Argen&ne Tango DJ and Music Workshop

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1 Argen&ne Tango DJ and Music Workshop John Hess Tucson Tango Fes&val March 2014 What Pleases the Ear Reaches our Heart

2 Webpage

3 Some people see tango as primarily a dance however most will say tango is the music, and the lyrics, and the dancers' interpreta&on of that music, and the sen&ments it expresses. GePng to know the music is part of learning tango James Stewart, Edinburgh Tango Society

4 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 ü Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

5 Ages of Argen&ne Tango? Golden Age? 1935/ /55 Pre Golden Age? or Guardia Vieja 1910/20/ /36 Guardia Nueva Before 1910/20/25 Guardia Vieja or

6 My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango ü Golden Age Most common defini&on D Arienzo/Biagi reignite dancers 1955 Peron ousted, the beginning of the decline of Tango

7 My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango ü Pre- Recording ü Acous&c Recordings using mechanical techniques - Poor quality recordings ü Pre Golden Age Early electrical recordings in Argen&na - Milongable recordings ü Golden Age Recording technology con&nues to improve

Pre- Recording 1870 1904 ü Early tango music (2 x 4)* / dance styles

Traveling duos, trios, quartets ü Portable harp, violin, flute,

8 Pre- Recording ü Early tango music (2 x 4)* / dance styles (tango milonga) ü Simple, improvised ü 1890s wrijen tangos ü Traveling duos, trios, quartets ü Portable harp, violin, flute, guitar, accordion, clarinet, bandoneon * Tango Stories: Musical Secrets, Lavocah Pg. 8

9 Acous&c ü Acous&c (mechanical) recording / playback - horn & diaphram / limited sound quality to 2400 Hz (violins / piano up to 4000 Hz) ü 1910 flat disc ( shellacs ) - 78 RPM - 10" & 12" - 3 mins / side - disc gramaphone

10 Acous&c

Acous&c 1905 1925 ü Dance halls / carnivals / canyengue dancing ü 1916 - Sextet (piano, double bass, 2 violins, 2 bandoneons) ü Mature tango rhythm 4 x 8 Example: Krebs Mercato in 4 ü 1924 - Orquesta

11 Acous&c ü Dance halls / carnivals / canyengue dancing ü Sextet (piano, double bass, 2 violins, 2 bandoneons) ü Mature tango rhythm 4 x 8 Example: Krebs Mercato in 4 ü Orquesta Típica (add more violins / bandoneons) ü Tango in Europe and New York ü Poor recordings - not played at tradi&onal milongas Example: Maglio Cuasi Nada 1912 Quartet Example: Firpo La Cumparsita 1916 Sextet (4x8)

12 Pre Golden Age ü The Canaro Era Example: Canaro Ventanita Florida 1932 Example: Firpo Vieja Iglesia 1933 Example: Fresedo Chingolito 1928 Example: OTV Adios Argentina 1930 ü Two schools of music - Tradi&onal led by Firpo / Canaro (dancers) - Evolu&onary led by De Caro (listeners) 4 x 4 Example: De Caro Flores Negras 1927 ü Dancers interest decreasing - Music slow / sad / similar, listening music - World financial crisis - Tango out of fashion in Europe

Pre Golden Age 1926 1934 ü 1932/33 first milonga Milonga Sen&mental Example: Mercedes Simone 1932 Example: Francisco Canaro 1933 ü Some nice selec&ons

13 Pre Golden Age ü 1932/33 first milonga Milonga Sen&mental Example: Mercedes Simone 1932 Example: Francisco Canaro 1933 ü Some nice selec&ons for Tradi&onal Milongas - use sparingly Example: Carabelli Cuatro Palabras 1933 Example: Fresedo Vida Mia 1933 Example: Canaro Adios Juventud 1933 vals

14 Golden Age ü The D Arienzo Era (BA rock & roll era) - Dancers excited orchestras follow the money Example: D Arienzo El Africano 1937 Example: Biagi Pura Clase 1939 Example: Di Sarli La Trilla 1940 ü The Roman&c Era - Less rigidly rhythmic, more harmonic and melodic - Lunfardo unofficially banned in 1943 Example: Di Sarli Verdemar 1943 Example: Calo Jamas Retornaras 1942 Example: Pugliese Farol 1943

15 Golden Age - Rhythmic & Lyrical ü Most music is rhythmic tango music also ü Strong Rhythm - Marching music - easy to tap, hard to hum - D'Arienzo/Biagi (1936) strong staccato rhythms - For dancers it is clear when to make the next step Example: D Arienzo El Flete 1937 Example: D Arienzo El Choclo 1937 ü Lyrical Music - Harder to tap, easy to hum - Musical theme more relaxed, freely interpreted - Harder to dance to, more challenges to be crea&ve - Carlos Gavito Tango is What Happens Between the Beats Example: Calo El Compas Del Corazon 1942

16 Golden Age ü The Avant Garde, Piazzolla & Salgan ü Echo - Drama&c / big sound / big singers - Hi- Fidelity Example: Di Sarli Por Que le Llaman Amor 1954 Examples: D Arienzo El Choclo 1954 Example: Pugliese La Yumba 1952 vs 1946

17 My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango ü Post Golden Age Tango declines due to dictatorship and rock & roll - Ends with Falklands War - Stereo / reel to reel & casseje tape - 60 s RCA Victor burned master discs - Tango for listening Piazzolla - 70s - only a few hundred social dancers in BA - Some beau&ful late 50s for tradi&onal milongas Example: Di Sarli Indio Manso 1958

18 Evolu&on of Tango Music Pre GA Rhythmic, Slow, Sad (Canaro) Example: TBC 1928 Rhythmic, Fast, Happy (D Arienzo) Example: El Retirao 1939 Lyrical, Roman&c Example: Adios Te Vas s Echo, Drama&c, Big Orchestras Example: El Jaguel 1956 Violins go from 2 to 8, bandoneons go from 2 to 5

My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango ü Modern 1983

venues, 35,000 par&cipants Seldom played at

19 My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango ü Modern 1983 Present - Tango Argen&no sparks new interest Cons&tu&onal rule returns CD / MP3 30 Years of Revival 2007 in BA 300 milongas a week, 120 venues, 35,000 par&cipants Seldom played at tradi&onal milongas Example: Otros Aires Milonga Sentimental 2004

20 My DJ Music Ages of Argen&ne Tango Pre- Recording Acous&c Pre Golden Age Golden Age Post Golden Age Modern 1983 Present Tradi&onal Music (98%) DJ Sweet Spot (80+%) Golden Decade

Up to 2,000 suitable for Social Dancing - Not all are 5 star - Not all good for every

21 How Much Tradi&onal Music is There? - 2 Dis&nct Styles Listening, Dancing - 100,000 Tango Recordings* Tradi&onal - Up to 2,000 suitable for Social Dancing - Not all are 5 star - Not all good for every dance group/style - So we have a treasure hunt * hjp://simbatango.com/2009/10/16/the- golden- age- visualized/ * hjp://

22 Number of Recordings by Year ü Next Page Graph ü 12K data points from tango.info ü Note ra&o of Tangos to Vals or Milongas Golden Age 6X hjp://simbatango.com/2009/10/16/the- golden- age- visualized/

24 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages ü The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

25 Tradi&onal Milonga Orchestras Big 4 / Sweet 16 Juan D Arienzo Carlos Di Sarli Anibal Troilo Osvaldo Pugliese Francisco Canaro* Osvaldo Fresedo* Edgardo Donato* Francisco Lomuto* Rodolfo Biagi Ricardo Tanturi Angel D agos&no Miguel Calo Enrique Rodriguez Alfredo de Angelis Pedro Laurenz Lucio Demare * Early Pioneers

26 Tradi&onal Milonga Orchestras Occasional 14 Julio De Caro* Roberto Firpo* Adolfo Carabelli* Orquesta Tipica Victor* Alfredo Gobbi Ricardo Malerba Horacio Salgan Hector Varela Jose Garcia Alberto Cas&llo Leopoldo Federico Manuel Buzon Jose Basso Enrique Francini Armando Pon&er * Early Pioneers

27 Tradi&onal Milonga Orchestras Rare Sigh&ngs Juan Maglio* Pedro Maffia* Luis Petrucelli* Manuel Pizarro Juan Carlos Cobian Ricardo Pedevilla Astor Piazzolla Juan Sanchez Gorio Enrique Mora Armando Lacava Alfredo Ajadia Pepe Aguirre etc., etc., etc. * Early Pioneers

28 Two Schools of Music (star&ng 1916) ü Tradi&onal led by Firpo / Canaro - Concentrated on rhythm and dancability - Simple arrangements - 4 x 8 - Includes D Arienzo, Lomuto, Donato,Tanturi, Biagi, Rodriguez, de Angelis ü Evolu&onary led by De Caro - Explored melody and harmony - Sophis&cated arrangements - 4 x 4 - Includes Fresedo, Troilo, Laurenz, Di Sarli, Pugliese, Caló, D Agos&no, DeMare, Salgan, Gobbi, Piazzola, Francini- Pon&er

29 Orchestra Juan Maglio Pacho ü 1910 first rock star (self- taught) ü 900 recordings ü Last recordings 1931 Example Orillas Del Plata 1928 V ü Rare sigh&ng

Orchestra Roberto Firpo (1884-1969) ü 1914 replaced Maglio as biggest tango star ü Wrote many tangos ü Introduced the piano & bass (rhythmic engine) ü Tradi&onal tango school -

30 Orchestra Roberto Firpo ( ) ü 1914 replaced Maglio as biggest tango star ü Wrote many tangos ü Introduced the piano & bass (rhythmic engine) ü Tradi&onal tango school - rhythm / danceability ü Sextet - Orchestra - Quartet ü 2800 recordings (1600 acous&c) # ü Occasionally played Example: Barreras de Amor 1936 V Example: Pena Mulata 1941 M

Orchestra Francisco Canaro (1888 1964) ü Pirincho crested bird ü 1924 added Refrain Singer Example: Poema 1935 ü Made lots of money ü 3800 recordings* #1 (940 acous&c) 1915 1964 * includes

31 Orchestra Francisco Canaro ( ) ü Pirincho crested bird ü 1924 added Refrain Singer Example: Poema 1935 ü Made lots of money ü 3800 recordings* #1 (940 acous&c) * includes foxtrot, pasodoble, shimmy, polka,... ü Best tangos, vals, milongas with singers Example: El Adios 1938 Maida T Example: Cuando Estaba Enamorado 1940 Amor V Example: Milonga Criolla Maida 1938 M

Orchestra Julio De Caro (1899 1980) ü Classically trained violinist Stroh violin to amplify sound ü 420 tango recordings - 20s thru early 50s mostly instrumentals ü

32 Orchestra Julio De Caro ( ) ü Classically trained violinist Stroh violin to amplify sound ü 420 tango recordings - 20s thru early 50s mostly instrumentals ü Pedro Laurenz Bandoneon ü Heavily influenced Pugliese ü Occasionally played Example: Esta Noche 1939 T Example: Sorpresa de Novia 1943 V Example: Saca Chispas 1938 M

Orchestra Osvaldo Fresedo (1897 1984) ü Dreamy dance music ü Other instruments vibes, harp, percussion, etc.

33 Orchestra Osvaldo Fresedo ( ) ü Dreamy dance music ü Other instruments vibes, harp, percussion, etc. ü Longest recording career ü 800 recordings Best are 30s thru early 40s Singers Ray, Ruiz, Serpa Example: Yo no se llorar 1933 Ray Example: Y no puede ser 1939 Ruiz Example: Te llama mi violin 1942 Serpa ü Good mood changer for milongas

Orchestra Juan D Arienzo (1900 1976) ü Turned tango listeners into tango dancers ü El Rey del Compas rhythm and danceability ü Poor violin player showman ü 1000 recordings 1928 1975 ü Most popular

34 Orchestra Juan D Arienzo ( ) ü Turned tango listeners into tango dancers ü El Rey del Compas rhythm and danceability ü Poor violin player showman ü 1000 recordings ü Most popular of Golden Age - La Cumparsita 8X 14M copies ü A must at milongas ü Listen for wailing violins Example: El Choclo :15 Biagi T Example: Felicia 1939 :50 after Biagi T Example: Passion :25 V

Orchestra Carlos Di Sarli (1903 1960) ü El Señor del Tango - also cruelly known as El Tuerto (the One- Eyed) ü Talented piano player Fresedo strong influence ü Clear

35 Orchestra Carlos Di Sarli ( ) ü El Señor del Tango - also cruelly known as El Tuerto (the One- Eyed) ü Talented piano player Fresedo strong influence ü Clear walking rhythm (panther) piano, bass, bandos melody violins ü Forged his own music- sophis&cated and complex simplicity ü 600 recordings ü A must at milongas

Orchestra Anibal Troilo (1914 1975) ü Pichuco or El Gordo 485 recordings (1938-1971) ü Orchestra singer Fioren&no ü Best - Orlando Goni on Piano 1938, 41 (Fior), Vals <10% ü A er 1941 music more

36 Orchestra Anibal Troilo ( ) ü Pichuco or El Gordo 485 recordings ( ) ü Orchestra singer Fioren&no ü Best - Orlando Goni on Piano 1938, 41 (Fior), Vals <10% ü A er 1941 music more melodic /difficult to dance ü Astor Piazzolla arrangements ü Sophis&cated, many layered, symphony/concert music ü A must at milongas Example: Tinta Roja 1941 Fiorentino Example: Quejas de Bandoneon 1944

Orchestra Osvaldo Pugliese (1905 1995) ü Development of concert- style music ü Brilliant pianist / composer ü First recordings 1943 ü Communist

37 Orchestra Osvaldo Pugliese ( ) ü Development of concert- style music ü Brilliant pianist / composer ü First recordings 1943 ü Communist his whole life 50 s spent &me in jail red carna&on on keyboard Clavel Rojo ü A must at milongas Example: Recuerdo 1944 Example: Emancipacion 1955

38 Orchestra Signature Endings ü Rodriguez ü Calo ü Tanturi Example: El Morochito 1941 Example: Lejo de Buenos Aires 1942 Example: Una Noche de Garufa 1941 ü ON MY WEBSITE

39 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras ü What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

40 What DJs Play in BA 14 Milongas Surveyed in 2008 Ron Weigel, Tango Society of Central Illinois

41 What DJs Play in BA

42 What DJs Play in BA

43 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA ü Discographies ü Where to Buy Music ü Tandas / Cor&nas ü High Quality Sound ü Making it Happen ü Neo- Tango Music

44 What Pleases the Ear Reaches our Heart

45 Argen&ne Tango DJ and Music Workshop John Hess Tucson Tango Fes&val March 2014 What Pleases the Ear Reaches our Heart

46 Webpage

47 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA ü Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

48 Discographies ü Most orchestras - sound changed over &me ü Some songs - recorded more than once / different &mes ü Each vocalist had their own style ü For each song DJ should know: - Song &tle (some have mul&ple &tles) - Orchestra / singer - Year recorded ü ON MY WEBSITE

49 Discographies

50 Discographies

51 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies ü Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

52 Buying Music ü Digital - Amazon / I- Tunes / Google Play ü Digital - Remastered hjp://totango.net hjp:// ü CDs hjp:// hjp://tango- dj.at/shop/?product_cat=ar&sts ü Tanda CDs hjp:// tango.com/music.htm hjp://totango.net ü ON MY WEBSITE

53 ü Milongable Music Buying Music - How much noise (hiss, crackle, pop, etc)? Caused by old/improper recording or storage Many &mes cannot be removed without compromising music quality So much beau&ful dance music that is not Milongable - Dancer sensi&vity Example: Viernes de Pasion Lomuto 1945 Example: La Bruja D Arienzo 1938

54 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music ü Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

55 Tandas ü Probably developed in 1980s/1990s ü A group of 3 or 4 songs followed by a break (cor&na) to clear the floor ü Tandas are same genre Tango, Vals, Milonga ü ON MY WEBSITE

56 Tandas ü For tradi&onal tandas - Most common order T- T- V- T- T- M - More tangos - Dancers know what to expect ü Most common tradi&onal sets T3- T3- V3- T3- T3- M3. Approx mins T4- T4- V3- T4- T4- M3. Approx mins T4- T4- V4- T4- T4- M3. Approx mins

57 Tandas ü Number of songs depends on: - Preference of dancers - Mix of leads to follows - Organizer (final say) - Event (Fes&val, small milonga, etc) - Length of songs (Alterna&ve, etc) - Established norms?

58 Tandas ü 1 st Song Make People Get Out of Their Chairs ü Middle Songs Direc&onal ü Last Song Climax (Don t Disappoint)

59 ü Years +- 2 Tandas ü Feel / Mood / Tempo - Similar music (not too similar) - Consistent vs ebb & flow - Build / release tension ü Proper/consistent volume - incl Cor&nas ü Consistent &ming C- 2S- T- 2S- T- 2S- T- 2S- C ü Instrumentals to vocal ra&o / mixing ü Rhythmic / lyrical / complexity ü Energy level

60 Tandas - Intui&on vs Formula ü Feel it ü Classify it (Stephen Brown) - Hard Rhythm - So Rhythm - Smooth - Lyrical - Drama&c ü Computerize it - Vancouver Ca (Eric Lanoix) VODCA

61 Tandas Stringing Them Together

62 Closing an Evening of Dancing ü La Cumparsita - Most famous Tango song - Last song of the night - Tradi&on started 1990s in BA? - Hundreds of versions Example: La Cumparsita D Arienzo 1937

63 ü Probably developed with Tandas in 1980s/1990s ü 30 secs - 1 min depending on crowd size (so ware on MY WEBSITE) ü Silence - > Non- Danceable - - > Danceable ü BA Experience ü ON MY WEBSITE Cor&nas

64 ü My Philosophy Cor&nas - Opportunity lost - Key Part of milonga experience (mood set) - Fun (It s a party, not a funeral) - Avoid hard rock / heavy metal / explicit - Danceable is good - Theme &ming - Transi&ons

65 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas ü High Quality Sound - Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

66 Producing High Quality Sound Music ü Understanding sound ü Signal processing / digital formats ü Media player Equipment ü DAC (soundcard) ü Cables / connectors - Amplifier / speakers / headphones Listening Environment - Speaker placement / acous&cs The Weakest Link in the Chain Limits Music Quality

ü Limit harmonics too much - sound becomes flat and lifeless ü Sound

67 Understanding Sound ü Each primary frequency has upper/lower harmonics ü Harmonics give music fidelity ü High frequencies provide depth and color ü Limit harmonics too much - sound becomes flat and lifeless ü Sound quality limited - human ear will tell the brain, "something doesn't sound right."

68 Sound Changing Over Time

69 Signal Processing Using hardware / so ware - add / remove / change what we hear Compression - Remove some of the audio

70 Signal Processing / Digital Formats Tradeoff between file size / download speed / sound quality kbps amount of info read every second

71 Music Source / Digital Files The Future - uncompressed audio with all the warmth, brilliance, and depth of the original master recording

frequency ranges to enhance aspects of the music - Can help with room and speaker

72 Signal Processing ü Levelers / Automa&c Volume Control - Problem - music from many sources - Work to a limited degree ü Equalizers - Adjust the rela&ve power of the frequency ranges to enhance aspects of the music - Can help with room and speaker problems - Cannot fully compensate for poor recording (hiss etc.) - Needs knowledge and prac&ce Use with Cau&on!

73 Media Players

74 DAC (Soundcard)

75 Cables / Connectors

76 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound ü Making it Happen - Neo- Tango Music

77 Making it Happen

78 Making it Happen Playlist DJ on the Fly - Songs by Genre/Orchestra/Style/Yr - Tandas by Genre/Orchestra/Style/Yr songs by Genre/Orchestra/Style/Yr DJ Combo

79 ü Play only 5 star songs 1,000+ ü Don t make the dancers work too hard! - Volume, dancer s ability (80%), etc. ü Play what dancers like not what you like ü Know your music ü Be prepared Making it Happen ü Dan Boccia Handout ON MY WEBSITE ü hjp://groups.yahoo.com/group/tangodj

80 Making it Happen ü Nothing beats experience / prepara&on ü Big advantage - knowing the dancers ü Are people - Talking to the DJ - Anxious to dance - Excited, happy ü Energy up

81 Making it Happen ü The Purest DJ on computer / no dancing - Head out of the computer / observe - Eye contact / smile / accessible ü If a DJ is well prepared dance! - Inputs on the dance floor / feel energy - Feel sound quality / volume ü Look like you are having fun, you are an entertainer

82 Making it Happen Music Equipment Hundreds/Thousands Hundreds/Thousands Hours - Listening/ Researching Hundreds/Thousands

83 Making it Happen

84 Agenda Part 1 Part 2 - Music Ages - The Orchestras - What DJs Play in BA - Discographies - Where to Buy Music - Tandas / Cor&nas - High Quality Sound - Making it Happen ü Neo- Tango Music

86 What Pleases the Ear Reaches our Heart

Printable, summarized version of Eduardo Lazarowski s presentations at the CAT Cincinnati Tango Marathon April 30 th & 31 st 2017

Printable, summarized version of Eduardo Lazarowski s presentations at the CAT Cincinnati Tango Marathon April 30 th & 31 st 2017 Disclaim: This material is presented only for educational purposes and