TRACK LISTING

This is the group’s first CD, and very enjoyable and varied it is too. There are 3 “traditional” tangos, 2 milongas by Julian Plaza, 5 pieces by Piazzolla, 1 Finnish Tango and 6 of the brand new tangos especially composed for the band following their request for new works.

The traditional tangos are “Quejas de bandoneón”, “El Choclo” and “La Bordona”, all with interesting arrangements by Alejandro Schwarz, who also arranges the two milongas, Dominguero and Nocturna by Plaza. We like these interpretations, although purely from a dancer’s point of view, we would have preferred that the “yumba” - for want of a better description, and thank you Mr. Pugliese - be maintained throughout the tangos. This is a bit nit-picking as the arrangements are full of colour, light and shade, drama and feeling.

Of the five Piazzolla pieces, we were pleased to see that the band had included “Decarissimo”, beautifully played, as well as the usual offerings of Verano Porteño, Oblivion and Libertango. The other Piazzolla tango is the lesser-known Escualo, described in the sleeve notes as “the shark!” - an apt description of the music, and one wonders whether Steven Speilberg was a Piazzolla fan...

Then we have the new works, and we are pleased to say that they are not just Piazzolla copies, but all have their own character. They are well-chosen for this CD compilation to keep the listener interested as each piece unfolds, and range from the sleepy “Uneen” by Miko Helenius (a dead slow milonga by the Finnish composer, capturing the moment of falling asleep) to the explosion of sound in “Tango X” by Ross Lorraine. Perhaps my personal favourite is “Red Tango” by Sergei Zyatkov, (all the way from Northern Siberia, no less), which has a great off-beat rythym which would be fascinating to dance to - I’ll have to try it late at night at The Crypt and see what everyone makes of it....

As for the musicians themselves, they comprise of Kristina Kuusisto (bandoneon), Lucy Waterhouse (violin), Lucy Hare (double bass), Roger Davison (Piano) and Nigel Woodhouse (guitar). It makes me really happy to say that they rival any of the new bands that we have heard from Argentina in recent times, something which I could not have said of any UK band a year or so ago.

All we can say is, well done Tango Volcano, we look forward to CD number two !

1. Quejas de Bandoneon
(3:17) - Juan Filiberto err. Alejandro Schwarz
An exuberant tango from the Golden Age.

2. Lapin Tango
 (2:57) - Unto Mononen arr. Sverre Indris Joner
A Lapland version of the traditional Finnish tango tune, arranged by a Norwegian tanguero in honour of our Finnish bandoneonist, KK.

Decarissimo    (3:24) - Astor Piazzolla
Hear the jazz idiom seeping into Piazzolla's work, which pays its respects to his earlier master, De Caro. The next three are new tangos especially written for us in 2003:

4. Milonga Azure (5:57) - Graham Lynch
The gentle surf of the Cornish sea near the composer's home in Penzance.

5. Tango X        (2:16) - Ross Lorraine
Driven, funky and addictive.

6. Red Tango     (2:22) - Sergei Zyatkov
All the way from northern Siberia, this tango is a compact blast of energy for violin, bass and piano.

 7. Oblivion       (4:21) - Astor Piazzolla
Perhaps Piazzolla's most famous bandoneon tune ever.

8. Libertango       (3:57) - Astor Piazzolla
Piazzolla's irrisistibly energetic milonga.

9. EmBruchado     (3:22) - Adrian Varela
 Another brand new tango by Uraguayan violinist Adrian Varela, inspired by Bruch's violin concerto. Spot the quotes!

10. Dominguera   (3:05) - Julian Plaza arr. A Schwarz
An upbeat milonga.

11. La Bordona    Emilio Balcarce arr. A Schwarz
A sumptuous traditional tango for late-night dancing.

12. Escualo       (3:32) - Astor Piazzolla
The Shark!

13. Nocturne    (3:20) - Julian Plaza err. A Schwarz
Get your shoes on. A wonderful milonga to dance to.

14. Astor La Vista   (5:37) - Paul Robinson
An exuberant hommage to Piazzolla himself.

15. Uneen          (5:02) - Mikko Helenius
A dead slow milonga by Finnish tanguero, Mikko Helenius capturing the moment of falling asleep....

16. El Choclo       - Angel Viloldo arr. A Schwarz
One of the best-known of all traditional tangos.

17. Verano Porteno     (6:40) -Astor Piazzolla
 Summer from the "Four Seasons". Feel the heat of an oppressive Buenos Aires summer. Recorded during the height of the UK 2003 heatwave.

11-WEEK
BEGINNERS
COURSE

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TANGO VOLCANO is a band of five musicians at the cutting edge of tango. Our repertoire contains an eclectic mix of tangos from around the world, as well as representing the Argentinian tango classics with numbers by renowned tango greats such as Astor Piazzolla and Julian Plaza.

In this, our first CD we have chosen five of our favourite Piazzolla numbers, a selection from our more traditional repertoire, as well as six brand new tangos written especially for us in 2003, in response to our Call for New Tangos through the SPNM (Nos. 4,5,6,9,14,15).

We hope this CD will appeal to newcomers and devotees alike and that you enjoy dancing and listening to this proud and passionate music.

A word of warning, tango is obsessive.