1. Aníbal Troilo / Floreal Ruíz - "Confesión" 1947
2. Aníbal Troilo / Floreal Ruíz - "La noche que te fuiste" 1945
3. Aníbal Troilo / Floreal Ruíz - "Mis amigos de ayer" 1946
4. Aníbal Troilo / Edmundo Rivero - "Sur" 1948
This week I have the pleasure of featuring a beautiful tanda from Michael Lavocah, the author of the highly acclaimed "Tango Masters: Aníbal Troilo" and "Tango Stories: Musical Secrets". And as my readers might have noticed, the blog has featured plenty of tandas of Anibal Troilo earlier, and nothing makes me happier than publishing another one. Here's what Michael wrote about the tanda and the music of Troilo from the late 40's:In the early days of the tango revival, the only Troilo we heard at the milonga was the brilliant 1941 sides with Fiorentino. It was the only Troilo we had at the time. It is also the most accessible dance music Troilo ever recorded, the music that sounds most like the other bands. It's such a pity that he recorded almost nothing in the years 1937-1940 - we would play a lot more Troilo in the milonga if he had.
As more of Troilo's recordings began to be released, they were not particularly well received by the modern public. The energy of the sides from 1942 is often radically lower than those from 1941, and we didn't know how to listen to more sophisticated music. Many communities stuck to the "easier" 1941 sides.
The situation is much better now, with Troilo-Marino regularly played at many milongas and even chosen for performances. But Troilo's later sides from the 1940s - still very much from his dance era - are still relatively rare flowers at our milongas. This is perhaps the most sophisticated dance music ever recorded, requiring plenty of active listening. It won't be suitable for every tango environment, but it's music I wish were better known. Much if it has more energy than the mid 1940s sides which have now become accepted.
This is a real tanda I played at the High Noon Tango Marathon in Berlin this summer, August 2014. I played on Sunday afternoon from 12 noon to 6pm, with another DJ to follow me, and played this tanda in the last half hour, just before a milonga tanda. The level of the dancers was high and the room was really together, with a responsive crowd and a coherent flow on the dance floor, so I felt the tanda had a good chance of going down well.
The songs cover 1945-1948. Troilo's singers at this time are Floreal Ruiz, who is more lyrical, and Edmundo Rivero, whose voice is darker. Rivero's voice has a such a strong personality that I don't play tandas just of Rivero. Ruiz is an easier choice, but I wanted to see if I could finish with Rivero's "Sur", an outstanding tango (Troilo's favourite vocal tango) very seldom played at the milonga, so I made a mixed tanda.
"Confesión", known to many people from the lovely recording by the Orquesta Típica Porteña from 1931, makes a very strong opening with its crashing syncopations and dramatic lyric. After this, "La noche que te fuiste" is relatively soft and calming, but still a strong choice, even if it's not as common at the milonga as Caló's slightly simpler version. The third song, "Mis amigos de ayer" is the weakest song in the tanda - still a five star song however, and a good match to the previous one. "Sur" then provides the emotional highlight. Because of the large dynamic range in this song (at the end Rivero drops his voice almost to a whisper), the DJ needs to be ready to tweak the volume, but in this case it wasn't necessary because the dancers were all in the music and room was completely quiet - just as it should be.
- Michael Lavocah
You can read more about Troilo's dance music in his book, "Tango Masters: Aníbal Troilo", available on amazon or direct from him at www.tangomusicsecrets.com
Troilo, Anibal - TOTW - Todo Tango - tango.info - TangoTunes - iTunes Store
Troilo's tango is significantly less popular in Europe, compared to BsAs. This is mainly due to the European DJs who choose Troilo tango that's significantly less popular than that chosen by BsAs DJs.
ReplyDeleteBeginner DJs, when you read a statement like the above:
"I wanted to see if I could finish with Rivero's "Sur", an outstanding tango (Troilo's favourite vocal tango) very seldom played at the milonga"
do keep in mind that there is an extremely good reason why such music is so seldom played at the milonga.
The objective of the good DJ is to maximise the enjoyment of the dancers, rather than to impress them with the breadth of the seldom-played music in his/her collection (or catalogue). He/she succeeds by playing music that's popular for dancing.
The claim here is that this music worked well for dancers who were at a "high level", responsive, able to dance to this "most sophisticated" of music, which is not as "accessible" as other Troilo. The trouble with this claim is that it implies that if you disagree, you're probably just not an advanced enough dancer or a sufficiently sophisticated listener. Of course, the claim could be true but what if it's not?
ReplyDeleteFor me to want to dance, the music has to fill me up, distract me from conversation, propel me to the floor. This tanda doesn't do that for me. I would happily sit it out. The test is not "am I sophisticated enough to dance this?" or "will it make me a better dancer if I dance this?".That appeals to other things in our nature that are not to do with dancing. The test is simply "does this music make we want to dance"?
The problem is, that so many dancers only know the music to which they are educated by the DJs. And who really enjoyed his first cigarette. It is so good when DJs go the risk. Otherwise we end up in a boring mainstream top 100 (not because the music is bad but just because all becomes predictable).
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Mr. Lavocah's book on Troilo. I immensely enjoyed it, and it has made me appreciate Troilo like never before.
ReplyDeleteThis tanda is indeed very sophisticated, and though I personally love it ("Sur" was actually the first tango I ever learned the words to, ten years ago when I was a teenager on a University exchange in BsAs), I would, like two of the above commenters, be very cautious about playing this at a milonga or a festival here in the U.S. Here, after all, Troilo with Marino is still a "B-side, deep cut" selection.
Anon wrote: "The problem is, that so many dancers only know the music to which they are educated by the DJs."
ReplyDeleteOnly a problem if those DJs are playing unpopular tracks.
"It is so good when DJs go the risk."
Only good if they pre-advertise they are going to play risky music.
"Otherwise we end up in a boring mainstream top 100 (not because the music is bad but just because all becomes predictable)."
Untrue. The good popular tango tracks played in milongas number in the thousands. The only thing you can predict about the music from a good milonga DJ is that it will be good for the milonga.
I agree this tanda is sophisticated and challenging for beginner /intermediate dancers yet absolute joy to dance to if your partner knows the music .In my opinion it would be perfect if I can replace "sur" with "Y la perdi " . Contrary to the believe that in BA they mostly play Troilo / Fioentino hits , I have personally listened to this tanda or let's say at least 2 songs by Troilo Ruiz in La Viruta when Horacia Godoy was Djing and watching a lot of Pros dancing to this was out of this world. I agree that in in a festival the DJ should not be too adventurous and stick to known hits/songs but man , this is a tanda that could make my night, only if am dancing with the right follower.
ReplyDeleteMo wrote: "Contrary to the believe that in BA they mostly play Troilo / Fioentino hits , I have personally listened to this tanda or let's say at least 2 songs by Troilo Ruiz in La Viruta"
DeleteSorry if I was unclear. I was talking about BA milongas. La Viruta's events are not milongas. They are _called practicas_. For good reason.
"and watching a lot of Pros dancing to this ..."
Presumably by "Pros" you mean tango workers such as dance instructors and show performers. Rather than social dancers.
"... was out of this world."
The tango workers' dancing that I've seen at La Viruta sure is out of this world. Out of the world of the milongas. That's why there exist alternative places like La Viruta for them to do it in. That's why their dancing has its own name. Nuevo.
Such dancing is as unpopular in milongas as the music that suits it.