Tag: Tango

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Deezer Music Qobuz

Uusikuu – Karuselli

Welcome to the world of Finnish tango as brought to you by Uusikuu, who celebrate their 16th year with this charmer of a disc.  As this wonderful release from the ever wonderful CPL-Music isn’t on Bandcamp, I would like to point you to their Qobuz website, as I’m not much of a fan of Spotify.  If this doesn’t work in your country, consider going to Deezer here.

There is something special about Finnish tango.  One would think that Finland and the Rio Plata area of Argentina and Uruguay wouldn’t have much in common, but, in fact, they share a melancholy in their music that makes for sumptuous listening.  Karuselli is a lively record, however, for a tango album, and you will hear elements of chanson and even a touch of traditional Finnish music.  It’s extremely pleasant and bouncy music.

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Music Qobuz Spotify

Alexei Aigui & Arkady Marto – DA

This should be a breakout year for Alexei Aigui, who has released his fourth album of the year in collaboration with pianist Arkady Marto.

The album is absolutely sublime. Each track has a gentle touch, balancing violin and piano perfectly. The cornerstone of the album for me is this track, Nocturne No. 0:

It is a tango that would have made Ástor Piazzlla proud.

The whole album is engaging, and would have made for perfect music for a dramatic film (something Alexei has been making for several years now, with great success).

As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, if you want to hear the music (or purchase it) in high-definition sound, consider going to Qobuz, where you can hear it at the best possible level.

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Music

Bester Quartet – Piazzolla Angels

Poland’s For-Tune Records have been consistently releasing high-quality jazz and improv music for some time now, but their latest has a special place for me.

This collection, with the exception of Por Una Cabeza (composed by Carlos Gardel) was composed by the inimitable Ástor Piazzólla and arranged Bester Quartet leader and accordionist Jarosław Bester.  It’s remarkable to hear how fluidly tangos by the masters can be translated so well into jazz and improvisational music.