The Whole Music Experience

World Hector Del Curto   Eternal Piazzolla Green Parrot Records Since the moment a music librarian in Seattle introduced me to the tangos of bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla, I have admired and loved this music.   I have delved into several of Piazzolla’s recordings with his quintet and other ensembles, and I have heard tribute recordings from other musicians, both inside and outside of Argentina.   Similar to Franz Liszt and the American blues legend Robert Johnson, we wonder if Piazzolla also sold his soul to the devil in exchange for mastership of his instrument and genre.   Of course, I don’t mean this literally and I’m referring to the bursts of passion found in Piazzolla’s compositions. When I saw a listing for Argentine Hector Del Curto’s Eternal Piazzolla I decided to review the recording.   As usual, I was concerned at first about the musicians’ interpretation of Piazzolla’s repertoire, but in this case, there was no need for conce...

Dino Saluzzi El Encuentro ECM I first discovered Argentine bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi when he released his ensemble’s recording, Juan Condori . I instantly fell in love with Saluzzi’s composition which married musical instincts with compassionate poetics. This poetry wasn’t conveyed in words, but in the universal language music, with musical conversations reflecting on jazz and Argentine indigenous sensibilities. And actual words can barely convey the fragile moments, the nuances, and the sudden sweeping gestures present in Saluzzi’s compositions. He’s a musician that clearly wears his heart on his sleeve. The next recording I heard and reviewed featured Saluzzi with German violoncellist Anja Lechner, Ojos Negros . The musical conversation sounded even more delicate and intimate, those haunting exchanges between the violoncello and the bandoneon, falling deeply into classical chamber music with a far-reaching effect. And now on Saluzzi’s live debut for ECM, El Encuentro ...