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Tangos de mi ciudad

Tanturi - Castillo

BMG 63357

The combination of Tanturi-Castillo was one of the greatest of the 40s. On this album, the second with Alberto Castillo on Tango Argentino (which includes five Tanturi albums in its catalogue) we can hear their pulsating early hits such as La vida es corta, Pocas palabras and the instrumental Comparsa criolla, which sounds suspiciously like a re-arrangement of Comme Il Faut.

We also get the milongas Mozo Guapo and Mi Morocha, and a sprinkling of valses. First rate transfers throughout: essential stuff.

normal UK selling price: n/a (Argentine import)
our price: £9

Track list

The Masters of Tango - Angel D'Agostino - Café Domínguez

LCDM 2742313

The tango of Los Dos Angeles, Angel D'Agostino and singer Angel Vargas, whilst little played in Europe, is enduringly popular in Argentina. Here is a tango that manages to be both simple and elegant at the same time: musically rich and passionate but also subtle; never ostentatious or pompous. The lyrical voice of Angel Vargas, nicknamed El Ruiseñor (the nightingale) found his perfect foil in the understated arrangements of D'Agostino: theirs was one of the greatest combinations of the 1940s. Theirs is a subtle music of which one never tires.

If you want to collect all of D'Agostino-Vargas, you will probably buy the 4 CDs on Tango Argentino, but a good place to start is this more recent compilation on You get good sleeve notes and the iconic, later (from 1955) Café Domínguez thrown in for good measure.

our price: £8.50

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Tango Masters - Pedro Laurenz: Patria Mía

LCDM 2742314

Pedro Laurenz belongs firmly to the evolutionary school of Julio De Caro, where he played alongside Pedro Maffia and Osvaldo Pugliese. Although commercially not as successful as some he belongs firmly to the first rank and in terms of musical richness and creativity his music is unsurpassed. Many consider that his first recorded tango, Arrabal inaugurated the true golden age of tango. Listening to it now it's astonishing to realise that this was recorded way back in 1937 - it is a fount of musical invention with an incredible syncopated central section that still leaves me breathless.

Laurenz is also very stong in the vocal numbers. Juan Carlos Casas is not one of the most famous names but nevertheless Abandono and No Me Extraña are outstanding.

normal UK selling price: n/a (Argentine import)
our price: £8.50

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Al compás del corazón

Miguel Caló

EMI 837413

In the early part of the 1940s the orchestra of Miguel Caló was one of the most popular in Buenos Aires. Its success was due not simply to Caló's exquisitely tasteful style but also to the quality of its musicianship.

This cd of Caló with young vocalist Raúl Berón presents some of the most tender tango music ever recorded.

Caló heard straight away that Berón's romantic voice would be perfect for his orchestra. Berón had never sung tango music before(!) and Caló took a huge risk with the first side they cut together, Al compás del corazón. The most daring element was not the new vocalist, but the lyric. Rejecting the traditional elements of loss and nostalgia, Homero Expósito wrote a lyric which looked forward to a happy ending.

It seemed that Caló had erred, because the officials at the radio station where Caló was performing didn't like Berón's style and told Caló to get rid of him. But it turned out that Caló had read the signs of the times correctly, because in the meantime the disc came out and was a huge hit. The binomial Caló/Berón became one of the great combinations of the 1940s.

This cd is of a uniformly high quality. As well as the title track, Corazon, no le hagas caso is another that gets more than 10 out of 10. One waltz and a couple of milongas, including the terrific Azabache (here sounding rather refined, but still tremendous fun) complete the package.

normal UK selling price: n/a (Argentine import)
our price: £9

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Adiós Marineo

Alfredo de Angelis

EBCD-35

The orchestra of Alfredo de Angelis is one of those that tango snobs like to denigrate for the simplicity of its style. His music is however perfect for dancing and, in his early waltzes, completely irresistible. It is a very happy music.

This disc from El Bandoneón features no less than fourteen of the wonderful duos of Carlos Dante and Julio Martel, five of them waltzes. Soñar y nada más is excellent and for my money puts Canaro's interpretation in the shade - although Troilo manages to create a different mood with the same piece. This is also the only place one can easily find the vals Pequeña .

The tangos too are delightful, most especially in De Angelis' own compositions, Remolino and Pregonera. Meanwhile, tracks such as Amigazo give the lie to the suggestion that De Angelis's music is just too light and fluffy. (If you like those stronger tracks, check out his classic version of Gloria).

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our price: £12.50

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Tango collection - Edgardo Donato

RGS 1640

Donato's cheeky rhythm paved the way for D'Arienzo and is full of feel-good fun, but has not been well represented on CD

This album has 18 classic Donato cuts from the 1930s - and 7 more cuts from 1950-1951, which are mostly forgettable.

normal UK selling price: n/a (Argentine import)
our price: £8

Track list