Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Tanda of the Week 24 / 2013 - Alfredo Gobbi


1. Alfredo J. Gobbi - "Independiente Club" 1948
2. Alfredo J. Gobbi - "La catrera" 1951
3. Alfredo J. Gobbi - "Racing Club" 1949
4. Alfredo J. Gobbi - "La viruta" 1947

This tanda is from Alfredo Gobbi, one of the most highly regarded musicians and orchestra leaders in tango. I have previously released a tanda from Gobbi with the singer Jorge Maciel (TOTW 21/2012). TodoTango.com has an excellent article about Gobbi, which was originally published in the magazine Tango y Lunfardo (Nº 73, Chivilcoy, 31 March 1992). The author Luis Adolfo Sierra writes:

"The multiple facets of Alfredo Gobbi's personality -composer, violinist, arranger and orchestra leader- granted him a well-deserved and indisputable recognition among the most qualified and important music interpreters of tango. Because Alfredo Gobbi –"the romantic violin of tango"- not only bore the responsibility of an inherited prestigious artistic name. He brought the very personal creation of a tango style. So he established a different way of feeling and expressing tango. He brought in his original esthetic conceptions, of evident innovative character, reminiscences of an old time, framed in the exact balance of the evolutionist values, that allowed him to crystallize one of the most colorful, deep, dense and authentic expressions of the instrumental tango. It has been accurately said that "in the modern musical clothing of Alfredo Gobbi, the last example of tango with long hair was dying down". That was his tango. The unmistakable tango of Alfredo Gobbi, of academic musical structure and outskirts-born deep sensitivity."

Sierra continues to describe Gobbi's style: "His far-reaching contribution to the style of the genre, has "something" so much his own, and at the same time so difficult to define, "something" of De Caro´s school, "something" of Di Sarli (that is not either the fusion of two tendencies so different), "something" of the tango of always. Of Alfredo Gobbi´s tango, that in the expressive language of jazz would be called "swing", and which has no verbal equivalent among us."

"In each version of Alfredo Gobbi's orchestra we can always find a renewed motive of interest, because of its rich gamut of rhythmic and harmonic resources. Either in his notable refurbishing of old and everlasting pieces -"El incendio", "Chuzas", "Nueve puntos", "La viruta", "Pelele", "La catrera"- always treated with careful respect of their original contents, or in the performance of his own and musically evolved tangos, "Orlando Goñi", "El andariego", "Camandulaje" (which contrarily to what could be thought of, he composed on the piano and not on the violin)-, the esthetic values that prevail in Alfredo Gobbi's way of interpreting are evidenced."


While Gobbi is probably better known for songs like the above mentioned "Orlando Goñi" and "El andariego" I tried to have the dancer's best interest in mind when creating this tanda and chose to go more with Gobbi's arrangements of classics instead of his own compositions.  For listening I have nothing but the upmost respect for these compositions, but for dancing I find them a bit too repetitious.

I hope you enjoy the tanda!

Gobbi, Alfredo - TOTW - Todo Tangotango.info - iTunes Store

4 kommenttia:

  1. Nice tanda, Antti! DJs who find La catrera rather weak in comparison with the D'Arienzo version :) might like to substitute Chuzas or El incendio, both of which fit well, I find.

    "... so difficult to define, "something" of De Caro´s school, "something" of Di Sarli (that is not either the fusion of two tendencies so different), "something" of the tango of always."

    I think many would say more something of Pugliese.


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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the comment and suggestions! Chuzas and El incendio would make the tanda a notch lighter which is not necessarily a bad thing at all.

      I used to view Gobbi as an Pugliese alternative but I'm not so sure anymore. But yeah you could mention Pugliese in the comparisons as well. I've been thinking lately a lot about how similar Pugliese and Di Sarli are sometimes although so different at the same time....

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    2. i don't hear Gobbi tangos on the local milongas.

      which orchestras you'd play before/after this tanda?

      also, how often (at which occasions) do you play Gobbi?

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    3. To answer Nick Shaforostoff:

      I play Gobbi very very rarely. I find playing it problematic. I like it personally but have trouble finding the right moment to play it and I have more faith in other selections being the perfect choice for a given moment. I would think that Gobbi would be somewhere between Di Sarli and Pugliese. When playing a longer set it would be easier to fit a tanda like this in. I would play something very recognizable and danceable before and after it.

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