Buenos Aires has often been described as the Paris of Latin America; if so, one could easily argue that tango is as reflective of Argentinean culture as
Edith Piaf was of Parisian culture (at least the Parisian culture of the '30s, '40s, and '50s). Like Paris, Buenos Aires has a reputation for being a very sophisticated city, and tango is certainly a very sophisticated form of music -- not to mention serious-minded. In fact, tango enthusiasts have often been accused of taking themselves much too seriously; some of
Astor Piazzolla's detractors voiced their displeasure by literally beating him up. Given tango's cultural importance in Argentina, there is no way that a 45-minute compilation could adequately summarize its long history -- and not surprisingly, this 2004 release is far from definitive.
Pure Tango: The Essential Collection does turn the spotlight on some of tango's all-time heavyweights, including
Carlos Di Sarli (who was popular in the '40s),
Horacio Salgan,
Edmundo Rivero, and the innovative
Piazzolla (whose darker, more jazz-influenced vision of tango was every bit as revolutionary as
Charlie Parker's bebop innovations). But a lot of major names are missing; for example,
Pure Tango contains nothing by
Aníbal Troilo or
Carlos Gardel, although the disc opens with
Rosanna Falasca's version of the standard "La Cumparsita" (one of the gems that
Gardel was identified with). However, those who don't expect this CD to be the last word on tango (a most unrealistic expectation) will find that the performances are generally solid and, in some cases, excellent. Unfortunately, Universal fails to provide recording dates or liner notes, but despite its less than ideal packaging,
Pure Tango offers an enjoyable glimpse at the Argentinean art form. ~ Alex Henderson