The event announcement says:
"Mariano Barreiro
Argentine Pianist Mariano Barreiro now based in SF, is one of the foremost new generation tango pianists in tango today. Having performed and recorded with some of the best tango musicians in the world, including Horacio Romo (Leopoldo Federico), Pablo Agri (Piazzolla), Horacio Cabarcos (Anibal Troilo), and more.
His ensembles have been recognized in the United States and Europe on international tours, and have been the featured orchestra for the Tango World Championships in San Francisco and the Red Carpet Tango Festival in Las Vegas.
Mariano has performed concerts for Tango Festivals around the world, including highlights at the International Tango Festival of Tallinn Finland, Festival of the Five Continents in Switzerland, Tangopostale Festival in France, and many other in Argentina.
Charles Gorczynski
Bandoneonist and leader of the acclaimed bay area sextet Redwood Tango Ensemble, Charles Gorczynski is known as a contemporary tango composer and is recognized by his Argentine colleagues as one of the best bandoneonists in the United States. His works have been premiered with Chamber Music Northwest Summer Festival in Portland, and he was recently commissioned for several new tango works by Intermusic SF. Charles has toured for milongas and concerts in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Seattle, Rome, Pisa, and worked as bandoneonist for Alejandro Ziegler Quartet, Tango BC Trio, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, and California Symphony.
More info about Mariano Barreiro: www.marianobarreiro.com
VIDEOS:
Milonga El Encuentro - Los Angeles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjF5ul8V9gY
Argentine Tango Championship San Francisco (ATUSA)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlmlsPQtXy8
Milonga XXI - Chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtjYJV4E6N0
" (end of quote)
It has been a while since we had a live band for milonga last time. The Saturday night was a treat. They played popular and danceable Tango songs, with occasional twist for fun added.
We had several visitors from Tulsa, some of whom I had not seen for several years. Meeting and dancing with friends after several years was precious.
To support the artists, I bought their CDs for my car with CD player. Redwood Tango Ensemble, "Unison (2016)" and "Prizefighter (2018)". ($25 for two)
I had no idea what type of music was in. For past few days I listened to the CDs while commuting. The songs turned out to be Tango-ish Jazz. In many parts, the music reminded me of Piazzolla, but the songs were more fleeting; always morphing, contemporary jazz-kind.
In "Unison" album, there were milonga and Vals (the rhythm says so). The vals reminded me of some Eastern European waltz, nice waltz with slightly off-feeling tunes.
That made me realize, how well-structured and predictable most popular dance songs are.
Lets take classical Tango songs. They have identifyable beats, combined with nice melodious singing and/or instruments. Structure is clear, so we can predict next pause and apply an 8-count figure for ending.
Compared with these classical songs, the compositions in the CDs were definitively on amorphous contemporary song's side. From a dancer's standpoint, to dance with these songs would be a challenge. You really have to be professional-level dancers (both of you) to dance with these songs convincingly.
Listening to that kind of songs (contemporary fleeting Jazz with Tango instruments) with choreography attempt would be challenge/fun during upcoming commute.
I worked a little during the past weekend and sent out a review manuscript to journal office on 7/22/18 (Sun). Fingers crossed.
