Hector Del Curto's Eternal Tango Orchestra at Jazz Standard

Roberta on the Arts

Hector Del Curto's Eternal Tango Orchestra at Jazz Standard

Hector Del Curto's Eternal Tango Orchestra at Jazz Standard

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Eternal Tango Orchestra
(Eternal Tango Website)
Hector Del Curto, David Hodges, Bandoneóns
Nick Danielson, Sami Merdinian,
Sergio Reyes, Lucia Giraudo, Violins
Katie Kresek, Viola, Jisoo Ok, Cello, Pedro Giraudo, Bass,
Gustavo Casenave, Piano
Special Appearance by Pablo Ziegler
(Pablo Ziegler Website)
Presented by Ellen Azorin, Cantaloupe Music Productions
Media: Theresa Mullen, tmullen@ushgnyc.com

At
Jazz Standard
(Jazz Standard Website)
116 East 27th Street, NYC
212.576.2232

Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower
February 20, 2008

(Read a Review of the Eternal Tango CD)

Program:

A Evaristo Carriego – (E. Rovira)
A Mis Viejos (Osvaldo Berlingeri)
Derecho Viejo (Eduardo Arolas)
Los Magos (Hector Del Curto)
La Muerte del Angel (A. Piazzolla)
La Rayuela (Pablo Ziegler)
Milonga en el Viento (Pablo Ziegler)
La Fundicion (Pablo Ziegler)
Meridional (Victor Lavallen)
El Abrojito (Luis Bernstein)
Chin Chin (A. Piazzolla)

Hector Del Curto brought his exquisite and authentic Tango orchestra to Jazz Standard for a few nights this week, and I was fortunate to catch the second set tonight with my guest. Hector Del Curto is a renowned bandoneonist in the tango community, having recorded with Osvaldo Pugliese, Pablo Ziegler, and Astor Piazzolla. It is rare to hear the authentic tangos performed by a full “Orquestra Tipica”, that is, a full orchestra with strings. This music is evocative of the Pugliese orchestra, and tonight ten musicians combined for most tangos, but smaller ensembles were showcased as well. The Eternal Tango Quintet has been heard about New York and well beyond, but tonight we were treated to the tango enhancement by four violins, viola and cello.

The Orchestra opened with a slow, emotional tango, with edge, poignancy, and a nicely combined cello-bandoneón duo, by Del Curto and his wife, Jisoo Ok. Soon Gustavo Casenave led a series of string passages with violins and cello in full orchestral sound. With Del Curto driving the early tonal momentum, Casenave’s Steinway then seized the theme. Los Magos, by Del Curto, was reminiscent of Piazzolla’s dissonance, with rapid segments and an accented violin-cello duo. In La Muerte del Angel, by Piazzolla, Casenave was showcased in keyboard extravaganzas. Soon Pablo Ziegler took the Steinway, and he riffed and backed the orchestral theme with strong bandoneón presence. Ziegler then played an unaccompanied solo, Chin Chin, and it is clear why Ziegler remains the penultimate tango pianist in international tango circles.

Ziegler’s Milonga en el Viento was next, and its sensuality, fluidity, and spontaneity were immediately palpable. The Eternal Tango musicians created the mood of dancing in spring rain, with Del Curto’s exceptionally elongated bandoneón chords. Ziegler’s La Fundicion followed with Ziegler’s generous piano solo, on the heels of Nick Danielson’s searing violin solo, in the imagined quietude of “cat’s feet”. This sound seemed to exemplify the perfect tango, mysterious and melancholy, with pulse and style. Casenave returned to the Steinway, and Sami Merdinian was melodically featured on violin in the more traditional tango genre. Katie Kresek, on viola, took a Pugliese solo, with Sergio Reyes on violin, Pedro Giraudo on bass, and Jisoo Ok on cello all combining with the Orchestra to maximize the sumptuous and scintillating sound. The Orchestra closed with classical music - tango dance fusion. Eternal Tango in its various incarnations, whether Quartet, Quintet, or full Orchestra should be heard live for a truly pleasurable music experience.