Pablo Aslan

Living in the United States since 1980, Argentine-born bassist and composer Pablo Aslan is recognized internationally as one of the leading figures in traditional and contemporary tango. His extensive discography includes Piazzolla in Brooklyn, a jazz-tango tribute to Astor Piazzolla, and Tango Grill. The latter earned him nominations for a Latin Grammy Award (“Best Tango Album”) and a Grammy Award (“Best Latin Jazz Album”).

His most recent album of works for bass and string quartet, ConTraBajo (Soundbrush Records) presents him as a soloist and covers an eclectic repertoire ranging from Villa-Lobos and Ellington to original flamenco and tango-inspired compositions. With guest artists Paquito D’Rivera and bandoneonist Raul Jaurena.

He performs and tours with a variety of ensembles, including his own 50’s tango dance band The Aces of Rhythm, with the Emilio Solla Tango Jazz Orchestra, Meg Okura’s Pan Asian Ensemble, composer Frank London’s ensembles, and with members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

As a producer, he has shaped more than a dozen albums, including the 2007 Latin Grammy Winner Te Amo Tango by Uruguayan bandoneonist Raul Jaurena. As of 2017, Aslan was working on albums by the Glass House Orchestra, Tributango quartet, a CD of original compositions, and a series of electronic tangos for dancers. In 2016, he founded Avantango Records.

Aslan has also performed and recorded with many world-class artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Shakira, Lalo Schifrin, Denyce Graves, Osvaldo Golijov, Pablo Ziegler, the New World Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Aslan has also performed with clarinetist David Krakauer’s band Klezmer Madness! in the U.S. and Europe, and collaborated with other leading klezmer musicians such as composer-trumpeter Frank London and violinist Alicia Svigals.

Aslan is an active researcher and educator producing educational programs for Lincoln Center Institute, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, and Arts Connection in New York City. As a guest lecturer, he has taught at several universities throughout the United States, including Harvard, Yale, and UCLA. Serving as Artistic Director of the Reed Tango Music Institute for the 2013-14 season, Aslan has also been a Featured Artist at the Indiana University Tangueros Conference.

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Album Review

Avantango by Mark F. Turner
Avantango by Elliott Simon
Avantango by Mark Sabbatini
Buenos Aires Tango Standards by Jerry D'Souza
Buenos Aires Tango Standards by Ivana Ng

Opinion

Tango? Not according to the Latin Academy

Album Review

Tango Grill by Raul d'Gama Rose

Live Review

Archivo Digital del Tango and Pablo Aslan Quintet featuring Paquito D' Rivera...

Album Review

Tango Grill by Jerry D'Souza

“We’re in a golden age of jazz-tango fusion, and bassist Pablo Aslan is one of the main reasons. (…) His pulsing lines are the heartbeat of a new music.” JAZZIZ

“There’s been a raft of tango albums from classical performers trying to give a different spin on Argentina’s musical gift to the world. But no really successful jazz spin on the tango until now. Aslan, a native of Buenos Aires, (…) has created a thoroughly-realized amalgam of both musical forms. A fascinating project and totally successful musically!” AUDIOPHILE AUDITION

“Led by double bassist Pablo Aslan, the ensemble brings us the best of both worlds as they rely on beautiful melodies to create a mood before launching into powerful improvisation. The themes are clearly defined, while each improvised adventure comes complete with thrills and beauty. Recommended, Aslan’s Jazz/Tango project works wonders on the soul.” CADENCE

“We’re in a golden age of jazz-tango fusion, and bassist Pablo Aslan is one of the main reasons. (…) His pulsing lines are the heartbeat of a new music.” JAZZIZ

“Aslan creates improvisatory alchemy with artists at home in both genres. A subtle convergence results as the milonga and guajira roots of these familiar classics sound through in a brilliant jazz quintet setting. Tango as Miles, Coltrane, Evans and Chambers might have conceived it.” GLOBAL RHYTHM

“Pablo will continue to define the tango idiom in his musically inimitable way…Pablo Aslan..The right man….In the right way…At the right time for tango jazz.” EJAZZNEWS

“Buenos Aires Tango Standards is a leap forward from his well-received Avantango and a work, unlike many “fusion” projects, that so completely and artfully integrates two musical worlds, here tango and jazz, that it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. (…) a string of delicate numbers with all the characteristic elegance and melancholy of classic tango. From the level of play to the artistic conception, there is nothing “standard” about this work and that is both its strength and beauty.” JAZZTIMES

“You may read about merging jazz with tango, or jazzing up tango, but the real goal here is to push tango to unimagined extremes.” TOM HULL (Village Voice)

“This is a very special recording, capturing the inherent longing of Tango and contextualizing it in a completely up-to-date jazz idiom. Quite an accomplishment.”

“Pablo Aslan, on his second release, proves he’s the absolute master of the New Tango. What we’ve got here is a very compelling blend of Tango and jazz, certainly never before so forcefully and beguiling presented. The results are nothing less that spectacular.” AMAZON.COM

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