1889  re vocal tangos

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 2003 14:37:28 EDT
From: Crrtango@AOL.COM
Subject: re vocal tangos

Konstantin wrote:

"Having started DJing recently I was greatly surprised with some
objections from our local tangueros about vocal tangos being meant
for listening and not played(??!) in BA milongas. While lurking on
this list for almost 2 years together with reading a lot about AT
on the web, I never heard the fact and wonder where this belief might
come from."

That is not correct. While it is true mostly instrumental tangos from the
Golden Age are played at the milongas, there are also some tangos with vocals.
The distinction is between those that are meant for listening and those meant
for dancing. Originally the vocalist was only added as another "instrument" at
first and called an "estribillista," just adding a little vocal flourish not
meant to distract the dancers. The lyrics were often only a small part of the
song but the role of the vocalist changed over the years as they became stars.
There were always vocal tangos, Gardel for ex. but the best singers like Raul
Beron, Angel Vargas, and Albert Castillo to name only a few, sang with respect
for the rhythm and dancing and were known for that. Angel Vargas, when
performing, even refused to allow people to crowd the stage to listen because it
blocked the dance floor. So there were always songs meant for listening and others
meant for dancing. But yes, mostly instrumentals are played but not
exclusively and there are many vocal vocal tangos that are great to dance to. (The same
applies to more modern tangos like those of Piazzolla which you will hear
often down there on the radio and many people are quite fond of the songs but you
never hear them at milongas.) Tango began as a dancing music and the 30s,
40's and early 50's were the era of the great dance bands. Pioneers like Firpo
and Canaro were still playing along with the new young orchestras of Troilo and
Calo so it still represents a high point in tango dance music. Experimentation
has always been a part of tango but they make a distinction between what you
dance to and what you listen to. If you think it has a good danceable rhythm
like Tanturi, or D'Agostino then play it.

"The rule here is simple - see if you would dance it, if the
song is translated into your native tongue"

Well not quite that simple. Some languages have very different cadences and
sounds and may not sound so great in translation but I understand the point you
are trying to make.

Of course the best thing is to go to Buenos Aires for yourself and find out
;-)

Cheers,
Charles