The New Tango

Album #316 Astor Piazzolla and Gary Burton: The New Tango The only class that I ever failed in my educational career, spanning all the way from kindergarten through university, was grade five music class. I was the type of kid who would always prioritize making people laugh over taking things seriously, which, when met with an uptight and neurotic music teacher who had the Fletcher complex, I couldn’t help but feel like she specifically had it out for me. Being from an incredibly small school, our choices of instruments weren’t great, but as the biggest kid in the class, I got assigned the tuba since I was the only one who could actually carry it. Well, despite my rivalry with the music teacher, I decided that I would actually give it my all on my tuba test and prove that I was capable of playing an instrument; I actually practiced all week and come test time, I was feeling confident. Yet midway through my performance, I was stopped early and ridiculed in front of the class; apparently my playing was so offensive that she thought I was just playing bad on purpose to be funny. My fledgling music career died in that moment, and it took years for me to even enjoy listening to music after that. Come grade six since I got kicked off the tuba I was sent to percussion with the other, for no choice of a better word, underachievers. The percussion section consisted of a drum kit, a triangle, and a vibraphone; since at that point I was completely checked out of the class, I decided to let the other two bozos share the drum, and I volunteered to be full-time vibraphone since I figured it would be the easiest to half-ass. Apparently my music teacher was so touched by my gesture, my ability to let the other two have the incredibly sought-after drum kit, that from that moment on whenever I would play the vibraphone she would act as if I was Gary Burton himself. The thing is, I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to actually keep up by playing the right notes, so instead I would just play random notes, but to the correct rhythm, and since it was rare that I would ever be playing solo, I was able to coast by being drowned out by the band. Well, this strategy was so successful that when it came time for us to perform in front of all the schools in the region, my music teacher was so impressed by my improvement that she incorporated a vibraphone solo into the performance. For weeks leading up to it, during practice, the brunt of our class time was spent focused on me since I had begrudgingly become the centrepiece of our performance. And though I thought the jig was up and I would inevitably be found out, somehow I was able to escape suspicion of my inadequacy by simply playing random notes at the right time. So come presentation time, I still had not actually had to learn my parts; and when the lights shone the brightest, I received a standing ovation despite not knowing what the fuck I was doing. All this to say that I know a thing or two about live vibraphone performances, and frankly, because of how easy it was for me to put up an adequate performance without actually knowing how to play, I never had any real respect for the instrument. After listening to The New Tango, however, I can finally see just how great it can actually sound when played correctly. I still am not knowledgeable enough about jazz to accurately speak on what I like and don’t like about this album, but what I can say is that it is definitely the kind of jazz that I jive with; pleasant whilst remaining engaging. The opening track might be one of my favourite jazz songs that I’ve heard yet; I found it to be breathtakingly serene. Though I didn’t find anything else on that level, the rest of the songs were nice enough to ensure that the album left a positive impression in my mind. I also kept forgetting it was a live album until the audience would clap at the end of each song, since the audio quality was so good. A really nice surprise, and it made me look into the life that I could have led had I decided to hone my craft further (Gary Burton wishes he had my raw talent). Best Songs: Milonga is Coming, Laura’s Dream, Nuevo Tango Worst Song: Little Italy Score out of 10: 7.5

I don't have a lot of experience with tango music beyond what this list has provided me, but I did really enjoy this album. These are some very interesting arrangements that are played exceptionally well on some rather unique instruments.

2.5

Maybe this is because it's a Monday, and I'm in a bad mood, but this album was so, so boring.

Astor Piazzola is to Argentina what Carlos Paredes is to Portugal! They are indispensable figures in their respective arts; one can never deny that they represent nothing less than the absolute pinnacle of genius and mastery in their craft.

Tango nuevo with famed ECM jazzman Gary Burton on vibes??? There was no way this was gonna NOT be fire.

This was interesting! I can’t give it higher than a 3 in this rating system because I don’t think I’ll ever listen again, but I did enjoy it. Dude was going off on the vibraphone(?). Neuvo Tango seemed like it could be Disney villain music if the villain was whimsical and magical.

Some truly enchanting compositions, however I have to admit it's all a bit out of my wheelhouse. Shoutout to the vibraphone player, though, who's consistently steals the show! Usually when you think of tango it's the strings and accordions that come to mind first. Standout: La Muerta Del Angel

Incredible virtuosity, but why is this on the list? The jazz catalog is literally teaming with incredible records and so when something like this pops up, as one of like 10 jazz albums on this list, I wonder why the 1001 author didn’t just leave the jazz list to someone else.

Mellow and cool.

Started a little weak for me not my thing tinkering on Piano. It got a little more oomph later and I got into it the more instruments involved the louder the louder it got however it irritated me towards the end.

I loved two of these songs (Milonga Is Coming, Little Italy) but the rest was just fine.

3/5

Boring album cover. I never really like the "live" covers, and this one is no exception. Furthermore I can see why this album never actually had a studio session. I cannot tell if this was a planned event or these two people just went on stage and played whatever they wanted. The clapping after every song was pretty annoying after awhile, and for an instrumental jazzy italian album, it had quite a small track number at 7 tracks. Very jazzy. Very italian. Some songs, noteably the first one "Milonga is Coming" has some really high highs, but just middle of the road all around. Best Song: Milonga is Coming. Worst Song: La Muerta Del Angel.

Sounds like the little tikes got their first xylophone for Christmas. It’s like a tap-a-tune extravaganza!

Sometimes I don't know if I'm listening to a musician or some guy on stage. The majority of the music has no clear structure or direction; but, occasionally, it will find itself for about thirty seconds per song. For those thirty seconds, this album is exceptional. Its Italian Jazz is unique and interesting, which motivates me to give this a high score. However, I can't get over its length and just how much of it is filler. Again, I want to enjoy this record, but it's unfortunately not for me. I can appreciate the talent that went into this album, and its creative ideas, but I believe the execution is poor. I won't listen again, but I'm happy to say I heard a different perspective to music; even if I did not like it, I expanded my taste just a little.

Einfach nicht meine Musik… nix für mich.

It's nice

Mooi en intens. Echter ik trek een heel album van deze muziek niet... (soms te veel kakafonie)

I rate this 3 plings out of 5 plongs

An existential crisis at a Parisian cafe.

танго чтоб красть коня, кормить коня. радоваться коню. ебать какой конь! а потом играть с ним джаз. окей

It's a great live album. So delicate, nuanced and intimate. Piazzolla's compositions are favorites of mine. Full of twists and turns, delivering emotions extremely effectively. Gary Burton is certainly the star here, preformece speaking. Both amazing technical playing (I mean, how can you do that?") And extremely musical in his solo passages. I only wanted some more of Piazzolla's own playing. But the arrangements are great nonetheless. Lovely one. A 4 for me.

Some of this music is made for smarter people than I as I didn't get it. Some of it was deserved to be video game boss music. Other songs kept you on edge, not sure if this was good or bad but I wouldn't listen again.

Didn't care for this. Orchestral

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? No Thoughts: - I know absolutely nothing about tango, or these artists, but this was pretty fun! - I'm still not someone who really listens to instrumental albums, other than for background noise, but I'd put this on again. Sounds really good for a live album, too!

It's good music, but not really my mood today. 5/10.

Beautiful music

3/5

not bad, rather unelectrifying. i thought tango would go crazy

This was pretty good, not great. I like some mellow vibraphone, jazzy violin, and fun piano, and this album has all of that in spades.

I'm not entirely certain I understood what I was listening to. This is incredibly florid music. Vibraphone, piano, guitar, strings, and the accordion thing he plays are a lot to take in and probably the first time I've heard those things played together. The song structures were inscrutable on first listen. I listened twice. I still did not understand much more.

2/5 - This was pleasant for awhile, until I felt like I was at at a live show where I would definitely not stay for the encore.

For a live album it was very staid. Glad I wasnt at that gig. Im sure its all very good and a lot of skill and talent goes into playing the chime bars Violist was obviously virtuoso but wasnt for me really.

Positives: kept forgetting this was live until the applause. It's very clean and tight. The dramatic backing instruments, especially the violin, are great. An obviously very talented composer. Negatives: sounds like bottles. Not exactly what I'd want to listen to. Old-fashioned and I'm not South American enough to appreciate it. All I know is that I didn't dislike this, but I'm not rushing for more. How on Earth are you supposed to rate this fairly?

Never heard of this record or this style of music....super cool stuff, really enjoyed it!

Uhh

Xylophone and accordions never feature highly in my go to listening. Not going to change - though noted this was a vibraphone. First track reminded me of Tony Hart’s Gallery which was nice. Background music to me which means I zoned out too much to properly comment on most tracks. Operation Tango caught my attention but for the wrong reasons. Very generous 2.

Probably my most enjoyed album of this nature on the list so far. Expert musicianship

Regular readers of this page will know that the vibraphone is one of my fav instruments. I'm also open to a bit of red-rose-in-the-mouth Tango. That said, this particular combination didn't excite not ignite me.

The first track was promising then the elevator went down from there. Not even good lift music. Give me the Gotan Project any day!

Someone please for the love of God, get me off of this elevator already. I have things to do today. It’s been almost an hour… Is what I was expecting to say. You probably thought I was going to be negative towards this album. That’s fine, I did too. After all, I still can’t stand Jazz, no matter how hard this project tries to gaslight me into enjoying it. However, this was so different from the usual disorganized, hard to listen to Jazz that I typically get, and I actually ended up enjoying the album because of it. Especially “Operation Tango”, that was my favorite song on the album. It still very much incorporates some Jazz components. Clearly the songs aren’t rehearsed or traditional, but for some reason I just really like these weird instruments. I guess we can mark “Tango” on the list of Jazz styles I genuinely enjoy. I’d say that this is the only Tango album on the list, but there are actually 2, so we’ll definitively see if me liking this one is a fluke or not. But I don’t know man, the xylophone just goes kinda hard, I won’t even lie to you. This album is right at the cusp of being an hour long, coming in at 58 minutes, and I managed to have it loop a few times before I was ready to move on. And for a record like this, that does say a lot to its quality in my eyes. While I may not return to this one, I still thought it was great for what it was. For a genre like Jazz that is supposed to entirely be comprised of structure without solid planning to make every song sound unique, all of the Jazz I’ve heard so far has for the most part been samey and boring. This, however, this actually did something for me. And it’s got to be because of that damn xylophone. It just stands out, makes every song better, and it’s pretty cool. If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times, don’t judge a book by its cover. I went into this album looking at the reviews, the genre, the score, and made the immediate guess that I’d end up detesting it. Happy to say I was wrong on this one. The New Tango by Astor Piazzolla, whoever that is, is actually pretty damn good. It’s a 3/5.

I started this album with a really bad attitude, but ended up loving it. Can't imagine revisiting it, though.

It's ok as background music

Rating based on how this album made me feel: anxious and stressed out. So not really one I see myself wanting to listen to again.

it's different from what i'm used to ig, but not too interesting

Well-played and some dizzying, high dramatic points make this pretty interesting, but I don't need to hear a full set from these guys

There was some good musicianship going on here. I did enjoy listening to this, but I also don’t know that I would ever particularly gravitate back to it. 3/5

am I either in an elevator or a maze?

Elevator music if I ever heard it. 2/5

Album Very Tango! And not that old Tango. But that new Tango!

Tango, I guess. Not terrible. Not something that caught my interest in any way.

I assume this must be some kind of big deal in the tango community. I’m not too disappointed I never found that community myself.

After listening to this for what felt like forever I was shocked to find I was still only on the third track! I never want to hear this again.

“Get your glocks off, get your glocks off, honey!” Anyway, I thought the Tango was supposed to be fiery and passionate for dancing. I just feel the instrumentation used crushed that here. The massive overeliance on the vibraphone just made the ‘exciting sections’ sound like the crescendo to an episode of Poirot.

This is a really good record for music fans. It is a virtuosic performance by top-level musicians captured live in-the-moment. There's a touch of classical and a touch of jazz mixed in with some interesting performances. Burton, the "featured soloist" of the ensemble is not the only one who shines in this performance, as each instrumentalist gets a "turn". For instance, on "Little Italy 1930", the piano really drives the track and the soloing is pretty outstanding. It is a varied and interesting recording.

Great great album! Really cool to just listen while doing other chores! Great aesthetic of sound!

honestly slaps??? elevator music on crack

This is a gem of a record.

Fun, punchy tango - got to be a little much sometimes, but overall enjoyable

Not anything I really ever listen to. This is super-mellow but it's fun as heck. Music gets very inventive with "Nuevo Tango", brilliant in fact.

Blahhhh

A superb performance by brilliant musicians. Really enjoyed the tasteful blending of American and Argentine sensibilities of classical, jazz, and tango music.

Sounds more than just classical fusion. But still I liked the drama, mood and VIBES. TIL that someone who plays the vibrophone is called a vibist.

Frantic

Nice marimba work. Or xylophones. Or whatever was being played: the audience clearly liked it, though I genuinely couldn’t work out for as I didn’t hear any blistering woodwork solos.

Maybe I’m not into tango

Rate: 6/10.

Interesting mix of instruments.

i found this record to be rather bland as a concentrated listening experience. it may make for decent background music, but there's simply not much going on; it was rough sitting through some of the longer tracks. as for the primary instruments, i'm not one for heavy vibraphone usage in general. while the bandoneon can be interesting here, i feel that it needs more varied composition and instrumentation alongside it than this performance offers.

This was honestly kind of a vibe. Not entirely my thing, but I liked it more than I thought I would. 3/5

First of all how do you dance to this!? Now that that’s out of the way, this album was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed some songs, like vibraphonissimo. Other songs were dull and meandering. It was interesting to hear an album that put two almost unheard in modern music instruments at the forefront. Most people don’t associate the vibraphone with virtuoso musicians, it’s an instrument normally relegated to novelty songs or to portray a skeleton playing its own ribcage in cartoons. But at one point it was an instrument that was taken seriously. I thought that was interesting.

Ran to the reviews as soon as I heard the first track. Definitely decisive. I'm blaming Pixar for ruining this type of music

#260/1001 🇦🇷 This didnt do a great deal for me. I think this record is here to showcase Piazzolla's playing but sadly it's overshadowed by Gary Burton's Vibraphone which i can really live without. Interestingly i listened to more of Piazzolla's work and enjoyed it more. Best Track: Laura's Dream.

Oh my god an hour of this elevator music nonsense? WHY IS THIS ON HERE

(3/5) Very pleasant. Here's another solid example of what I came here for. An interesting musical style, performed by competent musicians, in an hour or less format. If there was more of this concept on the list (variety, competency) I wouldn't be so bitter and they could have snuck in a few extra of the English synth/Brit pop/electronic slop I've learned to despise.. This was perfectly pleasant. Thanks for the experience and here's a solid '3'. Didn't hate it, for sure, but there wasn't a deep love for it either. Cool. Next album, please.

I'd never heard of Astor, and was impressed to find that he had 73 albums and 50 film credits to his name. This one felt like more of a ballet or film score than a standalone piece, but I found that I really enjoyed the storytelling here, with pieces that ran seamlessly through a wide range of emotions with beautifully crafted transitions of rhythm, tempo, and and harmony. Works like these tend to migrate to the background if you let them, but I actually felt that the live format here kept it engaging, and the breaks for applause helped to separate one piece from the next. All in all, it caught me in the right mood on the right day, and was a surprising inclusion that I didn't see coming, and gets a round up to 4/5 from me.

212. The New Tango - Astor Piazzolla and Gary Burton (1987) 9.22.26 Variety: 4 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 4 = 4.0 "For me, tango was always for the ear rather than the feet." - Astor Piazzolla Astor Piazzolla is a name I am completely unfamiliar with, but quick search reveals I have heard at least some of his music - "Suite Punta del Este" which was used as the main theme for the Terry Gilliam movie 12 Monkeys. I have a vague memory of that, but it's been a couple of decades since I've seen it, and likely would not have recognized it as such ( edit: I gave it a listen and it did bring back some memories). I'm not sure what to expect here except that it'll be a live album ( sigh...) and it's going to heavily feature both the vibraphone and an instrument called a bandoneon, which I've heard plenty of but which to my ears is not very different from an accordion. I usually dig the experience when we get these curveball entries from the list, even if the album itself ends up being unimpressive. The non-traditional, non-rock stuff I would actually welcome more of, but I'm not sure it would go over well with users, as I think a lot of people come to the list mainly expecting rock n roll. THE TRACKS "Milonga Is Coming" - This was pleasant and slightly melancholic and an awesome mix of instrumentation. I got very little of the Tango promised by the title, but the soft jazzy elements went over really well. The Latin flavors came in more near the end, and I was reminded quite a bit of some of the sadder moments from some Nino Rota film scores. "Vibraphonissimo" - This one also gave me major Nino Rota vibes, and seemed to alternate between being very playful, and then very dark. This seemed very much like a showcase track for Burton, and when Piazzolla came in, along with a violin ( from Fernando Suárez Paz) it was in full support of Burton. Pablo Ziegler ( I assume) adds some nice touches with the piano on this that bring in some additional rich, dark tones. "Little Italy" - I'm not generally a fan of very romantic, sweeping piano work. Things start that way, and at first I was worried we were heading into Liberace territory, but things took a more introspective turn when the vibraphone came in, and I didn't have to wait too long. The violin was my favorite part about this one, and it supercharged the whole atmosphere with a sort of magic whimsy that put me in mind of some of the score work from Joe Hisaishi did on Studio Ghibli movies as well as the more recent score by Dan Romer for the Pixar movie Luca. This was a very pleasant journey. "Nuevo Tango" - This one started very frenetically, with a lot of nervous energy, but around halfway in I started to hear it. I got strong Addams Family film score vibes, and more than a little Danny Elfman as well. My favorite track yet on the album, full of interesting textures and plenty of twists and turns. A manic episode in music form. "Laura's Dream" - Slow and sad, this one leans hard into the Rota formula again, and we get a revisit of those romantic vibes, this time turned upside down so that the atmosphere becomes depressive, but beautiful. The latter half picks up the tempo, and there's more than a bit of desperation left in the air when it ends. "Operation Tango" - This one seems to live up to its title more than anything else on here, with the Tango and Latin influences much more literally applied, but either compressed or pulled apart. I can't imagine anyone actually dancing to this except in a decidedly interpretive, modern way. By the end with the pounding bass notes from the piano and the frantic feeling of all the ither instruments being pulled in a dozen different directions from each other, ending on a very exciting note. HIGHLIGHTS - the playing throughout - the rich atmosphere - the interesting combination of instruments and genres - masterful shifts in tone MIDLIGHTS - some of the more romantic piano work LOWLIGHTS - the crowd FINAL THOUGHTS I enjoyed this quite a bit. I was reminded of a lot of other stuff that I like throughout - elements of Nino Rota and Danny Elfman's film scores, as well as the Addams Family scores by Marc Shaiman, various pieces by Joe Hisaishi, and Belgian avant-garde chamber rock band Univers Zero. There was a lot of whimsy, romanticism, and darkness throughout, and overall I felt that it was a pretty great experience. The one thing that soured things for me was the goddamn audience erupting into applause in the middle of playing or before the final notes were played. I have a pretty stringent anti-live album policy and while there have been a few notable exceptions ( some I've discovered via the list), for the most part I find the audience noise distracting and grating. One thing this album has in its favor that counters that just a bit ( not enough to lose a full star though) is the impeccable sound quality. Whoever mic'd the stage deserves some extra credit here because for long periods I totally forgot this was a live album. When the roar of the audience came back in occasionally it was even more annoying. The wonderful playing, the variety of feelings the music brought out, the casual ease with which the musicians seemed to be able to switch between danger and excitement, and a relaxed, more romantic mode never felt artificial or forced. I am most definitely going to seek out more material from both of these guys, but will be avoiding as much live material as I can. It gets a very high rating for me on the scale of pure listening pleasure, but it's also not something that will hold in my memory for very long, especially not any of the specific melodies. That would require many more listens. For now it's a very solid 4 that's going to get knocked a star for the annoying crowd. Possible turn-Offs might include: - long run times - possibly unfamiliar genres - some sweeping romantic themes You Might enjoy this if you: - enjoy idiosyncratic film score type stuff - are into jazz-infused Latin sounds - don't mind being led off the beaten path PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS FURTHER LISTENING Precursors: - "El Día Que Me Quieras" by Carlos Gardel - "Malandraca" by Osvaldo Pugliese - Il Casanova di Federico Fellini film score by Nino Rota - The Gerry Mulligan Songbook by the Gerry Mulligan Octet Contemporaries: - Last Tango in Paris by Gato Barbieri - Sueño de Víbora by Descendants: - Tango film score by Lalo Schifrin - Addams Family and Addams Family Values film scores by Marc Shaiman - Jazz Tango by Pablo Ziegler - The Wind Rises film score by Joe Hisaishi - Luca film score by Dan Romer

Quite the pleasant surprise from the list. An album of cool music played before an appreciative audience. I enjoyed it. Also, saw this dude, Astor Piazzolla has an international airport named after him in Mar del Plata. I mean how many other people on this list have that? Dolly Parton, for one. Who else? Kudos, sir. 3/5

This is a great album that mashes up Tango and Jazz. Both Piazzollza on the accordion-like bandoneon and Burton on the vibes are outstanding. Liked Songs Added: Vibraphonissimo Nuevo Tango

Not my thing.

Never thought I’d be listening to an album such as this. And I can’t say I hated it. It’s different, naturally, but as a former band nerd, I could picture a marching band show put together with some of these songs. Yes, I’m aware he’s a composer. But I see the vision: just add a drum line and some horns and you got yourself one interesting type of show. You definitely have to be in the mood for it as well as eclectic but I enjoyed it more than I expected I would.

Didn’t initially strike me as belonging part of the 1001 project, but after a bit I was glad it was included! It’s certainly different, but skillfully presented and like a lot of the other weird stuff here I’m kinda into it. 3.5/5

It’s nice but it’s background music. It’s inoffensive background music though!

I liked to listen to some spanish lyrics, MMMM idk if it's my cup of tea but I liked it soooo 2 or 3

Although I'm sure they're great and talented musicians this just made me twitch. Turns out I don't like the vibraphone - at all!

Astor Piazzolla, der argentinische Bandoneon-Virtuose des Tango Nuevo, und Gary Burton, amerikanischer Jazz-Vibraphonist, trafen sich im Juli 1986 beim Montreux Jazz Festival. Aufgenommen live in der Schweiz, im Berklee Recording Studio abgemischt und 1987 bei WEA beziehungsweise Atlantic veröffentlicht: The New Tango ist genau das, was der Titel verspricht, allerdings weniger glatt, als man bei dieser Kombination befürchten könnte. Ich finde die eigentliche Qualität des Albums nicht in der Fusion selbst, sondern in dem, was zwischen den beiden Musikern ungelöst bleibt. Piazzollas Quintett trägt die harmonische Schwere und die typische Melancholie des Nuevo Tango, Burton antwortet mit einem Vibraphon-Klang, der eher aus dem amerikanischen Jazz kommt und sich nicht wirklich anpasst – und genau das macht Stücke wie „Milonga Is Coming" interessant. Bei „Little Italy 1930" dagegen wirkt das Zusammenspiel deutlich runder, fast zu konventionell für meinen Geschmack. „La Muerte del Angel", eines der bekanntesten Piazzolla-Stücke überhaupt, verliert hier nichts von seiner Wucht, gewinnt durch Burtons Beteiligung aber eine ungewohnte Leichtigkeit im Klangbild. Die Liveaufnahme aus Montreux merkt man dem Album an – nicht nur akustisch, auch im Spiel selbst liegt eine Unmittelbarkeit, die im Studio wahrscheinlich verloren gegangen wäre. Zwei Traditionen treffen hier aufeinander, ohne dass eine von beiden sich der anderen unterordnet.

No bueno

Music for a festival for folks who like this kind of music. I can’t knock it, but I don’t like to listen to it.

this fun!

It was fine but pretty boring

Not terrible I guess but I really didn’t care for it

This is "new tango" but doesn't sound much like Tango to me. It's kind of experimental score/composition, more like Jazz than anything else. Most tracks are fine (pleasant sounding xylophone, if somewhat long), but some are a little too intense/dissonant.

Maybe just a 3, but bumping it up to 4 for maybe being the most xylophone-forward album on this list.

Tolle Musiker und auch komponistisch eindrucksvoll, wie hier der Tango weiterentwickelt wird (nicht dass ich mich auskennen würde mit Tango...) Nach etwa 20min wird's allerdings etwas anstrengend, und mir fehlt die Abwechslung. Insgesamt ok, aber ich weiß nicht ob ich jemals nochmal zu dem Album greifen würde. 2.5/5 - okay

Lacking any of the knowledge to assess the album relevance, it is very refreshing to see the region of Latin America well represented with sounds that are unique and interesting. 8/10 [KEEP]

delightful, a nice change of pace from a lot of this list

In my head Tango is sultry, and sensual and dare I say it physical music. This is definitely the music of the head and not the body. It sounds like a panic attack scene in a Giallo movie. I’m not sure that’s a good thing or not and it seems churlish to give this 2 stars but there was nothing for me to grab hold of

Curious how this resonated in the UK at the time, as that is the usual explanation for how or why something ended up in Dimery’s book but is otherwise not of a piece with most of these entries. As most reviewers here have noted, the listening effect at present is fairly dull, likely down to the choice of instrumentation. You can insist as much as possible that in the mid-late 1980s this represented a departure, but not accepting it on those terms is not evidence of colonial, imperialist inclinations. Sometimes you just don't, uh, get the vibe.

Now I am particular to classical music. I quite like tango. Don't mind a bit of xylophone, but enough already. There are some other interesting instruments here, however I abhor the piano accordion. Fun fact: I once paid a busking piano accordion player to go away while sitting at a cafe in Europe. The first 12 minute track just meanders along without saying much. Pick any segment for generic hold music. The second track might as well be the same. The "Neuvo Tango" is the most interesting track on the record, but even so it drifts off somewhere else. I guess I'm not cut out for jazz? 2 or a 3? It's a good thing I didn't listen to this on my long drive yesterday as I probably would have ended up in the shrubbery (with the knights of Ni!) The second half of the album was better for me that the first half but that's not saying much.