Articles | Andrea Bindereif

Here Comes Big Band Tango

Posted on: November 4, 2019 Last updated on: August 11, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Tango music

Puertos, the latest tango-jazz album by pianist and composer Emilio Solla

Emilio Solla is a very busy man; trying to schedule an interview with him feels like chasing after a hurricane. One day he’s performing on the West Coast, the next time in a tiny town in upstate New York, then he’s recording a new album, performing with his own group – the Trio Solla-Cheek-Labro – or he’s working on a video as part of a fundraising campaign for his next project. And then there’s so much more: teaching, composing a musical, promoting, and creating new possibilities; this Argentine-born pianist and composer seems like a creative volcano.

So what’s with the bandoneon?

Posted on: July 19, 2018 Last updated on: August 11, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Tango music

The tone always comes out where you don’t expect it!

b-zw-fr-bell-06 — New bandoneon by Belgium maker Harry Geuns

When I first heard the sound of a dozen bandoneons playing together, I was blown away. It was at the Stowe Tango Music Festival where, at the end of a weeklong bandoneon workshop, the students performed for tango dancers. They played together with the other musicians of a grand tango orchestra: violin, viola, cello, piano and double bass. The bandoneons made the orchestra sound like force of nature. My ears perked up, I stopped my conversation, and leaned towards the stage. I had heard the bandoneon countless times, unwittingly anticipating its characteristic sound in many tango pieces. But this time I was completely unprepared for the gripping sound of twelve bandoneons playing together. It grabbed me from within, sending shivers down my spine on that warm August night. I felt the same excitement that so many tango lovers must have felt before me.

The other side of showbiz

Posted on: April 6, 2018 Last updated on: May 14, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Tango shows and pros

group_photo — The cast of *Love Junkies*

One rainy evening last January I met with Tiziana Perinotti, a local San Francisco Bay Area artist and tango dancer. She had made a name for herself in the local tango scene in 2014 with an unusual ‘tango musical’ entitled ‘Love Junkies’.

Tango wins a Grammy!

Posted on: February 10, 2018 Last updated on: August 11, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Tango music

hector_del_curto_pablo_ziegler_claudio_ragazzi_ — Grammy winners Héctor Del Curto, Pablo Ziegler and Claudio Ragazzi
(Photo: STOWE TANGO MUSIC FESTIVAL)

On January 28 the tango world was rocked by a major event: the Pablo Ziegler Trio’s album, Jazz Tango, won the 2018 Grammy Award as best Latin Jazz Album. It was the first time that tango was awarded a prize by the Recording Academy — and the first time the larger music world became aware of the importance of a genre it had previously regarded as marginal. I spoke with bandoneonist Héctor Del Curto — who, together with pianist Claudio Ragazzi and founder Pablo Ziegler, completes the Pablo Ziegler Trio — about winning the Grammy Award. Héctor is one of the most sought-after bandoneonists, having played with Osvaldo Pugliese and Astor Piazzolla among others. Héctor and his wife Jisoo Ok are also the founders of the Stowe Tango Music Festival.

‘Life on the road’ with María Volonté and Kevin Carrel Footer

Posted on: January 3, 2018 Last updated on: July 9, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Tango music

María, the singer, and María, the van — María, the singer, with María, the van

‘María De Buenos Aires’ it says in black letters on the van. It’s an older model, but well cared for and trust inspiring. All the important parts, such as its shiny wheels and fenders, look new and expensive. White, compact, and sturdy, it has been converted into some kind of multi-purpose mobile home/trailer. The initial passenger space now serves as a tiny stage dressing room or, if needed, as a bedroom. There is a clothes rack with stage costumes, a vanity, and everything the artist needs to transform herself for a grand appearance. This past year there were thirty-three of them in five months.

Teaching Liam Neeson

Posted on: September 22, 2017 Last updated on: July 9, 2024 Written by: andrea Categorized in: Learning tango

MarkFeltjpg — There will be a special tango scene in the upcoming movie “Mark Felt”. Photo: markfeltmovie.com

“You have to teach Liam Neeson!” the caller urged her. It was nobody less than Marcos Questas. “He does not know one step!” he continued. Well, an urgent request by Maestro Questas from LA means you don’t think twice!