Al compas del mundo, programa #93

Al compas del mundo, programa #93 - Tango and danzón

The tango and danzón are two of the best-known dance styles to ever come out of Latin America. They evolved in the 19^th century as a lower-class form of entertainment, with influence from the Black ex-enslaved people (i.e. African) population and European immigrants. Both were considered scandalous at first by “polite society” as the accompanying dance styles were viewed as salacious, but proved to be too much fun to be ignored. As their popularity spread, the danzón became the official musical genre and dance of Cuba, where it originated, while the tango represented Argentina wherever it was heard. Today, the danzón in its original form is probably more popular and danced more widely in Mexico than Cuba. The tango, on the other hand, has spread around the world though remains firmly rooted as an essential cornerstone of Argentinian cultural pride.

The music in today’s program presents a sample of the most notable proponents of each genre. Old school legends like Carlos Gardel and Mariano Merceron match up with contemporary takes on classical themes from the likes of Astor Piazzola and the Orquesta la Moderna Tradicion. Dancing shoes are not required for listening, but millions of Latinos (and others) will experience restless leg syndrome for the next 60 minutes. JH

Tango and danzón run list - First broadcast 9=14=2023

01 Carlos Gardel - La Cumparsita (Argentina)

02 Orquesta Mexicana de Tango - Volver (México)

03 Hugo del Carril - A los oligarcas (Argentina)

04 Juan D'Arienzo con Osvaldo Ramos - Sentimiento gaucho (Argentina)

05 Tangueses - Camerata de tango (Uruguay)

06 Orquesta Mario Demarco con Edmundo Rivera - Mano a mano (Argentina)

07 Astor Piazzola - Fuga y misterio (Argentina)

08 Carlos Gardel - Adiós muchachos (Argentina)

09 Acerina y su Danzonera - Las alturas del Simpson (Cuba)

10 Chamaco Aguilar con La Danzonera Joven de México - Una rosa de Francia (México)

11 Carlos Campos y su Danzonera - Mujer (México)

12 Los Xochimilcas - Teléfono a larga distancia (México)

13 Danzonera Dimas - Lágrimas negras (México)

14 Mariano Merceron - Mi amigo Pancho (Cuba)

15 Felipe Pérez - El Acahual (Cuba)

16 Orquesta la Moderna Tradición - Clavelitos (Cuba-USA)

~`~!~!~!~!~!~`~

Comments

Al compás del mundo - programa #99 - Los Folkloristas

This week’s Al compás del mundo earns a pair of dedications. Primarily, to Las Folkloristas, a group of Mexican musicians who first came together in 1966 and who continue to the present day, delighting their public and educating them as to the breadth of folk music genres and instrumentation found in every corner of Latin America. The second dedication is to me and my sweetheart wife Claudia – we met at a concert of Los Folkloristas at the Sala Agora in Mexico City, in 1976. And yes, we too are still together. Get out your handkerchiefs and dry your eyes because there’s a story to be told as evidence that there’s a soulmate out there for everyone. You just have to make the effort to look, even if it takes you to a foreign land. And so it goes like this: I spent all of 1976 living in Mexico City, ostensibly to learn Spanish, but en realidad to loaf around, drink beer, practice my saxophone, and maybe, just maybe, look to meet a señorita. I lived in a pension (boardinghouse) owned by Jul...

Al compas del mundo, programa #92 - Japan

The Japanese historically have been a most creative people, excelling in aesthetic conventions like architecture, painting, culinary arts, theatre, music, and more. A craftsman’s care and an artist’s flair have come to define everyday household objects such as articles of clothing and kitchen ware, designed with a sensibility that imbues them with import and elevated status. After WWII in the United States however, an item inscribed “made in Japan” usually indicated a tchotchke of mediocre quality. A perfect example is the large number of Northwest Coast Native American-style bone totem poles made for the tourist shops in the Northwest. There is a distinctive difference in these “artifacts” from the real, home-made variety that illustrates someone from another culture tackling aesthetics they don’t fully comprehend. And that leads us to some of this week’s musical choices. Imitating Western pop, rock and jazz, Japanese artists have recorded many forgettable efforts – not unlike those o...

Al compas del mundo - programa #114 - potpourri of fun, fun, fun

Fun, Fun, Fun. And I do mean fun. Sometimes this summary of a weekly radio show veers off to a serious side, but not today. Not with this batch of winners. Not when we’re leading off with Los Xochimilcas. Like a mix of The Three Stooges and Spike Jones, they clamor for a round of “pulque for two!” with an eloquent danzón accompaniment. Then there’s Pigbag showing off some serious jazz chops…but is it jazz? Then again, who cares? Why fret over labels when we’re here to have fun?! So The Magnetic Fields’ tune isn’t exactly light-hearted glee and all, but fun comes in many packages. I had fun when I first heard I Die You Die. They sounded like the Velvet Underground had they hailed from West Virginia instead of New York. That’s not fun? Relatively speaking, there’s always room for Ennio Morricone. That lonesome whistle thrills me, along with the chorus of grunting injuns. A Spaghetti Western at its stereotypical best. Allen Toussaint, by the way, is one hell of a song writer, in cas...

Search This Blog