4068 Things Argentine / reading material
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:51:25 -0500
From: Keith Elshaw <keith@TOTANGO.NET>
Subject: Things Argentine / reading material
Hi;
Steve Pastor wrote:
>I want to learn about what is going on in Argentina. It helps us understand the
culture than is >responsible for the music and the dance that we love. And,
it helps us understand the behaviors that go >along with Argentine Tango.
I do understand and respect the opinions of all who have written in the
negative in the thread since my post yesterday. I shall show this respect by
refraining from editorialising, if tempted to (duh), about current events.
The sentiment Steve expressed I share. This post is for those with a similar
interest.
-------------
When Argentine Tango swept me off my feet, it also blew me into the arms
(via matrimony for a time) of wonderful Portenos who grew up in the Juan/Eva
years who became my in-laws - an extra incentive to try to understand the
Argentine character and history (as if being captivated by the music wasn't
enough).
I read (red), because I am a reader (for those who aren't). The tango
history I studied in Spanish (not a language I am fluent in). The economic
and social history I read (mostly) in translation.
To a person who loves information like myself, how could I not want to know
about the people who gave the world this sophisticated, sweet, inspiring,
(felicitously complicated) phenomenon called TANGO?
What a story. What a culture. What a people.
So many layers and convolutions. Asking to be understood to some degree - in
some kind of perspective - if one wanted to touch it all some way.
It seems(ed) to me tango the force cannot be divorced from understanding
something about the people who created it. And they cannot be divorced from
the environment they created and which had modified them in turn.
How I have always dreamed of being able to live a week in Buenos Aires when
I could go out every night and dance to one of the great orchestras back
then "live." (You're right - I am a hopeless romantic). Some of this
yearning to re-create the era shows up in my website prose about the
orchestras).
It couldn't strictly be done to my wanting, because I would want it to be in
December, 1939 when Di Sarli reappeared after 10 years in the recording
wilderness ... because I would want to have also seen D'Arienzo when Biagi
was still with him - and that stopped in '38. Oh, well. These are my
dreams. ;-)
Just listening to the music takes you there, but so much is missing. So, we
can look at footage. Maybe talk to people who were there. And read books.
Try to taste the flavour in any way we can.
This post I am writing to point to a book I read a few years ago which made
me feels I was closer to the time and the life that was AROUND tango at its
peak of creation in what we call the Golden Age.
Not having read it for several years (memory being what it is), I am at some
risk here. It's just a thriller. It doesn't have any tango in it. But, wow -
did it make me feel closer to the time and atmosphere of the Buenos Aires
which infuses my never-ending dreams.
The author is an American who does the military mind-set thing while giving
you a page-turner. Not highfalutin' stuff.
But, while turning those pages describing lives at risk and real events in
B.A. in the time period I speak of, if you have the music of that era
playing, a chill of insight might go down your spine. It did mine. (Years
before, I had done the same thing reading about the war in Europe with
Miller, Goodman, et al playing the background).
One eye on the action and locale being colourfully described, one on going
into a dance-hall and grabbing a partner with one of those bands on stage
making your blood boil in another way ...
Anyway.
W.E.B. Griffin is the Author. Can't even tell you what the name of the book
was, but it is in the Honor Bound series. Set in B.A.
(In a big voice as if one could sing ...)
"NOS TAL GIAS!!" -
(ahem)
Tango forever. :-)
Keith
ToTANGO.net
P.S.
Forgive me for barging in again - I was just sorrowful watching Tango-L be
so lethargic for SO long. Not that I've helped any ...
Cheers
