The New Tango
Astor Piazzolla
1987
Album Summary
Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla (Spanish pronunciation: [pjaˈsola], Italian pronunciation: [pjatˈtsɔlla]; March 11, 1921 – July 4, 1992) was an Argentine tango composer, bandoneon player, and arranger. His works revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of Tango music".
WikipediaIf you had told me that today I was going to listen to a live album by an Argentinian tango composer and bandoneon player in collaboration with a renowned vibraphonist, and that I would really enjoy it, I would have called you crazy and kicked you out of my house. But this was really, really good. I'm a sucker for melancholy violin music, and with the vibraphone that makes an unexpectedly nice combination. And the bandoneon, an instrument I had never heard of until today, adds a nice touch as well. Surprisingly, I'm going with 4 stars on this one.
I feel like I'm trapped in the interstitial sections of an episode of Mister Rodger's Neighbourhood.
Tim Burton meets the Fifties is the vibe I got from this. But in a good way. Very impressive for a live album.
You will not appreciate this if you only listen a couple times. It can just blend into the background otherwise. For that reason I was initially at a 3. But as I kept listening I really picked up on the different instruments and moods being set in the music. It was like listening to an opera or ballet - I could picture characters moving and expressing emotions with the music. Very cool. Some favorites - Little Italy (loved the emotion from the strings), Laura's Dream (sweeping, and again the strings; sounded like sirens at times), and Operation Tango (cool pacing with slow and frenetic bits).
I am no tango fan, so had no idea it could sound this progressive. I am, however, a fan of Gary Burton, and could listen to his wonderfully expressive vibes playing all day. Didn't have a scooby that Burton turned his hand to tango. These compositions, which I'm guessing are by Astor Piazzolla, bring the whole 'newgrass' movement to mind, whereby bluegrass was cut with jazz and rock to make an exciting, virtuosic variant of a traditional genre. Stimulating stuff, then, although the first half of 'Vibraphonissimo' sounds like the section before the guitar solo in Frank Zappa's 'Zomby Woof' - and I'll never not find the title 'Operation Tango' to be funny.
Not my kind of thing at all. Accordion Latin Jazz is fairly low on my list of things to listen to. That said, the musicianship was great, and I enjoyed it more than I expected.
3.5 - I imagine this is what Dr. Frasier Crain listens to at the end of a long day should he come home to an empty apartment. He’ll slip out of his beige sport jacket and Italian cordovan loafers. He may pour himself a glass of Lagavulin 16 and sit back in his Eames chair as he reaches for the remote to turn on his 5-CD changer. He may even page through the Sharper Image catalog on his coffee table.
As good as one could ever expect from music played on the xylophone and accordion.
There's "here's an acknowledged classic of a genre you may not know well" and then there's "here's a piece of music that's almost intentionally impenetrable so you can feel dumb when you don't get it."
What makes this special? It isn’t bad, but I’ve heard hundreds of albums that aren’t on this list, that are better than this. 2/5
It is like Lightning Bolt but for Jazz and it is live. Got through half the album and almost fell asleep.
Another one that I just don’t have the musical language to appreciate, maybe. But really really not for me.
Muziek is prachtig, het spel van Piazzolla ook. Fantastische vioolpartijen maar helaas ook de hele tijd de vibrafoon van Burton.
I guess I'm not as open minded as I'd thought. I'm not having this though. Not what I came here for. Honestly, this may be the toughest thing I've had to entertain listening to so far in the course of over 600 albums. Even just clicking through the tracks this started to make me agitated and uncomfortable in a way that nothing else on this list quite has before. This music would repel me from practically any room. Sorry.
Viivin kommentti "pilipalimusiikista" nauratti sen verran, että melkein haluaisin antaa toisen tähden. Mutta onhan kuitenkin vasta tiistai.
96 / 1069 Meh. Top 1001...? I don't think so. One of the most boring things I've listened to.
Just because you’re the best musician at playing an obscure instrument, it doesn’t equate to playing some of the best music Not list worthy.
It's The Cylinder with a squeeze box, I mean seriously. No soup for you..NEXT!
Tango was already perfect. Did we really need a new Tango? Turns out maybe we did. This album is a delight. Playing around with classical tango sounds, tossing in some vibraphone just to be cheeky, and towing the line between classical and avant garde perfectly. I'm a sucker for any kind of Tango music like this. Reminded me a lot of Gotan Project, for example. Easy 5 stars for me even though I can see why this wouldn't work for a lot of people.
Initially sceptical that I needed to hear any tango, let alone new tango, I must say the sheer power and beauty of this Nuevo Tango record was staggering. I don’t think there is a piece of music quite like it - passionate, powerful and deep - a jazz recording, a classical composition, nigh impossible to categorise. I found it to be captivating and could not stop listening. A work of art.
Well this was unexpected. I really dug these instrumental tracks and will enter my chill music to listen to at work playlist. This is the type of stuff the list is made for. I'd have never listened to this without it. A fantastic find and some really great tunes and musicianship.
I was surprisingly blown away by this. I love how it incorporates traditional Italian/Argentinian tango music with the really dramatic classical influence and even some jazz fusion. The dynamics are really engaging and the musicianship/composition is excellent. Totally unlike anything I would have ever come across on my own.
Really love this album and never would have chosen it for myself. As a classically trained musician this just made my heart happy.
I'm not even sure how to describe this, only that it gives me classical feels and that it's fascinating in the best way
Y'know, I look at this album after listening and think how much of an album this is in the "walk by without thinking about listening" spectrum, which is really a shame, because the contents inside are excellent. The violin's ability to go from scretching to being absolutely gorgeous at a moments notice, or the piano appearing sporadically to aid with the Vibraphone's more mellow sound, or the bandoneon really partnering with everything else to create this great album. Yes, the songs do go on a tad long, and I could understand why someone may find this more boring than anything, but just listening to the wide range of emotions really lets this one spread it's wings and be absolutely fantastic. Perhaps not music for a Sunday drive or a workout, but music for the point of listening.
Really liking this blending of styles. Some parts I didn't like as much but overall super cool.
Ripping accordian part on the first track. This is really pleasant and i like it. This is a really refreshing and lovely album. La Muerta Del Angel is just this beautiful icing on this total cake of an album!
Sounds like a work of genius. This is the first album in the two weeks or so I've been rating albums here I had to listen to more than once as it was so good. What a fantastically enjoyable wild ride!
You had me at vibraphone. Then once I figured out what a bandoneon was you had me there too. This sounded much more modern and varied than I expected from a tango album. The songs progressed through different moods and emotions that I found very compelling. Again I am thankful for being introduced to another album that I would likely never have encountered but for this project.
A very pleasant album. I love the contributions by Gary Burton and the (unknown) violinist. To me it's a cross between tango, jazz and chamber music. It's hard to believe people could dance to this, but I saw a New Tango show in Buenos Aires a couple of decades ago, and the dancing was as adventurous as the playing.
Je m'attendais pas à ça ce matin Prefs: Milonga is Coming, Little Italy, Operation Tango Moins pref: Vibraphonissimo
Never would have listened to this if it wasn’t on the list. Sometimes it’s really nice to listen to some great musicians like this even if it is way out of my usual style.
Gorgeous. Cinematic. Knew Piazzolla from his guitar works, but was expecting to enjoy this. Biased towards live recordings as well, but still a great record. Vibraphone haters stay away.
Beautiful compositions! In my mind this is the soundtrack for a chill soulsborne game where you don't fight giant scary monsters with gaping mouths of death, but where you might sit and have a cup of tea, and just enjoy the day around you, but the lighting is the same :)) 5? Or a Witcher game placed in Argentina where you have to outdance your opponent in a tango to the death, the violin and the bandonéon makes for a beautiful top and the piano puts a dark foundation to the mix. A solid 4
This one was a pleasant surprise. Tango is super nice to work to, and I really love the vibraphone so that helped!! Loved the classical influence as well.
Disco ao vivo flui muito bem e demonstra a força da melodia do tango envolvido com jazz.
Well, what can one say about nuevo tango (or any tango) – you either dig it or you don't. This is intense, both in the driving passages and the melanchoic suspensions (where it sounds like the composer is questioning himself). GB adds a swing and ligthness to a form that can get somber and rigid. One hasn't the authority to say whether this should be included or excluded to other milestones of the genre (or sub-genre), but surely there must be room for more. The setting at Montreux would seem to add to both the intensity (of which neuvo tango had plenty) and the occassion. "Laura's Dream" is a highlight.
Very different, very entertaining. Liked the vibraphone piece "Vibraphonissimo" especially. The different time signatures and styles wove in and out through each of the pieces. It was quite refreshing, and a very different type of album than I normally listen to. Really enjoyed it.
Great musicianship all around. That Gary Burton on the vibraphone is a beast. I actually know nothing about tango except more typical dance stuff so I was not aware that tango was this intense at times, almost like a video game's battle music. Not bad at all.
I do not understand why this is on the list but I love listening to it.
Totally great. Wasn't sure what to expect and this is why I decided to do this challenge. Sometimes you need to hear an album from a genre you don't listen to much.
I'm not really a fan of tango, but I did enjoyed this blend of classical music and tango very much. The breadth of variety, coupled with depth of feeling and intensity made for an exciting spin. The second track, which was mostly xylophone was almost a pain to listen to - but the rest was good enough to still warrant a good rating.
Pretty down with this, though it had a bit of that issue I get with modern jazz, where it sometimes seems to just run into a bunch of scales noodling up and down and I don’t know if it’s really an Emperor’s New Clothes situation or if I’m just too dumb and unsophisticated to get it. Also kept making me think about music in those Professor Layton DS games (not a bad thing!) though that obviously gets the direction of influence backwards.
Ooh. Delightful. I don't have the musical vocab to say anything interesting about a classical tango album but this is very, very nice. I have one other touchstone in this ouvre I guess which was the soundtrack to Waking Life by Tosca Tango Orchestra, which was also slightly offbeat in places but more generally unsettling than this. This is lovely. I particularly love the longer tracks as they wend and wain.
"The New Tango" is a collboration between Argentinian Tango leader, composer, arranger and bandoneón player Astor Piazzolla and American jazz vibraphonist, composer and educator Gary Burton. The album is a concert recorded at the 1986 Montreux Festival. That must have been quite a festival. The music are pieces written by Piazzolla over his 40-year career and the concert billed as a suite for Vibraphone and New Tango Quintet. The album are seven music pieces being led by the vibraphone, bandoneón and violin (Fernando Suarez Paz). "Milango is Coming" begins the album and is more classical music with the violin. Eventually the vibraphone and bandoneón come in and the music sounds more like a tango. That happens quite frequency during these songs. "Vibraphonissimo" picks up the pace. It was specially written for Gary Burton and the vibraphone is front and center. The violin gives "Nuevo Tango" a very dramatic feel. All instruments come in and we clearly have a Tango melody. Big sounds abound in "Operation Tango." A violin break and solo. The most traditional tango-sounding song on the album. There is no doubt to the excellence of these players and music. The music changed pace and frequently the lead instruments. Never a dull moment. The audience was extremely appreciative (or least the recording of them) with a thunderous applause after each song. I enjoyed this album quite a bit.
Love a tango & love Piazzolla. Also keen on the vibes (since I first heard Lionel Hampton)& on Gary Burton, ever since I found the vinyl of his 1973 album, Norwegian Wood. The tunes are all composed by Piazzolla, but the jazz treatment that Burton & the combo offer cannot be denied. All six cuts are standouts for me, but particularly Little Italy 1930, a beautiful autobiographical piece. Such a unique sound from 2 great artists.
God god this is beautiful. It makes me want to fall in love and be alive in spring. To be totally fair, I didn’t listen to the whole album. But you know what they say about album reviews: better done than good! ✅
Yesterday I knew exactly one thing about Tango: that it takes two. Today I know two things: that it takes two and that the form was revolutionized by one Astor Piazzola, an Argentine bandoneon (no idea what that is) player in the 1980s. So I now know enough things about tango to have what I know about tango tango. Which is cool. Not sure what exactly makes this piece, recorded live together with American vibraphonist Gary Burton, especially special. But, what the hell. There’s good music in here. Maybe I’ll even listen to it again. I certainly won’t be caught dead listening to that old tango! Can you imagine? Not sure what to rate this, but, alas, I must. The 2.88 average it currently sits at seems unfairly low. So I’ll give it a little 4/5 boost. Thanks for all you’ve done for tango Mr. Piazzola. We salute you. 🌹
Never listened to anything like this before. I found it quite a dramatic listen, got me working at a much quicker rate! Would definitely listen again. I'm glad that I've had a decent variety of albums over the past couple of weeks.
I didn't know what to expect of this one at all. But whacking on my Beats™ and pulling out my Dyson™ vacuum cleaner I went to do an hour or so of house cleaning as I listened. This performance was wonderful to listen to and the frantic and fast paced nature perfectly matched my chores to make it a much more enjoyable experience. Thanks Astor
Very chill, very nice, very rarely hear some audience noises after like 10 minutes of music, so all in all a good album.
It takes two to tango. Unfortunately, I can't say I'm *fully* receptive to this album, as brilliant as the performers are on this one. Maybe there are other records released by Piazzolla that deserve to be on this list. After all, the man once released *Libertango* (whose title track was later made famous by Grace Jones). So I think that exploring that artist's discography would be wise before deciding only a late-career live album should be the one quoted by us. In the meantime, four points for the performance in this (the global score is way too low given the obvious virtuosity and artistry that is actually displayed in *The New Tango*). But this record won't be in my own list (a rare exception for a four-star record). My philosophy is that barring one or two very specific LPs, live albums should be set apart from the rest anyway. 1001 sounds like a huge number, but it's actually very small if you want to include all the essential "studio ones" out there... Number of albums left to review: 628 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 183 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 85 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 111 (including this one)
I am not familiar enough with the tango to know what is "new" or not or "tango" or not about the tracks on this album. Lots of energy, that's for sure!!
You can't really go wrong when you bring together the bandoneon and the vibraphone for some tango music. It was sometimes a little too "new" for me, making me think that I haven't had the opportunity to listen to enough traditional tango music first, but I definitely appreciate this musical exploration.
Best Song: Nuevo Tango. Very uptempo, jazzy tango. Not what I imagined tango to be. Worst Song: Little Italy. An alright song that has its moments, but overstays its welcome with an overly long, slowly diminishing outro. Overall: Some much appreciated diversity in this list, even if it isn't music to which I would typically listen. Still, I will definitely consider it for background working or dinner music.
Gary Burton is a magician on the vibes. This was a long album but an album where it’s mostly background music for working.
VIBIN (get it?) to what I assume has been used as the soundtrack to a quirky indie movie at least once
The first track is a little slow and seem like they don't actually want to start. Meditative, reflective. I like the use of dissonance during the whole thing, "Vibraphonissimo"
I feel left wanting more from this album.. not in terms of length, but of ideas. There’s a lot of really interesting grooves and bits and pieces on here, but they end up being fleeting and quickly turn back to something more mundane. 5/10
A bit of a hard one to judge. I don't listen to tango music very often... or at all I guess. It has a movie scoring vibe to it, which I guess is kinda fitting as it just played in the background. I thought tango was about dancing? This would be hard to keep time to, surely. Was hard to discern a beat a lot of the time. 3/5 for at least being something new to me.
Jazz meets Tango. I'm not a fan of both these genres. While I enjoyed the first track quite a bit, i found the second one unbearable - seems I'm not a fan of the vibraphone either. But this pattern continues somewhat - some tracks are really OK, others are Jazz (with a capital J) for the sake of it; rambling on much too long without strucure or aim. At least the Montreux audience seemed to like it. For me it was a mixed bag. 2.5/5
Banging vibes and concertina thing, weird little percussion noises in the background. Surprisingly interesting and varied overall. Good background 60s party music.
The album is entirely instrumental. It was good instrumental music. I wouldn't describe any of the music as iconic or really memorable. It was alright. I wouldn't pick to listen to this again but I didn't mind it.
Such a cool and fresh undertaking of tango with a wild combination of instruments. Definitely not going to be a regular play but I'm much better for having heard this