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

British Invasion - 1960s

I wanted to declare “Kick out the jams, mo’fos!” as a signpost towards the message in this week’s Al compás del mundo radio show, but that actually came about a little later. As humanity descended ever deeper into the Cro-Magnon state, Iggy Pop and the punks claimed that honor. What we have here instead, is a post-WWII let’s shake up the political order a bit, and no, not everyone has signed up to be an unconscious consumer attitude. There’s something afoot with these lads. Not exactly revolutionary fervor, but most certainly promoting a change in the general way of things. Recalling Che Guevara’s famous quote “Do Wah Diddy Diddy”, the Animals, Yardbirds, Rolling Stones et. al. pouted and preened – some more than others – in a way that hadn’t quite been done before. Youthful vigor ensued. These groups pushed the evolutionary chain of popular music a step further and we’re all better off for it. Set list Al compás del mundo programa #183, 6-5-25 - The British Invasion, 1960s 01 Yar...

Funk and Soul

Al compás del mundo - programa #169, 2-27-25, Funk and Soul 01 The Commodores - Brick House 02 Tower of Power - Drop It In The Slot 03 Parliament - Ride On 04 Sly & The Family Stone – Frisky 05 The Webb People – I’m Sending Vibrations 06 Ruby Delicious - Rock Steady 07 Mandrill - Git It All 08 The San Francisco TKOS – Herm 09 Ohio Players - Fire 10 Parliament - Mothership Connection (Star Child) 11 Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie 12 Chico and Buddy - A Thing Call the Jones 13 Little Ann – Possession 14 Lafayette Afro-Rock Band - Time Will Tell 15 Parliament - Ain't Nuthin' But a Jam Y'all What did James Brown mean when he said “we’re gonna have a funky good time”? This “funky” of which he spoke, was it strictly musical (and danceable), or maybe sexual, sociable, or even political? Or maybe a little bit of each? Funk, funky, funkify, funkadelic, funkalicious…all pointing at the pleasure principle…a new dialect for the “blue...

Nuyorican boogaloo cha-cha-cha

I’m labelling this week’s playlist as “Nuyorican” music, the lion’s share of the players from Puerto Rico or of Puerto Rican ancestry. Two notable exceptions are Joe Bataan, a Filipino-African American, and Mongo Santamaria born in Cuba. What they all have in common, however, was centered around the music scene of New York City where African American and Latino musicians forged a common ground in creating “boogaloo” dance music, mixing elements of R&B, Soul, and Latin dance rhythms. The boogaloo genre was fairly short-lived, enjoying popularity during the 1960’s before giving way to salsa, in what was largely an East Coast and Caribbean impulse. “Watermelon Man” and ”El Watusi” were early and major boogaloo hits, but truly, most of the titles included in the program were popular recordings in their day, whether cha-cha-chas like Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va”, or GFyEN’s guajira. I’ve gathered them here for an hour’s worth of revelation for those too young to have heard thi...

Search This Blog