Tango Around the Worldby Patrick Gary  The tango phenomenon, both as a music and as a dance, may have started as music steeped in the sultry romantic atmosphere of Argentina but it has spent the last century propagating itself internationally. As it found new audiences it has taken on new sounds, including African and European parlor music through the 20th century. Though never truly leaving its sexy image or sensibilities, and while it has fallen in and out of favor several times, it has had new life breathed into it by a new generation of musicians bringing a whole host of international sounds to the table. A traveler can easily find the tango in any corner of the globe being performed in traditional styles, in Latin pop music, or in the form of the electrotango being spun by DJs throughout North America, Argentina, and Europe.
Putumayo has determined to take on the somewhat daunting task of compiling a synoptic album showcasing the entire breadth of new tango music. It is all bound together by the music’s compelling sense of machismo and sultry femininity. It is all distinct due to its multicultural and multigenerational origins. The real question is if all of the influences make a collection of individual singles or if this can actually hang together as an entire album. The attempt is largely successful, but the measure of success will depend on the listener. There can be a few disjointed moments. As a compilation for the dancer who is looking for music to accompany their tango nights it must be noted that some of the tracks will be somewhat advanced. While it is evident that Senegal and Serbia definitely understand the feel of the tango but are creating music to which one can dance, but not necessarily dance music. In other words, while Ousemane Touré’s Dimba may be the best individual piece of music on the album, a dancer may have trouble initially finding the “long-long, short-short, long” that indicates the basic pattern. Of course advanced practitioners of the tango will figure out where the beat is easily enough, but your beginners are likely to trip over themselves with the (admittedly exhilarating) complex beat. As a compilation for fans of world music, this is an intriguing collection. Leonel el Feo is Argentinean in origin but contains a vocal/rhythmic call-and-response that is stylistically more common in Indian classical tabla works. Conversely the Finnish work Kangastus is very traditional, as is the Brazilian Federico Aubele. The Serbian piece Gipsy Tango includes a few non-traditional instruments but otherwise the music could have easily come from Argentina in the 1950s. The only innovation in Mi Buenos Aires Querido is in the addition of the harmonica melody. Then there is José Mármol y Tarija which does a fine job of representing the earliest Argentine tangos, which were often performed on guitar with vocals. Then there are the electrotango works. This electronica/tango fusion (also known as neotango) is among the most interesting innovations in tango music, largely popularized by groups such as the Gotan Project, BajoFondo Tango Club, and Carlos Libedinsky. Though none of these artists appear on this compilation, Felino’s Electrocutango, Alexis Kalofolias & Thanos Amorginos’ Gia Ligo, and Liana’s Estrela da Tarde all do a nice job of representing the subgenre. If this is a listener’s only exposure to the electrotango there would be a misconception that the new music is a largely European innovation as the compiler decided to represent with artists from Greece, Norway, and Portugal. From a representative standpoint it might have been more appropriate to include an Argentinean electrotango and a Norwegian traditional tango, as Scandinavia is one of the bastions of the music outside of Argentina. The only other complaint one could offer is the length. At a mere 36 minutes the album does feel a bit skimpy. Each track is very good, and the lengths of the tango songs are appropriate for dancing, but another 3 tracks would make this album feel significantly more complete. This is could have been accomplished by some representation of North America. It is notable that the swango sounds from the US and the alternative tango music coming out of Montreal are inexplicably excluded. But perhaps you can’t have everything. Most tango compilations are going to be more focused on a single stratum of the phenomenon. The electrotango is seldom represented alongside the traditional forms. If you were to buy a tango collection from Argentina you would probably have to choose between tango groups and solo guitar works. So while this compilation is not perfect, it is superior to the majority of compilations in breadth and scope. It works very nicely as a primer or as a collection of singles. If it falls short of its ambition of being a totally global representation of the tango in its myriad forms, it can take solace in the fact that the task at hand was not going to ever be simple. 1 Ousmane Touré - Dimba
2 M.A. Numminen & Sanna Pietiäinen - Kangastus
3 Melingo with Florencia Bonadeo - Leonel el Feo
4 Fortuna - Tango Idishe
5 Federico Aubele - Pena
6 Electrocutango - Felino
7 Alexis Kalofolias & Thanos Amorginos - Gia Ligo
8 Earth Wheel Sky Band - Gipsy Tango
9 Liana - Estrela da Tarde
10 Cáceres with Ariel Prat - José Mármol y Tarija
11 Hugo Díaz - Mi Buenos Aires Querido PUT 271-2 [36:21]
Recorded between 2001 and 2007
Available through www.putumayo.com | 
