1287  Female tango singers

Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 09:57:30 +0100
From: John Ward <jmward@BUN.COM>
Subject: Female tango singers

In my opinion, the best tango singer alive today is Arja Koriseva. I have
written about her before on this list, so I will not repeat what I said
then; but I will add that I saw her live at the Tangomarkkinat last July.
She performed in the Atria Hall, which was packed solid. I don't know the
numbers attending, but it must have been in the thousands. The fire of her
personality leapt from the stage and I felt that in the huge Atria Hall
there was only Arja and me. It didn't matter that I recognised barely one
word in twenty - her voice is so expressive I understood every single word.

Eija Koriseva, Arja's sister, is also a talented singer but she has recorded
very little. I saw her live in Helsinki in March. Like her sister, she isn't
content with singing the words and standing there beaming at the audience
during the instrumental bits - she flings herself all over the stage acting
out the song.

Kaija Pohjola has a delicious husky mature voice ideally suited to the
tango. "Polttavat huulet" (burning lips) is smoky and sleazy - tango at its
best. She hasn't made an all-tango album; her tangos are scattered over her
various CDs. In a newspaper interview last year she said she hoped to make
an all-tango CD in the near future.

Both Arja Koriseva and Kaija Pohjola are booked to appear at the 2003
Tangomarkkinat.

Arja Saijonmaa has a rich sensuous operatic voice and has recorded many
tangos, some of the best of which are collected on the CD "La Cumparsita"
(4509-98124-2). They date mostly from the 1980's, and come from various
parts of the world. A good one is "Rakkautta ei se ollut", which is the
German classic "Liebe war es nie". It is a rich, creamy and old-fashioned as
a Black Forest gateau. I do not know if Arja Saijonmaa is still active. She
would be aged about 60 now.

Anneli Saaristo is not primarily known as a tango singer, but she has
recorded "Surutyv" (Milonga sentimental) twice, in 1995 and 2001, and
"Viimenen kdnni" (La ultima curda). Both considerably shaken up in transit
during the long journey north. She has recorded a number of quasi-tangos,
such as "Jos joskus" "Evakon laulu" and "Ndin jddtiin henkiin". I have never
seen her live but she appears quite often on TV.

Other names to conjure with are Mira Kunnasluoto, Taina Kokkonen, Eija
Kantola and Marita Taavitsainen. All have been prizewinners at the
Tangomarkkinat and have recorded some fine tangos. I saw Mira at the
Tangomarkkinat last year. She was singing in the shopping mall, accompanied
only by a harmonikka, which is a large reed instrument similar but not
identical to the bandoneon. The combination of voice and harmonikka is very
pleasing and has not been recorded on any CD I have heard (although Anneli
Saaristo sang the waltz "Intohimoilleni" accompanied by harmonikka and
percussion). The mall performances are not part of the official programme
and can easily be missed. In 2001 Kaija Pohjola was doing it, the first time
I had seen her.

I agree with what has been said about Roxana Fontan. I saw her in the show
"Pefumes de Tango" when it came to London in 1996 or thereabouts. When it
returned a few years later she wasn't in it, which was very disappointing.
Something to do with a dispute with the management.



John Ward
Bristol, UK

Tangomarkkinat:
www.tangomarkkinat.fi/english/etusivu.htm

Record sources:
www.ariman.fi
www.popangel.fi

Arja Koriseva fan site:
www.panuworld.net/arjaworld/info/index-en.htm

Date: Wed, 14 May 2003 15:03:56 -0400
From: sharon gates <sharon7301@NETSCAPE.NET>
Subject: Re: Female tango singers

IMHO, Roxana Fontan has the most beautiful voice in the world, tango or not. When it comes to singing "El dia que me quieras", "Adios Nonino", "Contame una historia", "Nieblas del rachuelo", nobody comes even close to her. Nobody. She is the female "Carlos Gardel" of Argentine Tango. I hope that her talent will get the recognition it deserves now that she is in New York. If you have a chance to see her, don't miss it.

Cheers,
Sharon.

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Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2005 16:04:37 -0300
From: Janis Kenyon <jantango@FEEDBACK.NET.AR>
Subject: female tango singers

Alberto Gesualdi wrote:
There is now in Buenos Aires a local phenomenon, that has been growing the
last years : the number of female singers of tango is simply, awesome . They
double at least the male singers, which seem to be in a state of
redefinition.>>


Sergio Perez Alvarez, one of the organizers of Fundacion Tango XXI in Buenos
Aires, presented a talk on three women of tango in November 2004--Azucena
Maisani, Mercedes Simone and Nelly Omar. This is his area of interest in
tango. He told me that he has a list of more than 400 female tango singers;
they outnumber male singers in the history of tango. seperal@hotmail.com
fundaciontangoXXI@hotmail.com

It's no surprise that tango dancers aren't familiar with female tango
singers. Their recordings were never permitted in the milongas of Buenos
Aires, and still are not played by any DJ in Buenos Aires.

Janis Kenyon
Buenos Aires

Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2005 13:18:34 +0000
From: Sergio Vandekier <sergiovandekier990@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: FEMALE TANGO SINGERS

JANIS tells us: " It's no surprise that tango dancers aren't familiar with
female tango
singers. Their recordings were never permitted in the milongas of Buenos
Aires, and still are not played by any DJ in Buenos Aires. "

As you remember tango was considered to be an indecent dance at the
beginning and therefore no lady of good reputation would have anything to
do with it, either dancing or singing.
Tango belonged in the realm of men and women leading a bad life.

The first female tango singers had to dress as a man in order to be
acceptable. There are many pictures of those times showing this tango of
singer travesties.

The tango music with singers can be initially be divided in two types. The
one where the singer is one more instrument of the orchestra .
Here the music plays for a while then the singer appears without disturbing
the dancers at all, then he disappears allowing the rest of the musical
tango to be played alone. This obviously is very good music for dancing.
(Angel Vargas and many others).

The other group has music that is a complement to the singer. The vocal
artist starts to sing from the very beginning of the tango and continues
doing so till the end. The music is dedicated to the artist and generally
speaking is a complement to the vocalization and its variations rather than
to the dance. This is not good music for dancing. (Edmundo Rivero, Julio
Sosa, Carlos Gardel).

Female singers belong (usually) in this second group being this (IMO) the
only reason their tangos are not selected for dancing.

Have a very nice day!
Sergio
Argentina