'La Cumparsita'
Fresh air. This is what will literally welcome you as soon as you step down from your plane. But Buenos Aires, Argentina, is not just about cool, refreshing breeze or Eva Peron or the los desaparecidos (victims of forced disappearances in Central and Southern America because of their political beliefs). Buenos Aires is France without the French — where becoming a dog walker could be a lucrative day job (yes, they hire dog walkers there). and where shrinks earn as much as bank presidents (seeing a shrink in Buenos Aires is as normal as visiting a feng shui master here). Of course, Argentina is not just about Buenos Aires. It is a land blessed with open spaces sculpted and manicured by nature — from the Andes Mountain to the glaciers of Fin del Mundo, Argentina is one of the best places to revitalize your somnolent soul.
Argentina is the home of gentle, hospitable and smart people. Why, even in dessert-like Mendoza where the weather violently shifts from too hot in the mid-afternoon to too cold during night time, vineyards mushroom and the best wines can be had. Ages ago, there wasn’t a single tree in the area. Early settlers planted trees there, funneling and channeling the melting ice from the Andes to create a complex irrigation system that has sustained vegetation to this very day.
Oh, how can one get over the taste of Argentinean paella and beef? Savor them as your waiter animatedly tells you that their preparation has never changed from the ways of the Gauchos (cowboys) of yesteryear. The saffron in the paella is the best there is.
But what would Argentina be without the tango? Its rhythm is inescapable. I could feel it reverberate from the communities that surround the Alvear Palace Hotel in Buenos Aires where I stayed to Llao Llao Hotel and Resort in Patagonia down south. Tango is the tie that binds the people of Argentina.
They say that if you want to got a “feel” of how Argentineans do their daily life rituals, it is a must that you understand their tango lingo. It’s not spoken, but could be well-understood merely by intently watching their body movements. They’re as forceful as they’re gentle, and as straightforward as they’re humble. Perhaps a dinner and tango show in Señor Tango in Buenos Aires would give you a glimpse of their way of life as expressed in songs and dances.
For most Argentineans, Tango is life itself. It is music, dance, song and poetry combined. It’s not clear how it all began, but its origins date back to the 19th century. Historians surmised that, in the mid-1800s, African slaves were herded to Argentina and, as they integrated, began to influence the locals’ way of life. The word “tango” may be easily African in origin, meaning a “closed place” or “reserved ground.”
Tango grew from a combination of many forms: Cuban habañera, milonga (a type of folk dance), African candombe and Italian melodies. Adding changes to spur the development of tango were immigrants to the country, especially the Italians, from whose vast numbers emerged the first musicians there. They infused the tango with a melancholic and wistful air.
Recently, I waxed nostalgic while listening to the music of Juan D’Arienzo from a CD gifted to me by a dear Argentinean friend. The CD recording is of audiophile grade by any standard. As La Cumparsita played in my listening room, I was brought back to the many memorable places I had visited in Argentina.
D’Arienzo (Dec. 14, 1900 — Jan. 14, 1976) was well known as El Rey del Compas (King of the Beat). Deviating from other orchestras of the golden age, he went back to the 2x4 feel that musicians before him had played, but incorporated his own modern arrangements and instrumentation. It was his brand of tango that took the music from middle-class drawing rooms to its real home, the dance hall, compelling an entire generation to rise its feet with his tempting and ecstatic beat.
All of the tracks on the album are familiar to Filipinos who love ballroom dancing (El Choclo, Desde Alma, Fuegos Artificiales, among others). They however sound differently when strictly heard over a dedicated two-channel system. Instrumentation is superbly effected, with D’Arienzo’s staccato beat luring you to tap your feet.
Tango as a dance is executed with excellently timed footwork. Its sensual appeal has survived the test of time, even through its short-lived ban in the politically charged 1950s when it became the symbol of protest in Argentina. During its “golden age,” tango packed dance halls with entire families, creating employment for even the largest of orchestras. It reached its peak, basked in its maturity and is now nestling firmly in its place in posterity.
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