Tango & Folkore Music of Argentina - Epsa World Music

There definitely are several different styles of song in this album and some pieces are just beautiful. I don't believe this is for the "pop music" minded but for a more mature ear that loves what world music offers. You definitely get a sense of the Argentine influence in all the songs and all songs are sung in Spanish. This is not an Argentine "rock" album. Think of what you might hear when you walk along the old cafes at night and look for a place to drink a late night espresso or ... Most of the pieces are on the mellow side with a couple that are slightly more upbeat and modern. If you like the Argentine flavor that you are familiar with in their tangos then you will appreciate this album as there is a bit in some and more than that in others. Of all the free albums I consider this one amongst the very best in less than a handful of good ones. Great value!!! Love it! If it wasn't free, it would be worth buying.

The tangos are Argentine tango - The first 3 selections are danceable for Argentine milongueros, and 8 is OK but very fast. Numbers 6 and 10 are clearly folk music, not tango, and the rest are mostly quiet songs good for listening but not dancing.

From a US-centric view... I didn't recognize any track as being a tango one could really tango to (the rhythms are too variable), but track 2 came closest to my concept of a tango, a couple others seemed to be tango-based. None of them evoked the Pampas for me or felt like 'folklore' music (though the ballads were really quite good). However, my experience with Argentinian music is severely lacking. Perhaps these are tangos for those tired of the rest of the tangos, and 'modern' takes on timeless classics?

There are 3 sung ballads (5, 9, 10), and the rest are instrumental. A few are guitar-based, a few piano-based, some with concertina and/or violin. Sounds most like easy classical jazz to me. 2 and 8 felt "dance-able" to me. 7 is a bit "spanish guitar"-ish plus flutes.

The musicianship and production are excellent, and the vocals are very fine. I did enjoy most of the selections. If you like gentle jazz as well as latin music, this is likely right up...Read more