Tanda of the Week 34 / 2012 - Osvaldo Fresedo y Oscar Serpa

 

1. Osvaldo Fresedo / Oscar Serpa - "Te llama mi violín" 1942
2. Osvaldo Fresedo / Oscar Serpa - "El día de tu ausencia" 1943
3. Osvaldo Fresedo / Oscar Serpa - "Este viejo corazón" 1943
4. Osvaldo Fresedo / Oscar Serpa - "Gitana rusa" 1942

Oscar Serpa

Oscar Serpa is one of the singers who had a very impressive career but you don't hear his recordings much in the milongas. He sang in the orchestras of Osvaldo Fresedo, Carlos Di Sarli, Ricardo Pedevilla and even Los Senores Del Tango and Horacio Salgán. I don't think I've ever played a full tanda of Serpa because I'd always choose Ruiz, Ray or Mayel (Fresedo) and Florio, Pomar, Duran (50's Di Sarli) over him. However the amazing "Te llama mi violín" has been on my private playlist for ages and the interesting version of "Gitana rusa" made me take the challenge of creating a Serpa tanda I'd love to play (and dance to). I also think that Serpa's voice goes better with Fresedo than Di Sarli.

I was thinking of using "Sin palabras" for this tanda but felt that the Pugliese/Moran or Troilo/Marino versions were clearly much better so I left it out. However I think the version of "El día de tu ausencia" compares a lot better to the version of Pugliese/Chanel from 1944. The version of "Gitana rusa" is very different to the more famous Malerba version but I like the song and the differences. I wanted to start with "Te llama mi violín" and finish with "Gitana rusa" (of which I have cut the first 20 seconds of the long intro) while I juggled the second and third songs back and forth. I think they work either way but "El dia..." follows the opening song better.

I think the outcome is quite a beautiful tanda that is suitable to be played at the late hours of a milonga. I hope you enjoy it!

Fresedo, Osvaldo - TOTW - Todo Tango - tango.info - iTunes Store
Serpa, Oscar - TOTW - Todo Tango - tango.info - iTunes Store

Tanda of the Week 33 / 2012 - Bachicha y Emilia Garcia

    
 
1. Bachicha / Emilia García - "Oración"1930
2. Bachicha / Emilia García - "Mama Yo Quiero Un Novio"1928
3. Bachicha / Emilia García y Juan Raggi - "Se Va La Vida"1930
4. Bachicha / Emilia García - "Yira...Yira" 1931

Here's another guest dj tanda this time from Björn Müller from Switzerland. I was happy to hear he has a similar background to mine having started as a hip hop/soul-dj and then later became a tango dancer and a tango dj. Here's what he had to say about the tanda:

"To further expand the scope of the fine TOTW selection, I thought about a new tanda featuring Juan Bautista Deambroggio's ('Bachicha') orchestra. He was among the first young Argentine musicians that brought tango to Paris and, with his 'Orchestre Argentin Bachicha' even toured throughout Europe, parts of Africa and the Middle East. So a true Tango nomad of the early days!
Always searching for danceable songs with female vocalists - I try to play at least one each milonga, mostly at the end - I like Bachicha's recordings with the female vocalist Emilia García. She has a playful yet not dominating style that makes the tracks well danceable.

Starting with the church bells, the tone is set for a special tanda, with a dramaturgy going from sad (Oración) to happy and mundane (Mama yo quiero un novio) and then finally to 'existential' (Se va la vida & Yira Yira). Life in a tanda, 'round and round it goes'!

In that way this tanda expresses also some of the things I aim for as DJ: paying close attention to the 'energies' in the music and the milonga, performing vital 'dramaturgies' over the course of a milonga and within each tanda. Enjoy!"

Tanda of the Week 32 / 2012 - Rodolfo Biagi y Teofilo Ibañez (valses)

   
 
1. Rodolfo Biagi / Teofilo Ibañez - "Viejo portón" 1938
2. Rodolfo Biagi / Teofilo Ibañez - "Lejos de tí" 1938
3. Rodolfo Biagi / Teofilo Ibañez - "Loca de amor" 1938

It is the 2nd anniversary of Tanda of the Week! This is the 106th tanda (the first week I posted two tandas) and I wanted to celebrate with some of my favorite valses.

A big thank you to all the followers of TOTW and the guest dj's who have contributed to the blog! I couldn't have done this with out you. Keep the tandas, comments, requests and suggestions coming!

Biagi, Rodolfo - TOTW - Todo Tango - tango.info - iTunes Store

Tanda of the Week 31 / 2012 - Dj Roberto Lehner - mixed orchestras

    
 
1. Enrique Discépolo / Tania - "Un reproche" 1938
2. Carlos y Ramón Lobos / Pedro Beramendi - " La Voz De Canillita" 1939
3. Roberto Zerrillo - "Chiqué" 1940
4. Orquesta Típica Víctor / Teofilo Ibañez- "Derecho viejo" 1934

Here is another guest tanda from Roberto Lehner from Basel, Switzerland. This is what he had to say about the tanda: 

"Normally i don’t mix singers or orchestras in the same tanda. But as i don’t have so many from Discepolo, Carlos y Ramon Lobos and Roberto Zerrillo, i had to mix them. I'm happy with the result. A tanda for lovers of the guardia vieja."

Thank you Roberto! Check out more tandas from Roberto Lehner.

Tanda of the Week 30 / 2012 - Lucio Demare y Horacio Quintana

   
 
1. Lucio Demare / Horacio Quintana - "Torrente" 1944
2. Lucio Demare / Horacio Quintana - "Solamente ella" 1944
3. Lucio Demare / Horacio Quintana - "Igual que un bandoneón" 1945
4. Lucio Demare / Horacio Quintana - "Están sonando las ocho" 1944

Demare, Lucio - TOTW - Todo Tango - tango.info - iTunes Store