Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Pablo Aslan: Avantango

192

Pablo Aslan: Avantango

By

View read count
Pablo Aslan: Avantango
Two bodies entwine and then move with intense rhythm—this is tango. Bassist Pablo Aslan, an integral component of NYC’s Latin and downtown jazz landscapes, has provided rich tonality and compositional skill to projects with the late saxophonist/flutist Thomas Chapin, trumpeter Frank London, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and clarinetist David Krakauer. In addition, Aslan is a major exponent of tango nuevo, the sensual Argentinian music made famous by legendary bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla. As trio Avantango, Aslan, Chapin and pianist Ethan Iverson released Y en el 2000 Tambien (EPSA), an adventurous tango improvisation recorded live at the Knitting Factory. Aslan’s newest release, Avantango, is a maturing of this concept and may prove to be the most enchanting CD of the year.

Aslan’s Avantango is an event whose NYC staging is a recurrent Valentine’s Day musical/dance happening; this CD is the musical companion to that experience. The sound is captivating as Hector Del Curto’s bandoneon sets up seductive rhythms with Aslan’s bass, who either imparts a sinewy tension or drives the piece to a frenzied pace. On “La Calle 92” Aslan plucks, bows and percusses the side of his instrument in unison, creating a rhythmic tension that Del Curto releases with a familiar melody. Oscar Feldman’s tenor and Diego Urcola’s trumpet add the right amount of jazz to “Deux Xango,” “Amadeo” and “Sabatenado,” where joined with Dario Ezkenazi’s piano they take tango to the jazz precipice and back.

Violinist Leonardo Suarez Paz is able to navigate the dangerously changing tempos of Piazzolla’s “Escualo,” originally meant for the violinist’s father, Fernando. Roxana Fontan’s rich passionate voice is used to perfection on three all too short cuts. Playing off trumpet and blending with bandoneon, she entices us down South on “Vuelvo al Sur,” adds poignancy to the Argentinian hit song “Muchacha (ojos de papel),” and sings a sombre “Malena” in a hauntingly beautiful duet with Aslan. Close your eyes and see the only thing missing from Avantango —the dancers, or better yet, grab a partner and complete the experience.

Track Listing

1. Derviche 2. Deus Xango 3. Vuelvo al Sur 4. Sabateando 5. Escualo 6. Malena 7. Amadeo 8. Beto 9. Verano Porte?o 10. El Enchanter 11. Muchacha 12. La Calle 92

Personnel

Pablo Aslan: bass, Leonardo Suarez Paz: violin, Dario Eskenazi: piano, Hector Del Curto: bandoneon, Diego Urcola: trumpet, Oscar Feldman: tenor sax, Roxana Fontan: vocals, Gustavo Casenave: piano

Album information

Title: Avantango | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Zoho Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.