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Bandoneon Tangos
by E.J. Gold
Price: 1 Goldback
Review:
(In "Bandoneon Tangos," E.J. Gold Breathes New Life into a Classic Instrument By Clarissa Benét, Arts Critic)
It is easy to revere the bandoneon. Harder still to surprise us with it.
In Bandoneon Tangos, composer and performer E.J. Gold manages to do both, crafting a suite of eight concise, tightly wound pieces that neither mimic Astor Piazzolla nor bow too reverently at the altar of tradition. Instead, Gold lets the instrument speak in full: playful, brittle, breathy, sharp -- like a dancer who refuses to repeat the same steps twice.
There is mischief here. Tango del Zapatero Rápido opens the album with a caffeinated swagger, full of heel-clicks and tongue-in-cheek tension. In Milonga del Ascensor, syncopations stutter and hum, echoing the awkward hush of two strangers sharing confined space. And in Café con Fantasmas, Gold allows a moment of stillness -- a bittersweet reverie -- before the melody slips once more into shadow and motion.
These are not long pieces. Most end before they outstay their welcome. But each is built with care: melodic arcs that feel improvised but aren't, harmonic shifts that nod toward tango nuevo without leaning on its tropes. The standout, Beso en Contratiempo, lands like a poem -- a kiss arrived late, offbeat, but exactly on time.
Bandoneon Tangos is, at its heart, a celebration of motion: of cities that hum after midnight, of flirtation spun into sound, of the elasticity of breath itself. Gold may not be from Buenos Aires, but he understands the dance. And more importantly, he knows when to step out of the way and let the instrument lead.
1. Tango del Zapatero Rápido
"The Cobbler's Quickstep"
He fixes soles and steals hearts. Click, snip, polish -- the bandoneon flirts while he taps his rhythm out on a wooden floor.
2. El Gato y la Silla
"The Cat and the Chair"
She was sitting in his spot. He gave her one glance -- then tangoed around her, furious, elegant, and deeply petty.
3. Milonga del Ascensor
"Elevator Milonga"
Trapped between floors. A stranger, a tune, and no eye contact. Somehow, by the second chorus, they're dancing.
4. Café con Fantasmas
"Coffee with Ghosts"
At 3 a.m., the old café fills up with regulars from another century. They take their espresso black and their tangos sad.
5. La Vuelta de la Media Luna
"Return of the Croissant"
A runaway pastry, a clumsy waiter, and a five-block chase with music in hot pursuit. Pure crumb-flecked joy.
6. Beso en Contratiempo
"Kiss on the Offbeat"
Their timing was always strange -- but somehow, in the half-beat between steps, it finally happened.
7. Tanguito para un Paraguas Roto
"Little Tango for a Broken Umbrella"
It's raining sideways. He twirls his useless umbrella like a cane, and suddenly the sidewalk becomes a stage.
8. Fin de Fiesta (pero no del Todo)
"End of the Party (But Not Quite)"
The lights are up, the wine is gone, but the bandoneon keeps breathing. One last spin before the door closes.