Band
Tango
is not only music, dance and cultural tradition, but further a movement that unites the people of Europe and Japan with those of Latin America. Especially those from Argentina and Uruguay.It is like a great emotion, a longing that cannot focussed, that cannot be grasped. This applies to classic tango, as well as to the Tango Nuevo, of the composer Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), which has bin moving like a wave, from continent to continent, since the beginning of the Nineties and has caused euphoria in concert halls and among musicians. People still associate cool, erotic burning desire and a ritual-for –two, with the music and dance.
Lables like these begin to fade away but whoever wants the tango does not without like background story.
150 years ago Argentinians and European emigrants were playing a music that was to become a carrier for their history. It served as entertainment, was created as sub-culture and as such was kept separate from high society. It still retained however a certain stubborn self-confidence.The tango became its own language. Telling the story of the people's disappointmens their good fortunes and problems in their relationships.
German immigrants brought the bandoneon initially to South America in 1870 and the tango suddenly had its own instrument. The musicians withdrew into their cafe's played in the backrooms and in closed circles. Later tango orchestras could be seen more and more often in noted coffee shops, they were used as background music for silent movies and accompanied show revues.
The dance itself however had problems leaving its backroom exile in the bars. The unleashed lust, which was expressed through explicit body language and the public sexuality was at first approach with sceptisism and morale doubts. Whereby the sensuality is only suggested the act is carried out elsewhere. This controlled longing became a game, about bodily and spiritual power. The almost geometrical form of the movements are a sign of bodily control and temperament joy of life and love. Tango music had just set Europe vibrating, when it was once, again subdued. Tango was reduced to a ballroom dance and as such became ridiculous.
Just now it is enjoying a renaissance both in the classic form but also as Tango Nuevo.This reflection on its origin goes along with the realization that the dance alone can never fully describe the phenomenon of the tango. It is the music that tells the stories.
Astor Piazzolla made possible the further development of tango. He made us of his possibilities in serious music and spanned a bridge over to jazz in that he played with musicians such as Gil Evans, Gary Mulligan and Gary Barton. The head-strong perfectionist also used classical elements and so took away the kitsch and slightly plush image. The music became more transparent, relaxed, experimental. New rhytmical elements also stimulated improvisation.
Sureste Tango
In 1996 three musicians got together to play their tango.They told their stories just with clarinet, guitar and contrabass.Suprisingly enough nobody noticed that the classic tango instrument -the bandoneon was missing. The end result convinced onlookers as well as participants and out of the loose formation grew the Sureste Tango. Sureste (southeast) represent not only the origin of the musicians but also the influences which the tango is being subjected to.The Tango Nuevo is developing further into a European form-tidied-up modern reduced.
The musicians also span a bridge from classical music to jazz as did their guiding example Astor Piazzolla. Hereby they have distanced themselves courageously from the classic line-up of bandoneon, electric guitar, piano and bass. The unusual arrangements are authentic and closely-weaven.The motivation behind the trio's work is to want to maintain the feeling of home within the unfamiliar and to express this feeling through the music.