The playlist begins with the orchestra of Juan D’Arienzo. D’Arienzo is credited with inventing the driving rhythmic sound of the early golden age. This style of music was very popular with dancers and all of the most popular orchestras of the mid 1930s played this way. Notice the piano in these recordings. Rudolfo Biagi was the pianist with D’Arienzo’s orchestra in the early period. His hands are amazingly fast, his piano decorations are precise and fun. D’Arienzo felt that the piano was the most important instrument of the orchestra and he always had strong players. Also notice the strong violin solo melodies, another common sound for this orchestra.
Rudolfo Biagi eventually left D’Arienzo’s orchestra to form his own. The sound is staccato with very punchy rhythm. There are rhythmic accents that are unique to Biagi and eventually you will be able to identify him by these rhythms when you hear him at a milonga.
Carlos Di Sarli is more often associated with a smooth melodic sound. In the mid 1930s though he plated in this more rhythmic style. Some typical pieces are featured in this playlist. Di Sarli was a pianist, and led his orchestra from that instrument. His piano decorations are immediately identifiable. The music was of the highest quality, he demanded a lot from his musicians. He would later feature some excellent vocalists including Roberto Rufino, Alberto Podesta, and Jorge Duran.
Edgardo Donato is featured next. These pieces are typical of Donato’s lovely melodic rhythmic style. This is very good dance music, interestingly D’Arienzo is credited with creating the rhythmic style of the early golden age, but Donato was recording in this style at the same time as D’Arienzo. Who influenced who?
Pedro Laurenz was a very influential Bandoneonist. He played with Julio De Caro’s sextet in the late 1920s, and along with Pedro Mafia was hugely influential in developing the sound of the bandoneon in tango. The influence of De Caro can be felt throughout the long career of Laurenz. Laurenz eventually participated in the development of more modern styles of tango with the Quinteto Real.
Up next is the orchestra of Ricardo Tanturi. One of his well known vocalists, Alberto Castillo is featured in the first song. Castillo had an amazing vocal range, and his melody is a nice contrast to the rhythm of the orchestra. You will find many ways to dance to this orchestra, sometimes moving with the rhythm and sometimes dancing to the melody. The two instrumentals are nice examples of this orchestra.
The last three songs in this playlist are from the orchestra of Anibal Troilo. This was one of the most popular orchestras in the golden age. These songs are typical of Troilo’s earlier recordings. They are all instrumentals, you will find them to be fun, playful music. They are lovely to dance to.