Contemporary Tango Stars
Here you'll find bios and information on the greatest contemporary tango stars.
Gotan Project:
Initiated by Philippe Cohen Solal and Edouardo Makaroff in 1999, with Christoph H Muller
joining immediately, Gotan Project saw the light of day with the release of their first 10 inch
in February 2000 on Ya Basta!, Solal's label. The project which gathers on record, as well as on
stage, top Argentinean musicians exiled in Paris, is experiencing an incredible international
success with the release of their first album "La Revancha Del Tango". To date, more than 500.000
records have been sold in Europe. Their current live tour is taking them to some of the world's
most prestigious stages and influential clubs. The show mixes video performances of Prisca Lobjoy
and the technical skill of gathering acoustic musicians alongside machines.
Adriana Varela:
Maybe the major Tango female singer in Argentina and an artist with a unique style. Her
career has grown up year by year through the constant search for expressions of the Argentinean
cultural identity.
Her professional debut took place in 1991 and since then, her continuous performances have
placed her in a privileged position between among the Argentinean press and musicians, who
consider her "the tango's voice revelation" of the last decade.
Adriana Varela was awarded with several international prizes, and she has participated in very
important music festivals such us the ones that take place in Nantes (France), Paris, Granada
(Spain), Porto Alegre (Brazil), the "Argentinean festival in London" (England) and the GREC of
Barcelona (Spain).
Following the steps of the legendary singer Polaco Goyeneche, her musical mentor, she
recorded songs with important tango bandoneonists such as Leopoldo Federico and Rodolfo
Mederos, and with the famous Uruguayan musicians Hugo Fatorusso, Ruben Rada and Jaime Ross.
She has also sung songs of Joaquin Sabina and Fito Paez. That's why Adriana is a complete
exponent of the mixed musical culture of the new Rio de la Plata expressions.
In 1999 Quincy Jones requested her to represent Argentina at the "Concerts of the Americas". It
was the opportunity to share stage with Liza Minelli, Paul Anka, Celia Cruz, Daniela Mercury,
Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Rita Marley and Kenny G, all of them under Lalo Schiffrin's
artistic direction.
Adrana Varela has recorded some songs specially for Argentinean film soundtracks like "FLOP"
(1991); "Al Corazon" (1996), directed by Mario Sabato and "Plata Quedama"(1999), under the
artistic direction of Gustavo Santaolalla. Her voice also opens the film
"Tango",
directed by the world famous spanish director Carlos Saura.
Alejo Gabriel Carames:
Alejo Carames began his academic guitar studies at the Academia Superior de Carmelo Rizzuti, then continued them at the Conservatorio Municipal Manuel de Falla and he finally completed his studies at the Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda. In that school he obtained his Popular Music Instrumentalist degree, with a Tango Guitar specialty. His teachers were Kelo Palacios in folk; Anibal Arias, Ruben "Chocho" Ruiz and Hugo Romero in tango; and Rodolfo Alchourron and Rodolfo Mederos in arrangements and orchestral practice. He later improved his orchestration and writing studies with the latter.
Since 1995 he has been performing as a tango guitarist, accompanying different singers -like Jorge Valdes, Carlos Acuna, Enzo Valentino, Abel Lando, Hugo Marcel, Maria Silvia Varela, Favio Santana, Silvia Laura, Fabian Russo and Gabriel Dominguez, among others- at live performances and recordings in diverse instrumental nds -such as El Trebol Trio, Cuarteto Filiberto, Pura Mana, Daniel Buono Quinteto- and in a guitar duet with Hugo Romero.
His appearances include stages like Teatro Astral, La Scala de San Telmo, the National Library, Cafe Tortoni, the Obras Sanitarias Stadium, La Esquina Homero Manzi, Oliverio Always (Bauen Hotel), La Casona del Conde de Palermo, El Caminito Tango Show, Teatro Colonial, The Salon Dorado at the Casa de la Cultura, Teatro Municipal de Moron and Gandhi bookstore.
Carames worked as a musician and an arranger in several plays, like El conventillo de la Paloma, El Angel: tango y bar, La nina de la noche, Canta San Telmo (un punal y una guitarra).
He has been member of the Hombres de Tango trio since its foundation in 1997-on guitar and arrangements-, and of the Quinteto Tipico Buenos Aires -on electric guitar and arrangements. He works as a guitar teacher and a Tango Assembly director privately as well as at various institutions like the School of Law at the University of Buenos Aires. He is in charge of arrangements in diverse projects, like singers recording productions, music production for dancers, music for plays, etc.
Cuarteto Almagro:
In early 1997, Argentine musician Alfredo Rubin asked German violinist Leo Weiss, who had just arrived in Buenos Aires, to join pianist Analia Goldberg and bandoneon player Alejandro Bruschini and form this tango group. Since the beginning, this quartet tried to combine -through transcriptions of orchestral versions from the 40's- a solid, classic sound with bold arrangements and their own compositions. They were asked to play in several events, such as dinner shows, ballrooms, private and public cultural events, tango-dance exhibitions, at the FM de la Ciudad radio (92.7) and at the National Library. They also joined other orchestras and young groups in recording two CDs.
After some months, Cuarteto Almagro had become one of the more solid and original groups of the new generation.
Hernan Salinas:
Argentine tango singer of the school of Carlos Gardel, and one of the most important voices of
Argentine tango. His voice of Buenos Baritone, sometimes sensual, other dramatic, demonstrates his aptitude to adapt to varied forms
of sung expressions. To this natural feature, he adds a great dose of talent, study and dedication that allows him to include
different facets that tango offers.
In a type of music that require certain maturity , Salinas recorded his first simple as soloist when he was just 20 years old.
He obtained a fast recognition from the public like a great orchestras singer . Thus it was that the maestro Astor Piazzolla invited him in 1987 to participate in the European opening of his Opera Tango "Maria of Buenos Aires".
Classic Tango Stars:
Read bios of the classic stars of the Argentine Tango.
More
Tango Dance Stars:
Aside from the great musicians that have shaped the Argentine Tango, there are also phenomenal dancers
that are world renowned for their tango expertise.
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