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Ricardo Malerba / José García - Grabaciones Olvidades

Reliquias 541701

The infamous lime-green and yellow covers don't get any uglier than this one, a visual impression that stays with you even once you know that the dreary scene depicted is the waterfront in the legendary barrio of La Boca. Maybe it's a plot to stop you buying this cd.

Presented here are two orchestras that are less well known, for reasons of history rather than quality. Perhaps you have heard of José García y sos zorros grises (José García and his grey foxes), who takes the second half of this CD, as there was a commercial release of him from El Bandoneón in 2000. Prior to this, there were 2 cds on private Japanese labels.

José García's orchestra didn't play much outside it's own barrio, and that's why he's not much known today. Something like a cross between Tanturi and Di Sarli, the playing and arrangements are just first class. You may have heard him at some milongas, as he's on the playlist of many of the better DJs, especially in the afternoons.

However of the two orchestras, the one you should be most excited about is the first one, that of Ricardo Malerba. This is an orchestra that has people leaping from their seats in the milongas of Buenos Aires. With his singer Orlando Medina, he develops a sensitivity somewhat akin to D'Agostino/Vargas, which is odd because they sound nothing like each other: Malerba is more like, say, Miguel Caló. What he has in common with D'Agostino is subtlety. It's good to listen to, but fantastic to dance to, and very little played outside Bs.As.

Just get one: it's our top recommendation this month

Track list

Ricardo Malerba (canta: Orlando Medina)

1. Embrujamiento
2. Remembranza
3. Gitana rusa
4. Ninguna
5. Ropa blanca
6. Mi taza de café
7. Pasado florido
8. Tres amigos
9. La piba de los jazmines
10. Sollozos

José García (canta:Alfredo Rojas)

11. Esta noche de luna
12. Tristeza marina
13. Préstame tu pañuelo vals
14. Felicita
15. El once
16. Fea
17. A lo mejor quién te dice
18. Junto a tu corazón
19. Farolito de papel
20. Hula la misteriosa milonga candombe

Francisco Lomuto 1931/1950

EU-17001

Sonorous sounds from the hard-to-describe Francisco Lomuto. In the early 1940s, his repertoire was very similar to Canaro's, but he has a more weighty sound. Then there's that trademark ending, where the the final cadence (bom-bom) goes down rather than up.

Lomuto's was a popular dance orchestra that left as many recordings as D'Arienzo. For his storming versions of the milongas Parque Patricios and No hay tierra como la mía you'll have to wait for volume 2, here, instead, we get the cheerful milongas Que tiempo aquel and a darker version of the milonga-candombe Azabache, whose drums are far removed from the elegance of Miguel Caló's better known interpretation, which feels pretty lightweight by comparison.

Turning to the tangos, the disc presents three versions of Nunca más, Si soy así, which are surely the best on record. You could almost say the same about Mano a mano and Quiero verte una vez más, but in the case of the former, I couldn't refuse the wonderful version of Ciriaco Ortiz, whilst for the latter, Lomuto probably still has the edge over the nostalgia of Rafael Canaro, one of Francisco Canaro's brothers.

What can I say, a great cd from an under-appreciated orchestra.

Track list

1. Nunca más
2. A su memoria vals
3. Intimas
4. La canción del deporte marcha
5. Si soy así
6. Mano a mano
7. Las cuarenta
8. Que tiempo aquel milonga
9. El sol del 25 gato
10. Quiero verte una vez más
11. Bajo un cielo de estrellas milonga
12. Sentimiento gaucho
13. Adiós muchachos
14. Azabache milonga candombe
15. Solamente ella
16. De igual a igual
17. Rendido
18. Muñequita
19. Una pena
20. Tarde

Cantan:

A.H. Acuña (1,2); Fernando Diaz (3,4,5,10,11); Jorge Omar (6,7,8,13,14); Fernando Díaz / Jorge Omar (9); Alberto Rivera (15); Carlos Galarce (16-17); Miguel Montero (18,19)

If you already have this cd, please note that you can't take another Euro Records cd as your club choice. The inclusion of this cd is a special offer applicable only to this cd and only for this month.

Osvaldo Pugliese:Ausencia

EMI 835886

I heard that some of you don't have this cd. How is this possible? If you are one of this so afflicted, read about the cd here. Then order it.

Track list

1. Farol
2. Mala junta
3. Recuerdo
4. Rondando tu esquina
5. Fuimos
6. La yumba
7. Puente Alsina
8. Pasional
9. Chiqué
10. San José De Flores
11. Desvelo
12. Emancipación
13. Antiguo reloj de cobre
14. Cascabelito
15. Remembranzas
16. Nochero soy
17. La mariposa
18. La beba
19. Arrabal
20. Desde el alma vals

Cantan

Roberto Chanel (1,4,5); Jorge Vidal (7); Alberto Morán (8,10,11); Miguel Montero (13); Jorge Maciel (14,15)

Quinteto Pirincho / Roberto Firpo - Las milongas más milongas

Another shared cd, this time ten milongas each from Canaro's Quinteto Pirincho and Roberto Firpo's quartet If you like milonga, you'll love this.

Track list

Quinteto Pirincho

1. La cara de la luna
2. Corralera
3. Arrabalera
4. Se dice de mi
5. Milonga del tiempo heróico
6. Taquito militar
7. La trampera
8. El firulete
9. Negro carbón
10. Orillera

Roberto Firpo

11. Chamberguito de los gauchos
12. La puñalada
13. Organito de suburbio
14. De mi arrabal
15. Milonga orillera
16. Me gusta bailar
17. Vieja milonga
18. Flor de suburbio
19. El llorón
20. El esquinazo