Piazzolla Forever

Last night the Barbican was alive with the sounds of tango nuevo. French accordionist and one-time Piazzolla protegé, Richard Galliano, was performing a programme dedicated to his former mentor. In the first half, Galliano's own New York trio, made up of drummer Clarence Penn and bassist James Genus, were joined by veteran vibraphonist and former Piazzolla collaborator, Gary Burton, for an eclectic set that included Piazzolla standards, Galliano's own compositions and even a swingin' spin on Bach's Sinfonia in G. The accordion's not an instrument that you'd instantly associate with jazz or coolness, primarily because of its folk roots and the fact that it makes the player look permanently pregnant. Galliano, however, has managed to re-invent accordion music, expanding its range as a rightful exponent of contemporary jazz while maintaining the instrument's roots in traditional French music, much in the way that Piazzolla himself re-invented tango.

In the second half, Galliano was joined by the Piazzolla Septet, consisting of piano and string sextet, for a set of mostly Piazzolla music. Galliano himself switched between the accordion and more traditional bandoneón, which is nothing less than a miracle of an instrument, so much so that it's almost incomprehensible how anyone can play it at all. The violins in particular were fiery, with all of Piazzolla's driving rhythmic and percussive effects. On the slight down side, I found that a full string section isn't best suited for new tango and some of the arrangements were too elaborate. Not to mention that the double bass player looked more like he was pole dancing.... but Galliano himself was a firebomb, and his solo version of Libertango was something to gawk at in amazement. I expect that Galliano's Piazzolla Forever won't compete with Piazzolla's own recordings for quintet or septet, or even Gidon Kremer's Hommage à Piazzolla, but for sheer energy and for supporting the Piazzolla cause, it'll no doubt be joining my CD collection soon....