Tango Orkestret - Tango de Copenhague (2006)

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Tango Orkestret - Tango de Copenhague (2006)

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Worldclass. Nothing less. They are getting better year by year and at the same time they are developing a style of their own in the domain of modern tango that was originally created by the maestro Astor Piazzola. The seventh release from the band in 15 years features entirely compositions of their own made in the spirit of Piazzola but also in a probably characteristic Danish originality which also reflect the fact that the band has benefited from a fertile soil in the Danish musical environment.
Percussionist Carl Quist Møller has left the band and he has been replaced by bass-player Jesper Lundgaard. This has beyond any doubt contributed to the more intimate, more sincere atmosphere and to making this recording more like a piece of chamber-music. Piazzola is obviously the major inspiration. But other elements from the modern tango are heard. In moment it seems as if not least the legendary Cuarteto Cedrón can be heard in the poetic phrases and in the surprising riffs and changes.
Even though Tangoorkestret does not feature a regular bandoneón-player Henrik Sveidahl through his soprano-sax and bass-clarinet ensures the special tone that is so characteristic for the modern tango and this happens in a deeply integrated interplay with Kristian Jørgensen’s violin and in the finest manner supported by the guitar of Palle Windfeldt and the bass of Lundgaard.
A band without bandoneón but including marimba and vibes have according to many puritans in the tango tradition excluded themselves from playing “real” tango. However Piazzola himself through his collaboration with Gary Burton demonstrated that vibes and marimba easily can be added as a profound and integrated part of the tango. And Kaare Munkholm adds to this perception in a very competent manner. He is indeed a part of the ensemble but he is not pressing himself forward in the picture.
And it is an overarching trait in the playing of Tangoorkestret that it is an ensemble not a soloist-ensemble – even though they feature a lot of solo playing. In their context however a solo becomes part of the entity and certainly not a spotlight to the individual musicians. It
highlights the many levels, contrasts and tints in the music – a music that reaches from experimental work like Hora 19:00 (7:00 P.M.) to more “traditional” pieces like La Caza (The Hunt).
Tangoorkestret has by the release of TANGO DE COPENHAGUE really helped placing Copenhagen in the very centre of the tango universe. It reaches higher and is certainly more helpful in the ambition of turning the Danish capital into an international metropolitan than many sky-scrapers would do.
Jens Lohmann

"My first exposure to Tango Orkestret was in January, 1992, when I was part of a tour organized by the Danish Jazz Association. There were three groups presented: The Organizers, who where in the "get down" grease tradition, Søren Lee Trio and then, "ah-ha", the wildcat Tango Orkestret.
I was captivated each night by their music. The extreme intricacies of the ensemble were approached with detailed precision and dynamics. In the tradition of real improvised music, it was different and developing each and every night. The spirit of fun and adventure were abounding. This is to say nothing of the fact that everyone could really play. They had down all the prerequisites.
Their albums document their continual growth. They have a true blend of diverse elements. They are focused around the tradition of tango and the traditions of improvised music… It has been a pleasure for me to hear. It will take you places you´ve never been."
(Adam Nussbaum)