[Tango-L] Malando

[John Ward]

Who remembers Arie Maasland, the Dutch conductor and composer who recorded many tangos under the name of Malando? In the 60's and 70's it was said that he brought the true sound of Argentine tango to Europe; but the lush orchestral style always sounded Dutch to me. According to the sleeve notes on my 1969 LP "Tango Time" he was extremely popular in Japan and recorded an LP of traditional Japanese melodies, including "Furusato" in a South American style.

Malando died over 20 years ago, but his orchestra lives on. In Tampere, Finland, last weekend I bought a CD entitled "Tango klassikot" by Danny Malando, Arie Maasland's grandson. The sound is the same as it ever was. Recorded in 2005, the album contains 17 tangos, all European apart from "El Choclo" "Adios Muchachos" and "La Cumparsita".

John Ward
Bristol, UK