jAnSzKi
13-04-2006, 01:51 PM
"Tango is the vertical rape." - Astor Piazzolla
For whoever is not familiar with the world of Tango, Astor Piazzolla is considered its bad boy. On one occassion he had a gun put to his head at a radio station in Buenos Aires for destroying the traditional tango and creating his Nuevo Tango or New Tango.
Considered by Piazzolla as his best work ever, Tango Zero Hour was released in 1986. It represented the culmination of a career that, at that point, spanned more than half a century.
Piazzolla began his career in Argentina in the 1930s as a teenager working with one of the greatest classic Tango era singers, Carlos Gardél. After Gardél's tragic death in a plane crash in 1935 (Piazzolla turned down an offer to tour with the singer on that trip), Piazzolla went on to perfect his bandoneón playing in various tango bands during the '40s and '50s.
Eventually, he ended up in Paris studying under another Tango giant, Nadia Boulanger in Paris. It was at this point he began experimenting and soon enough perfected what is now known as 'Nuevo Tango'.
The "New Tango" is an attempt to move the "classical" form of the style into the more serious area of high-art composition. Piazzolla added eccentric and, at times, avant-garde touches to the traditional format but at a cost. He gained the appreciation of adventurous music lovers worldwide while alienating tango purists back home in Argentina.
Having composed over 3000 pieces, his popularity has soared in the last few years.
'Tango Zero Hour' is the fruition of his groundbreaking work and one of the most amazing albums released during the latter part of the 20th century. Joined by his famous quintet, 'Quinteto Tango Nuevo' featuring violin, piano, electric guitar, bandoneon, and double-bass, Piazzolla offers us seven original tango pieces that take in the noirish, 'Zero Hour' world found between midnight and dawn.
This is one of my favourite albums of all time, as it contains the most beautiful melodies mixed and interwoven with jazz, classical, tango and avant-garde styles. The Melancholy laments of the Bandoneon is truly one of the most haunting, nostalgic most beautiful musical innovations ever made and no one interprets the manic poetry of it like Piazzolla.
Every on of the seven tracks on this album creates a different landscape ranging from a beautiful melancholy to a manic madness. So to everyone, stop wasting your time, get this CD, lay on your couch and be prepared to be transported by this genius into a mad and tragic world. Essential for all music lovers.
If you are still not convinced get your hands on Track 3 - Concierto Para Quinteto and judge for yourself!
For whoever is not familiar with the world of Tango, Astor Piazzolla is considered its bad boy. On one occassion he had a gun put to his head at a radio station in Buenos Aires for destroying the traditional tango and creating his Nuevo Tango or New Tango.
Considered by Piazzolla as his best work ever, Tango Zero Hour was released in 1986. It represented the culmination of a career that, at that point, spanned more than half a century.
Piazzolla began his career in Argentina in the 1930s as a teenager working with one of the greatest classic Tango era singers, Carlos Gardél. After Gardél's tragic death in a plane crash in 1935 (Piazzolla turned down an offer to tour with the singer on that trip), Piazzolla went on to perfect his bandoneón playing in various tango bands during the '40s and '50s.
Eventually, he ended up in Paris studying under another Tango giant, Nadia Boulanger in Paris. It was at this point he began experimenting and soon enough perfected what is now known as 'Nuevo Tango'.
The "New Tango" is an attempt to move the "classical" form of the style into the more serious area of high-art composition. Piazzolla added eccentric and, at times, avant-garde touches to the traditional format but at a cost. He gained the appreciation of adventurous music lovers worldwide while alienating tango purists back home in Argentina.
Having composed over 3000 pieces, his popularity has soared in the last few years.
'Tango Zero Hour' is the fruition of his groundbreaking work and one of the most amazing albums released during the latter part of the 20th century. Joined by his famous quintet, 'Quinteto Tango Nuevo' featuring violin, piano, electric guitar, bandoneon, and double-bass, Piazzolla offers us seven original tango pieces that take in the noirish, 'Zero Hour' world found between midnight and dawn.
This is one of my favourite albums of all time, as it contains the most beautiful melodies mixed and interwoven with jazz, classical, tango and avant-garde styles. The Melancholy laments of the Bandoneon is truly one of the most haunting, nostalgic most beautiful musical innovations ever made and no one interprets the manic poetry of it like Piazzolla.
Every on of the seven tracks on this album creates a different landscape ranging from a beautiful melancholy to a manic madness. So to everyone, stop wasting your time, get this CD, lay on your couch and be prepared to be transported by this genius into a mad and tragic world. Essential for all music lovers.
If you are still not convinced get your hands on Track 3 - Concierto Para Quinteto and judge for yourself!