My Tango Diaries

Full disclosure: I can't name the orchestra when a tango comes on. I can, however, hear the differences between versions of a song - particularly one that I like a great deal. If I had a better music vocabulary, I think I might have an easier time remembering the names because I could attribute certain characteristics between version and orchestras. As it is, I have my own little internal dialogue that goes something like, "oh this is the version that's slower in the beginning then speeds up." Or, "this is the one that stays slow and melodic, but ends really abruptly." While I was trying to explain the importance of listening to several versions of songs to get an idea of the range of the music, I thought of an example that seemed to almost make my point for me. So to the tanguero who asked, this is why I think the orchestra is important. . . Here is Eric Clapton (Cream) song Layla (1983) with Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page: And, here is Clapton and Mark...

Sometimes I'm just in a mood . I want to hear something bold and nervy. So today I bring you Se dice de mí . Music: Francisco Canaro - Lyric: Ivo Pelay; Sung by Tita Merello. Lyrics: Se dice de mí, se dice de mí. Se dice que soy fiera, que camino a lo malevo, que soy chueca y que me muevocon un aire compadrón, que parezco Leguisamo, mi nariz es puntiaguda, la figura no me ayuday mi boca es un buzón. Si chlarlo con Luis, con Pedro o con Juan, hablando de mí os hombres están. Critican si ya, la linea perdí, se fijan si voy, si vengo o si fi. Se dicen muchas cosas, mas si el bulto no interesa, porque pierden la cabezaocupándose de mí. Yo se que muchos me desprecian compañíay suspiran y se mueren cuando piensan en mi amor. Y más de uno se derrite si suspiroy se quedan si los miro resoplando como un Ford. Si fea soy, pongámosle, que de eso aun no me entere, en el amor, yo solo se, que a mas de un gil, deje de a pie. Podrá decir, podrán hablar, y murmurar, y rebuznar, mas la fealdad que...