VAYO SINGS TANGOS THE TRADITIONAL WAY
Cali | 07/31/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Vayo - Tango - Pan 1009
His full name is Vayo Raimondo, but on his albums he just goes by Vayo (there is no exact English pronunciation, but it sort of sounds like vah'-joe with a little shzz in the middle). He is one the leading tango singers in the world (yes, tango music is mostly vocal music, not instrumental).
Sometime in the late 1800s the cowboys working cattle and sheep in Argentina and Uruguay on either side of the River Plate in South America would come into town wearing their boots, big hats and leather chaps. They wanted to blow off steam so they went to the women of the night in the bars and bordellos, and along with short-term love the couples drank and danced. The men liked to show off their athletic ability and strut their stuff, and the women responded in kind. The music was played on various-sized acoustic guitars often with some percussion, especially castanets and tambourines and such. The other main instrument was the bandoneon, which probably came from Europe, but was basically a squeezebox accordion with buttons for both hands rather than a keyboard on one side. The groups on the bandstand also had singers who always tackled the tried-and-true subjects of love lost and love found, but at first had more rural messages that the audience could relate to. Soon the music and dance was embraced by the urban centers and the lyrics began to reflect their lifestyles too. The Golden Age of tango was in the 1920s when the bands got larger (reflective of the "Big Band Era" worldwide) and the singers became superstars in South America, although the music also became popular everywhere from movies like Rudolf Valentino's silent classic "The Sheik." The music stayed popular in the Thirties and Forties, but dissipated a bit after World War II before making a comeback. When Vayo was a young man, he got to hear (and dance to) the music created at the tail-end of the classic era. When he moved to the United States as he entered his twenties, he never forgot the music of his youth. Years later he decided to start singing in the tango style he remembered from his early years.
Which, ten albums later, brings us to his current project, appropriately titled Tango (what else?). It has all the classic elements. The instruments are all acoustic, just like the old days -- guitar, bass and bandoneon. Vayo sings in Spanish, just like the old days. Listening to these two traditional tunes and seven new compositions by Vayo, you can close your eyes and envision a small, smokey, South American club a hundred years ago with a singer and musicians pouring their heart out in one corner while some dusty cattlemen strut, swing, twirl, clap and swoop around a woman with red lips, black heels and her dress held up off the floor. Tango. A timeless tradition.
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Track Listings (9) - Disc #1