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Quartango continues to exceed my expectations with Esprit.

Mark Hammond | Chambersburg, PA USA | 10/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is not your grandfather's tango. It dances well, and it also is music that "pushes the envelope" of what is possible with the «orquesta típica.» People love the sound of traditional tango music, and yet many of them keep complaining that it all sounds the same. Esprit amazed me with what can be done with the combination of musicians skilled with piano, bass, violin, and bandoneón. Think of music (other than tango) that you like: jazz, Celtic, and opera. Yes --- you get all of it in this disk ! Music by Piazzolla, Brubeck, and Puccini. Yes, the Puccini from the opera. The longest piece on this disk is «E Lucevan Le Stelle», a piece meant more for listening than dancing. You will be absolutely delighted by Simon Leclerc's arrangement and interpretation of the theme from Puccini's "Tosca." The influence of Brubeck and Piazzola is seen in Richard Hunt's "Blue Rhondo à la Turk." This is music that I can really share with my friends who do not ordinarily listen to tango music. It should be noted that this disk was one of 5 nominees for the Juno Award [Canadian music award] for Best Global Album of 2001. This is the debut disk of bandoneonist Denis Plante. Not only is he a good musician, but he also collaborated with Richard Hunt in the arrangement of Pugliese's "La Yumba." Any discussion of musical writing and arranging should play tribute to the work of Quartango's own Richard Hunt in his brilliant original writing of "Milonga Celtica" and "Taquito Militar," as well as his arrangement or co-arrangement of 11 of the pieces on this album. In Quartango's various works, I have noticed that there is an interplay between musicians. That is one of the things that has always made jazz music appealing to me. It makes it fun. Everybody contributes to the presentation. In "Esprit" some of the pieces highlight the capabilities of each musician, and that is a positive. It is natural that tango music will highlight the work of the piano, the violin and the bandoneón. However, with "Esprit," bassist René Gosselin demonstrates his brilliance as a musician. I LOVE it! ! I found the disk rewarding, both to me as a dancer but also as somebody who enjoys good music."