Astor Piazzolla is an Argentine tango composer and bandoneon extraordinairre who was born in Mar de Plata in 1921. His parents were Italian immigrants and due to their pursue for work, his youth was split between Mar de Plata and New York City . Interestingly, Piazzolla began playing the bandaneon while living in New York because his father found one in a pawn shop and brought it home for him. From that point on he began developing his abilites and at the age of 11 composed his first tango. At 13 he met Carlos Gardel when acting in one of his films and shortly after was invited to go on tour with his orchestra. Because of his age, Piazzolla’s father decided not to let him go along on the tour. Ultimately, this was a life saving decision because that year Gardel’s tour plane crashed, an accident that killed Gardel and his entire orchestra.
Some of the first things that come to mind when talking about Buenos Aires are Tango and Jorge Luis Borges. Astor Piazzolla developed and combined these elements, creating a sound that is both wonderfully Porteño and totally unique. Piazzolla is known for the creation of Nuevo Tango, a genre that mixes tango with jazz and classical structure and instruments. In 1965 he collaborated with Borges on his album, El Tango, in which he includes spoken word portions written by Borges and read by Luis Medina Castro.
Enjoy 🙂