Pedro Giraudo “Vigor Tanguero” (Zoho Music) GRAMMY WINNER Best Tango Album 19th Annual Latin Grammys

“I enjoyed every second of the process,” said Giraudo, who seems capable of scaling any musical summit. He wrote these pieces for the brilliant quartet of Nick Danielson (violin), Rodolfo Zanetti (bandoneón), Emilio Teubal (piano), and himself (bass). And by so doing, he realized that his works were in fact rooted in the best of the tango tradition. Each selection can be categorized and described according to one of three tango rhythms: milongas, valses, and tangos. 

Of course, there are some exceptions, but throughout you’ll hear Giraudo tinkering and experimenting with the fundamental tango rhythmic cells – pushing, pulling, even suspending the syncopated feel as he engineers a new aesthetic or archetype for this music that he loves. “I tried to express many emotions on this album: happiness, joy, passion, sadness, intimacy, vulnerability, and playfulness,” he says. No matter what this album makes you feel, it will be borne out of authenticity, as Giraudo’s genuine spirit shines through each note, beat, and breath. 

The first piece Vorágine means “Whirlwind” in English, but it’s not an exact translation, as Giraudo has struggled to find a word that conveys the chaos and confusion that afflict those living in New York. “This is my anthem for the city,” he says. He constructed the piece with a straightforward ABA form, with an almost identical introduction and coda. The first section is through composed with an unstable eight-note scale that late French composer Olivier Messiaen (1908 – 1992) employed with aplomb. The subsequent section is right out of the Astor Piazzolla (1922- 1992) playbook, with obvious tonal and timbral references to the late tango grandmaster. 

Entre Bambalinas translates to “Between Scenes” and is a reference to those fabric dividers on stages. The term is used colloquially to describe what happens backstage or behind closed doors. The bass elegantly presents the prelude and epilogue. Between these parts is the main ABA section that invokes a waltz meter: at times the twelve eighth notes which are placed in two measures, grouped in the unusual manner of 3-2-3-2-2. In this piece, we hear Giraudo demonstrating his prodigious compositional talent, moving the beats across the mountains of his mind. 

Giraudo wrote Con Un Nudo En La Garganta or “With a knot in the throat” in 2004 for his jazz orchestra and it eventually became the middle movement of his epic and noteworthy “Desconsuelo Suite” which can be heard in its large ensemble version on his other 2018 ZOHO CD release with the WDR Big Band, “An Argentinian in New York” (ZM 201804). This piece is total tango and channels the best elements of the tradition. Hearing how brilliantly his large band performed the piece, he wanted to arrange it for his tango quartet. And you can hear for yourself – it’s an intoxicating melody with beautifully sparse and stirring chordal accompaniment.