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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

The New Tango

Astor Piazzolla

1987

The New Tango
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".

Wikipedia

Rating

2.91

Votes

9516
Genres
World
Jazz

Reviews

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Sat Mar 12 2022
4

If 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.

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Wed Jul 20 2022
1

Like being in an elevator for an hour.

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Fri Jul 22 2022
4

Tim Burton meets the Fifties is the vibe I got from this. But in a good way. Very impressive for a live album.

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Wed Nov 09 2022
3

I feel like I'm trapped in the interstitial sections of an episode of Mister Rodger's Neighbourhood.

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Wed Feb 01 2023
1

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.

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Wed Dec 28 2022
5

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.

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Wed Apr 06 2022
5

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.

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Thu Oct 27 2022
5

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.

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Thu Sep 15 2022
4

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.

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Wed Jun 22 2022
3

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.

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Fri Oct 27 2023
3

Gonna be useful for the next time I have to tiptoe out of a bank with a burlap sack of money on my back. Hope I don't slip on a banana peel, boy would that stink. Has some really cool moments and I like when they explore more avantgarde sounds, but the whole thing is just waaaayy too long for me to give it anything more than a 3/5.

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Mon Mar 14 2022
1

Eh. Listened to it. Feel like I completed a task.

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Thu Jun 23 2022
1

It is like Lightning Bolt but for Jazz and it is live. Got through half the album and almost fell asleep.

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Wed Jul 20 2022
1

I tired but yeah this was a tough one.

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Sun Sep 18 2022
1

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.

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Wed Oct 05 2022
1

I don't see the appeal very much at all. Not a fan 0.5-1/10

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Thu Sep 01 2022
4

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).

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Thu Apr 21 2022
3

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.

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Thu Feb 09 2023
3

As good as one could ever expect from music played on the xylophone and accordion.

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Thu Nov 02 2023
3

As I'm fighting off a cold, I laid down to take an afternoon nap and I put on some music to help me rest. The New Tango was the perfect music to relax to, with the soothing sound of vibraphone and accordian. It was mellow and chill and I appreciate the musicianship and I surprisingly enjoyed it. It's all about the mood and if I listened to get while working it might not have gotten my attention so much. Not the genre of music I normally listen to, but it's sometimes good to listen outside your comfort zone and this was comforting, at least at that moment.

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Thu Mar 10 2022
2

Wasn't particularly taken with this one

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Mon Apr 25 2022
2

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."

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Wed Aug 03 2022
2

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

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Wed Apr 27 2022
1

My wife: "Someone's just doing the demo track on a keyboard."

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Wed Jul 20 2022
1

Another one that I just don’t have the musical language to appreciate, maybe. But really really not for me.

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Sun Sep 04 2022
1

Muziek is prachtig, het spel van Piazzolla ook. Fantastische vioolpartijen maar helaas ook de hele tijd de vibrafoon van Burton.

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Wed Oct 05 2022
1

Viivin kommentti "pilipalimusiikista" nauratti sen verran, että melkein haluaisin antaa toisen tähden. Mutta onhan kuitenkin vasta tiistai.

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Sun Nov 27 2022
1

That was the most boring thing I've ever heard.

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Mon Jan 30 2023
1

96 / 1069 Meh. Top 1001...? I don't think so. One of the most boring things I've listened to.

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Mon Feb 06 2023
1

It's The Cylinder with a squeeze box, I mean seriously. No soup for you..NEXT!

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Thu Apr 21 2022
5

Simply brilliant! Magical and mesmerizing

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Fri Jun 17 2022
5

Vibes aren't everyone's favorite, but I like this music

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Wed Jun 22 2022
5

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.

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Mon Aug 22 2022
5

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.

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Wed Sep 21 2022
5

Belleza 🌿🌿 me gustan mucho como suenan los xilófonos ahí.

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Tue Dec 13 2022
5

Really love this album and never would have chosen it for myself. As a classically trained musician this just made my heart happy.

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Sun Dec 25 2022
5

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

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Thu Jan 12 2023
5

Really liking this blending of styles. Some parts I didn't like as much but overall super cool.

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Fri Jan 27 2023
5

A new discovery. Quote extraordinary

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Mon Jan 30 2023
5

xylophone goes CRAZY here!!!!

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Wed Mar 08 2023
5

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!

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Wed Mar 22 2023
5

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!

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Mon Mar 27 2023
5

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.

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Mon Mar 27 2023
5

Absolutely invigorating. I feel vigorous!

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Wed Mar 29 2023
5

Never had I dreamed that the combination of Accordion and Vibraphone would be enthralling. This album is 58 minutes of purse musical virtuosity, and it reminds me that there are still so many areas of music I have yet to uncover. Fav Tracks: Best enjoyed in it's entirety

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Fri Mar 31 2023
5

Increíble la reinterpretación

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Wed May 10 2023
5

Evidently, I just love Jazz because I just let Apple Music keep playing a smart playlist after this, and time disappeared.

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Fri May 26 2023
5

Love a good jazz adjacent album

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Thu Aug 17 2023
5

Gary Burton was the name of my Hoosier bus driver.

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Fri Sep 22 2023
5

Masterful and passionate music. Two beasts surprisingly making widely disparate music sound like it was meant to be. Will revisit.

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Wed Nov 29 2023
5

From calm to frantic there is incredible playing throughout this recording. Watch the video on youtube for an idea of how much work it is.

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Wed Dec 13 2023
5

Favorites: La Muerta deL Angel, Milonga is coming Fun album!

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Mon Jan 08 2024
5

Genius Astor - nett ergänzt mit Marimbaphon.

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Wed Jan 17 2024
5

Very much enjoyed it. Happy and complex with some of the underlying tension present in Tango. Quite fun!

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Fri Feb 09 2024
5

Just five stars without any comments!

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Fri Feb 09 2024
5

Honestly one of the most surprisingly stunning album on the list. So fucking good. Two absolute titans of their instrument teaming up to create an hour of mezmorizing tango

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Fri Feb 16 2024
5

Oh I love this! Fantastic musicians. Music to work to, during a dinner, etc.

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Wed Mar 06 2024
5

Wonderful work. Great musicians, great music. I suppose difficult for all, which are not used to jazz, tango or similar music but if you are patient enough to listen a few times to this album it will pay you back!

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Tue Mar 15 2022
4

Idk what that is but its amazing!

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Wed Apr 06 2022
4

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.

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Wed Apr 20 2022
4

Je m'attendais pas à ça ce matin Prefs: Milonga is Coming, Little Italy, Operation Tango Moins pref: Vibraphonissimo

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Sun Apr 24 2022
4

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.

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Thu Apr 28 2022
4

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.

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Mon May 09 2022
4

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

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Thu Jun 09 2022
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.

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Wed Jul 20 2022
4

Disco ao vivo flui muito bem e demonstra a força da melodia do tango envolvido com jazz.

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Thu Jul 28 2022
4

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.

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Thu Sep 01 2022
4

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.

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Sun Sep 18 2022
4

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.

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Sun Sep 18 2022
4

I do not understand why this is on the list but I love listening to it.

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Mon Sep 19 2022
4

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.

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Wed Sep 28 2022
4

Vraiment bon, je me decouvre une passion pour le tango 4.5

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Wed Oct 12 2022
4

Great jams on this one. Vocal free too.

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Mon Oct 17 2022
4

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.

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Fri Dec 09 2022
4

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.

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Sun Dec 18 2022
4

This was pretty good. Probably listening again

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Wed Jan 04 2023
4

A fun soundtrack to making pasta!

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Fri Jan 06 2023
4

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.

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Thu Jan 26 2023
4

"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.

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Mon Feb 06 2023
4

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.

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Thu Feb 09 2023
4

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! ✅

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Thu Feb 09 2023
4

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. 🌹

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