Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Sounds of Argentina
A variety of music genres are well represented in Argentina, especially
when it comes to the country's most famous export, the tango. But the
country also grooves to different sounds, be it
chamamé
in Corrientes,
cuarteto
in Córdoba or
cumbia villera
in the poor neighborhoods of Buenos
Aires.
Tango
There's no better place to dive into tango than through the music of the genre's most le-
gendary performer, singer Carlos Gardel (1887-1935). Violinist Juan D'Arienzo's orches-
tra reigned over tango throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s. Osvaldo Pugliese and
Héctor Varela are important band leaders from the 1940s, but the real giant of the era was
bandoneón
(small type of accordion) player Aníbal Troilo.
Modern tango is largely dominated by the work of Astor Piazzolla, who moved the
tango nuevo
(traditional tango music infused with modern elements) genre from the dance
halls into the concert halls. Piazzolla paved the way for the tango fusion, which emerged
in the 1970s and is popularized by neo-tango groups such as Gotan Project, Bajofondo
Tango Club and Tanghetto.
While in Buenos Aires, keep an eye out for Orquesta Típica Fernández Fierro, musi-
cians who put a new twist on traditional tango songs but also perform original creations
(check out their award-winning documentary,
Orquesta Típica,
by Nicolas Entel). Other
orchestras to watch out for are Orquesta Típica Imperial and El Afronte.
Contemporary influential tango singers include Susana Rinaldi, Daniel Melingo, Adri-
ana Varela and the late Eladia Blásquez.
Cumbia villera
is a relatively recent musical phenomenon: a fusion of
cumbia
and gang-
sta posturing with a punk edge and reggae overtones. Born of Buenos Aires'
shantytowns, its aggressive lyrics deal with marginalization, poverty, drugs, sex and the
Argentine economic crisis.
Folk Music
The folk (
folklore
or
folklórico
) music of Argentina takes much of its inspiration from
the northwestern Andean region and countries to the north, especially Bolivia and Peru. It
spans a variety of styles, including
chacarera, chamamé
and zamba.
