Search - Astor Piazzolla :: Octeto Buenos Aires

A Daring Departure

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 04/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a long-time fan and student of the music of Astor Piazzolla, I consider 1955 to be the year he began the redefinition of the tango, burning many bridges in the process. Not just one, but two "radical" projects were embarked upon in that seminal year. Piazzolla took the traditional tango orchestra and pared it down to form his Octeto Buenos Aires. This new form angered the traditionalists and stunned the avant-garde with its powerful new sound. In it, two bandoneons do all the work of four or five, demanding a virtuoso proficiency on an already difficult instrument. The new Piazzolla composition, Marron Y Azul, introduced the electric guitar into tango for the first time, and is used in various ways throughout the album including as a substitute for bongos. Piano and violin took a greater rhythmic and harmonic role than traditionally. Piano solos of great technical difficulty are introduced. I consider Piazzolla to be the John Mayall of the tango; always exploring, always improvising and most importantly, always able to ferret out just the right musicians for the project at hand. Atilio Stampone, to mention one, here proves himself equal to the piano tasks demanded. If you are used to the traditional tango and unfamiliar with the work of Piazzolla, then you might find this work a little disconcerting. In view of the tango community's reaction to it, I find it daring. Traditional tunes like Cobian's "Los Mareados" are reworked to great effect and new works like "Marron Y Azul" are introduced. I mentioned two radical projects in 1955. If you can find the Piazzolla album "Paris 1955", compare and contrast the work he does there with the Paris Opera's Orchestra and the great French jazz pianist Martial Solal to the work he does the same year with his octet. The difference could not be more profound! Incidentally, five stars would not do that incredible album justice. Both Octeto Buenos Aires and Paris 1955 belong in any serious Piazzolla fan's collection as the work shows, within the space of one year, the astounding breadth of his talent and the promise of greatness to come."