DJ REPORT #4

"EL TANGO ES MUSICA, TAMBIEN."

   "EL TANGO ES MUSICA, TAMBIEN."
                              The Tango is music, too.
                                 ~ Julio De Caro

The musical history of the tango has been described as before and after
Julio De Caro, a name pre-destined to spearhead possibly its most
important chapter. He was born in Buenos Aires on December 11, 1899,
exactly 9 years after the birth of the most famous tango personality ever
- Carlos Gardel, who later became his close friend. In 1977, their joint
birthday (December 11) was officially desnignated "National Tango Day" in
Buenos Aires.

When one hears the antiquated recordings of De Caro`s music, one can
readily recognize the influential effect that it had the later popular
master musicians - Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, & Pedro Laurenz,
among others, who all had been members of his band at one time or another
during the earliest stages of their individual careers. In 1924, De Caro
made the first recording ever of Pugliese`s famous composition,
"Recuerdo". When Pugliese first began recording in the 1940`s, many of
his selections were De Caro compositions. An excellent CD - "De Caro Por
Pugliese" contains 14 De Caro compositions superbly arranged & recorded
by Osvaldo Pugliese.

The son of an Italian immigrant who ran a private music academy in Buenos
Aires, Julio De Caro received excellent musical training from childhood
along with 3 other brothers who also became musicians. His youthful
enthusiasm for the tango however got him into trouble at home, where
popular music was despised. His father threw the teenage Julio out of the
house when he learned that the boy was playing violin in a tango band. It
was 20 years before father & son met again and were reconciled.

De Caro worked his way up as a violinist in the tango bands of Roberto
Firpo, Eduardo Arolas, & Osvaldo Fresedo prior to 1920. He joined the
excellent sextet of Juan Carlos Cobian in 1923 and finally formed his own
group at the end of that same year when Cobian decided to try his luck in
the USA. Offered promising fees to play at some upper-class Christmas and
New Year`s parties, De Caro formed a group which became a classic tango
sextet consisting of himself (violin), his brothers Francisco (piano) and
Emilio (2nd violin), and the former Cobian bandoneonistas Pedro Maffia
and Luis Petrucelli, both superb instrumentalists. The latter two
eventually left to form their own bands and were replaced by Pedro
Laurenz and Armando Blasco.

With his strong musical background as a foundation, Julio De Caro began
to experiment, constantly trying to improve and refine the musical
quality of the tango. In 1925 he began playing the violin with a horn
attachment, given to him by a visiting American executive of the Victor
record company. This "violin-corneta" was his recognized trademark until
1942 when he finally exchanged it for a conductor`s baton.

But De Caro`s urge to improvement marked the start of a fundamental
divide in tango music with him as its invisible leader. The tango had now
come to a great crossroads; it had to either continue along its
traditional paths, or face a renewal which did not meet well with general
popular approval.

From the 1920`s onward, the well-known divide became recognized as
between the labeled "evolutionalists" and the "traditionalists", the
latter known for its adherence to the "strict tango rhythm". But the new
evolutionists, a fundamental interpretative school, aimed for
sophisticated melodic/harmonic effects. This new school was extremely
influential over the next 3 decades and came to be generally known as the
"Decarean" school. And though not welcomed by the general "tango
population", for the most part lower-class common folk, De Caro, together
with Fresedo and Cobian, introduced the tango to the economically elite
of the country.

From the 1930`s on, in line with the common trend, De Caro`s band
enlarged to 10-14 instrumentalists and was always one of the most admired
dance-bands of the "Golden Age". The then Prince of Wales (the future
King Edward VII) had a standing invitation for De Caro`s band to play at
Buckingham Palace any time it liked. Its clarity, expressiveness,
meticulous phasing, its careful instrumental balance and sheer musical
quality made its impact at the outset, very fresh and dramatic. And its
innovative drive was admired later on by the more drastic innovator,
Astor Piazzolla whose composition "Decarisimo" was a tribute to De Caro.
By way of thanks, De Caro wrote the tango "Piazzolla".

Film footage of Julio De Caro`s classic band can be seen and heard to
good effect in Paramount`s "Luces de Buenos Aires" starring Carlos
Gardel, De Caro`s close friend. Together with Pedro Laurenz, they
accompany Gardel as he sings "Tomo y Obligo", the movie`s most famous
song which became a big hit.

2 excellent CD`s now available, which present the best impression of
Julio De Caro`s musicianship, are "Julio De Caro ~ Los Grandes Clasicos
del Tango/1926-1930" (BMCD-2051) and "Tangos de Rompe y Raja/1949-1953"
(REL-495376).

"JULIO DE CARO ~ LOS GRANDES CLASICOS DEL TANGO"
This CD was recorded in the years 1926-1930. I know many DJ`s have been
reluctant to play De Caro tangos because of the sound quality of most of
these old recordings. On this particular CD, "Blue Moon Productions" has
superbly re-mastered De Caro`s original first recordings to give them a
much cleaner, fuller sound. With a good sonic maximizer and an equalizer,
Julio De Caro`s music from the 1920`s can once again entice dancers onto
the dance floor. I routinely use some of the tracks from this CD which
meet with approval of the dancers. His "Gallo Ciego" is excellent!

1. El Monito
2. Tierra Querida
3. La Rayuela
4. Mal de Amores
5. La Ultima Cita
6. Amurado
7. Mala Junta
8. Boedo
9. Maula
10. Adios Pueblo
11. Gigolo
12. Chique
13. Vayan Saliendo
14. Gallo Ciego
15. Carro Viejo

"TANGOS DE ROMPE Y RAJA"
For those desiring a fuller, stronger, orchestral sound, we are fortunate
that Julio De Caro re-recorded many of his famous tangos in the years
1949-1953, and are presented on this wonderful CD. His violin is
projected beautifully on "Tierra Querida" and also on "Anibal Troilo",
which he composed as a tribute to the great bandoneonist. For romance
"Copacabana" is a beautiful piece, and the strong rhythmical beat is
prevalent in "El Monito".

1.Copacabana
2. El Monito
3. Mala Junta
4. Buen Amigo
5. Boedo
6. El Arranque
7. Flores Negras
8. Maipo
9. Anibal Troilo
10. De Rompe y Raja
11. Recuerdo
12. Todo Corazon
13. Loca Bohemia
14. Mi Dolor
15. Moulin Rouge
16. Guardia Vieja
17. Tierra Querida
18. Mala Pinta
19. Chiclana
20. Derecho Viejo