Astor
Piazolla: Tango: Zero Hour (Just a Memory JAM 9110-2)
Let’s face it: Piazolla was one of the greats, no
question... And, of all of his recordings, this one was
by far his favourite. So - just perhaps, for this once...we
should all try paying attention?
Still, to those who’ve yet to accept that tango
is truly one of the great modern syncretic musics - on
a par with rock’n’roll, blues & jazz - he
may well need some introduction. Allright...Astor Piazolla
can (easily) be argued to be the Miles Davis - or The
Velvet Underground - of tango. Without betraying its deeply
popular roots, Piazolla opened up tango to crucial input
from contemporary jazz and “hiart” composition
during the fifties. Working with a series of different
groups over the next thirty years, he then consolidated
and expanded upon this breakthrough, eventually reaching
a new plane of synthesis in his last recordings, of which
this is the masterpiece. So...doncha think you oughtta
give it a shot?
One key difference between tango and its sister New World
forms, however, is the absence of drums. For, although
Piazzolla experimented (extensively) with percussion,
he eventually decided against...preferring the much more
fluid feel that the traditional small group intrumentation
provided...
So, the lineup here is Bandoneon (accordion)/Violin/Piano/Electric
Guitar/Acoustic Bass - each operating in its own space,
yet diving in and around that of the others...much like
the tango itself, the first widely-accepted physical dance
style of the modern West - and the one that set the scene
for all others that followed...
Trying to describe this, to those who’ve never heard
same is, however, difficult... Me, I hear the bandoneon
- not to be confused w/any other accordion - as an elegant
cross between blues harmonica, and a (much) more physical
pipe organ...whilst the other instruments (despite their
familiarity) are clearly voiced uniquely to the tango.
But, perhaps the best way of describing the overall result
is to say that this small band definitely evokes the subtlety
and richness of emotional evocation of the very best orchestral
film scores...yet, with the intimate & highly physical
interplay we would expect from a truly outstanding five
piece band. And...if you think that said result is difficult
to imagine, then, all I can say is that you haven’t
heard Piazolla.
Because he had already been a crucial influence on many
of the very best film scores since the early sixties...and
if any of those have moved you, then you truly owe it
to yourself to hear the original in his very finest form.
Because - like Beethoven - he definitely hit his true
peak in old age...
John Henry Calvinist
