Tanguillo – Francois Salque, cello/ Vincent Peirani, accordion/Tomas Gubitsch, guitar – Zig-Zag Territoires ZZT22 [Distr. by Naxos] (6/25/1) ****:
Tangled – Tango Siempre [TrackList follows] – ARC Music EUCD 2429, 69:49 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:
(Pete Rosser, accordion & bandoneon/ Ros Stephen, violin/ Kylie Davies, doublebass/ Jonathan Taylor, piano)
Two more in the seemingly endless march of tango CDs that depart from the standard tango quintet, the first recorded in Paris and the second recorded in London. The first is rather different in being on the borderline between written and improvised music. Most of the selections seem to be from the accordionist, Vincent Peirani, though there are a couple by Piazzolla in the middle. This is their second CD of South American music for the label. The notes are very difficult to read because of a bright red background. But this is definitely an entertaining trio and duo.
[audaud-hr]
Tango Siempre was formed in 1998 and is the leading tango ensemble in the UK. The music of the quartet spans all eras and styles of tango, and they include new tango compositions from contemporary composers such as Pablo Ziegler, Will Gregory and Huw Warren. They try to fuse classical, tango, jazz and roots music. Though this recording is by the quartet, they appear online to be usually a quintet with the addition of bandoneonist Julian Rowlands. Their 2012 show in London’s West End was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.
Their packed CD has a total of 14 tracks, and on a couple of them they have guests on violin and cello. This addition creates a lovely arrangement of Pizzolla’s “Oblivion.” I attempted to detect on which tracks Rosser switched from accordion to bandoneon; I figure it is something like classical harpsichordists playing some of the Scarlatti sonatas on the organ or pianoforte when they seem more appropriate to those instruments. But frankly I couldn’t tell the difference. The quartet plays with the greatest passion and precision; you can hear why they’re tops in the UK.
TrackList:
1. El Choclo :582. Places 6:12 3. Tango Marica 7:2 4. Luz y Sombra 2:58 5. Tangled 5:52 6. Oblivion 5:17 7. Duel 4:52 8. Celtic Feast 6:21 9. Llanto de Amor :10 10. La Trampera 2:45 11. Sweet Clarity :58 12. A Media Luz :07 13. Lavengro 9:59 14. Silueta Portena 3:11
—John Sunier