[Tango-L] North American tango orchestras/bands

[ceverett@ceverett.com]

Disclaimer:

For what it's worth I am a DJ.  I started DJing in self defense,
because I hate dancing to any old random crap that gets sent out 
of a speaker.

On Fri, 18 May 2007 19:46:41 -0500, "burak ozkosem"
<buraktango at gmail.com> said:
<snipped>
> 
> Hopefully the number of Tango bands will increase exponentially in 
> near future via increasing supports from Tango organizers in their 
> local communities.

Um, when they're as danceable as Golden Age music, sure.

> Some might get upset but I'd rather buy Tango Album of a musician 
> who is alive, because these musicians will determine the future 
> of Tango Music.

Unless they get their act together, there will be no future to 
tango music.  I have yet to hear a tango group in the US that's 
truly adequate for dancing the way Golden Age orchestras were.

At this point, the problems are manifold:

-- Adaptations of non-tango music that meander along and 
   never seem to go anywhere, sort of a "Philip Glass
   Does Tango" effect.
-- lack of rhythmic drive (sorry, drum loops don't count)
-- use of rhythmic devices like breaks or submerging the 
   beat, without giving a signal to the dancers that lets 
   them pick up on what's coming.
-- Most of their music is waaaay too laid back, lacking
   even the signs that something intense may be going on
   under the surface.

Many are getting better, but none of them are on the same level
with the Golden Age stuff (yet).  Let me be more specific about 
that: If they were magically transported back to BA in the 1940
compared to Golden Age formations, most of them would have to 
fight for a chance to play in the corner cafe for _free_.

> Therefore, I would suggest instructors to create awareness 
> about "fresh tango music" among their students.  Then dancers 
> will start buying these albums, and they will start asking 
> Djs if they can play some songs. 

Some people will dance to anything.  That's OK the same way 
the fact that some people will sleep with anyone is ... the 
lack of standards/boundaries is permissible, but not all 
that acceptable, and a big red flag indicating possible 
brokenness some place.

> So, this would - hopefully - trigger Dj to look for new 
> music choices addition to golden tunes that every dj play. 
> Of course this chain reaction would create a new market 
> for tango musicians who makes music for dancing as well.

I would suggest another route to getting, new danceable music,
instead of a welfare system ... the Free Market way.

Sit down and listen politely to live music.  When they ask you
why you aren't dancing to the nice music, tell them what's 
missing in the music that causes you to stay in your seat.  If 
a band's been around for a while and don't start moving in the 
direction of danceability, stop going to their events.  When a
milonga promoter ask you why you didn't come to that last event 
with the nice live band, tell the promoter, "Their music sucks 
for dancing, and I go to a milonga to dance."  If their music 
is actually good listening despite being bad for dancing, you 
can add, "When is their next concert, by the way?"

Given an atmosphere where tango groups have to prove themselves
worthy of support, I would hope that a few musicians do become
successful and can show the rest how it's done. It's not nice, 
it's terribly Darwinian, but I'm tired of musicians who don't 
want feedback from dancers about what is and isn't danceable.  

Christopher