80,000 missing tango recordings

Last night I squeezed myself into the audio room in the Cervantes Room for a presentation by Ignacio Varchausky of the Tango Digital Archive - and I learnt some disturbing stuff about what has happened to tango recordings of the 20th century. It seems we've got a real treat in store if the Tango Digital Archive can get the funding it needs to digitise the 100,000 recordings they have determined were made in the first part of the 20th century. So far we are only listening to around 20,000 (just checked my itunes library and find I am 15,000 short! - note to self to spend more on tango music!) and most of them are really bad recordings.
Pretty obvious actually - there are some I have that I could never use the background noise and scratchings are so bad you can barely hear the music.
Senor Varchausky and his team at the Tango Digital Archive have just completed the Pilot Phase of their project to digitise Every tango recording. His presentation showed us how the database will operate and how it will be possible to search a singer/orchestra/composer etc on their biography, their discography, movies, catalogues, published music and a number of other parameters. The bad news is that there is no government funding for this project of national importance to Argentina's tango heritage and TangoVia relies on donations. If they can get enough funding it will take 5 or 6 years to digitise the 100,000 identified recordings - and make them available to consumers in a system like (but much better) than itunes.
As you can gather, I am a complete convert... and I am now working out schemes for how I can help to raise a few dollars towards the project.

I am also a complete convert to Fuego Blanco - and at the risk of boring you, dear reader, I would like to once again say what great musicians they are. Last night as we nibbled on empanadas and Argentinian wine, courtesy of the Argentinian Consulate, we listened - and some danced - to Fuego Blanco with Maggie Ferguson and Santigo Polimeni on bandoneons. Bodes very well for Thursday night's milonga at Copacabana!

There's more about the Tango Digital Archive on TangoAustralia.

Bandoneons in Bondi

There will be two! and an amazing tango orchestra led by Ignacio Varchausky, co-founder of Orquesta El Arranque, one of my favourite modern tango orchestras! and they will be here in Bondi Junction this Thursday... at a milonga. I am so excited - not just about the music but about the opportunity to dance to a real live top-notch tango band!
When this was suggested to us months ago I hoped that everyone in Sydney who loved tango would drop what they were doing and come and enjoy the night! but of course that is just a pipe-dream and there will be many who miss it for silly reasons and others who have obligations.  But those who come will I hope have a Tango Moment to Treasure.
Ignacio will be joined by virtuosic bandoneon player Santiago Polimeni, fresh from playing Piazzolla's "Maria de Buenos Aires" in Adelaide, and Fuego Blanco, who have just returned from intensive studying in Buenos Aires and a weekend of tango in Canberra with their teacher and bandoneon player, Maggie Ferguson. This band is truly inspirational and their musical talents prodigious.
It's at Copacabana, 195 Oxfors Street, Bondi Junction Mall, Thursday 11 from 8.45.
Entry is just $25 - you pay more for a Christmas milonga in this town!
You can still book if you are in town, though I am told places are filling fast and there is only a handful of seats left next to the dance floor - contact carol@tangoaustralia.com.au

Crazy floorcraft

In the last week a post from Chris of Tango Encanto on the Sydney Tango forum has highlighted the problem of bad floorcraft at the Sydney Tango Milonga at Concord RSL. This is not new and was brought to Sydney's attention when Javier Rodriguez made a comment about lack of floorcraft which was reported on the same forum.. Since the Concord milonga became popular dancing there can be a bit like riding a motorcycle in Ho Chi Minh traffic!
Last night I once again saw crazy floorcraft. This time it was on a much smaller floor and there no 'nuevo dancers' taking up large parts of the floor and swooping into every gap. Instead there were dancers who, totally oblivious to those around them. lifted their feet like they were wearing snow shoes and careened diagonally through the middle of the floor knocking into other dancers as they went. Every dance I had I was danced into, even when we were marking time! Most of these dancers came from two parts of Sydney and most looked they had learnt to dance tango from the internet - or never been to a class. But I know they have. So why are they not being taught floorcraft? Or are they just not listening?? It is a problem that won't just go away... what is the answer?