

There are five cds of the Quinteto Pirincho on Reliquias (four under tha name, and one as Quinteto Don Pancho), as well as a milonga cd shared with Roberto Firpo, Las milongas más milonga. You could do a lot worse than collect them all but if you want only one I still advise you to get EBCD-03 on El Bandoneón.

I love Canaro - give me more!

For nice cds of Canaro's fourties output listen to the CDs with Roberto Maida and Ernesto Famá - they're on the list below

Give me everything

I advise against collecting Canaro's fourties output wholesale - but don't let me stop you! There are now fifteen Canaro CDs altogether on Reliquias. Definitely get the ones with Famá and Maida. Some of the others are good too:

Where next...

© Michael Lavocah / milonga.co.uk 2000-2010