Antonio Gavrila: Tango Suite Buenos Aires

Astor Piazzolla, the Brazilian master who modernized and forever changed the profile of the tango, starting in the late '50s, died in 1992, several years before pianist Antonio Gavrila was born, halfway around the world in Bucharest, Romania. To Gavrila, Piazzolla was more than a name or even a reformer; he was—and remains—an inspiration, one whose music serves as the driving force behind Tango Suite Buenos Aires, Gavrila's second album as leader and first for Zoho Music.

Gavrila's Tango Suite Buenos Aires comprises the second half of the studio session, which opens with one of Piazzolla's nimble compositions, "Michelangelo 70," written to salute a nightclub in Buenos Aires where Piazzolla's ensembles often performed. Piazzolla also wrote the pensive "Introduccion al Angel," which follows, while Gavrila composed the enchanting ballad "Amor sin Palabras" (love without words), Marcello Rodriguez Scilla the graceful "Prelude en la Noche."

"Michelangelo 70" introduces the other members of Gavrila's impressive quartet—bandeonist Walther Castro, guitarist Quique Sinesi and bassist Horacio "Mono" Hurtado—each of whom plays an indispensable role on every number, nurturing and enhancing Gavrila's responsive piano. "Michelangelo 70" is classic tango, flaunting its rhythmic stamina and calling on every member of the group to respond in kind. The tempo—but not the intensity—slows on "Introduccion al Angel," while "Prelude en la Noche" has the sort of groovy ambience reminiscent of Piazzolla's best work. The gentle "Amor sin Palabras" leads to the suite's brief opening movement, "Tristeza," and those that follow: "Nuevos Tempos," "Nostalgico" and "Todo Piazzolla," each one a model of nuevo tango at its finest.

Gavrila and his companions perform every number with ardor and insight, earning Tango Suite Buenos Aires a splendid appraisal, one that would be even more favorable were it not for the album's meager thirty-three minute playing time.