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Tango professionals from all over the world present their 22 favorite titles. This is the motto of the latest series on the label of “Danza y Movimiento”. DJs, promoters, teachers and all those who are professionally involved with tango are part of the show.

The first edition of the new series includes 12 albums, compiled by tango DJs and promoters from the USA, Sweden, Great Britain, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Czech Republic and Montenegro.

What criteria did the tangueras and tangueros use to make their selection of titles? It is exciting to read what the respective motivation has been to present the recordings the way they can be heard now. Most of the compilations are danceable, but just not all of them.

DJ Biki from Utrecht has been inspired by her tango mentors – every single track is associated with a certain person for her. DJ Bianca Vrcan (La Montenegrina), like most others, had a problem: how to choose 22 works among more than 5000 recordings available for selection? Since she had sorted the database on which the selection was based alphabetically, she only got as far as “D”. So please don’t be surprised if the titles of her compilation all start with “A”, “B”, “C” or “D”.

El Hierro is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the seventh and smallest of the main Canary Islands. Here, a project is currently being created for retreat and reflection, to breathe deeply and get in touch with nature. The island is sparsely populated, has no international airport and no wide sandy beaches. These are ideal conditions for people who want to take some time out, especially in this day and age. Our time needs people who are willing to stop and contemplate …

In this sense, we are in the process of transforming a former agricultural finca in the heart of the island. The soil offers ideal conditions to grow our own vegetables and fruits. The existing houses will be gradually transformed into foundations for a retreat alone, as a couple or even with children.

In front of the small, somewhat crooked wooden house, Alvarado is sitting in the shade of a palm tree with two musicians; they play the son „Tic Tac“ in honor of Antonio, who has just arrived. Alvarado calls his 80 year old friend Tic Tac, because you can hear his cane from afar: tic tac tic tac.

The other two musicians are friends who happened to be passing by. A former cop who plays the tres guitar. And a rum-loving neighbor who can make music on empty bottles. Antonio sits next to it contentedly, sometimes clapping along with the rhythm.

Alvarado almost always works like this – spontaneously and surrounded by the people of his hometown. His lyrics reflect events from his everyday life. Living in Pueblo Nuevo, a district of Mella in Eastern Cuba.

The big old sugar cane factory stands in the center of the settlement and towers above everything. It looks a bit like an old cathedral with two towers. “Antonio J. Mella” is written on the chimneys, the name of the co-founder of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Well-known and less well-known tango orchestras from the late 20s to the late 40s are presented on a total of four albums entitled „Con Saludos desde Europa“. All titles were recorded in Europe. In addition to orchestras based in Europe, there are others who have only toured Europe for a short time. Some of them have been completely forgotten these days. This article provides background information on the orchestras and the musicians of the four albums. This music is also suitable for DJs when putting together tandas on a milonga.

The first album of the small series includes recordings by the orchestras of Quintin Verdu, Jose M. Lucchesi, Francisco Alongi and Rafael Canaro.

Quintin Verdu was born to Spanish parents in Algeria and came to Paris at the age of 10, where he attended the conservatory. At 21, he met Rafael Canaro and Miguel Orlando, who hired him as a pianist. He went on a European tour with Rafael Canaro until 1935 and later accompanied Tino Rossi, whom he soon left to form his own orchestra.

With their distinctive style, they were very successful until the outbreak of war. He was captured and released in 1941. His orchestra later became the house band of the famous “Olympia” in Paris. There are four tracks on this album that present the distinctive style of this orchestra.

*José Marcos *Lucchesi came to Paris from Brazil as the son of a Corsican family and, following the zeitgeist, also fell in love with the tango in the 1930s. After the war he switched to popular dance music with his works.

*Francisco Alongi *came to France from Tunisia in 1921 and became a pianist for Manuel Pizarro and later for Tano Genaro. He often accompanied the famous tango singer Rosita Barrios. In 1932 he founded his own orchestra.

Rafael Canaro, the little brother of the great Francisco, was also known as Argentina‘s tango ambassador to Europe. The recordings with Luis Scalon are from 1938 and were taken in Paris. Due to the outbreak of war, Rafael Canaro then returned to his native Argentina.