Several years ago, all I could have told you about tango music was that Gomez and Morticia Adams used to dance to it. But I've since heard jazz musicians doing interesting things with the form, "Tengo Tango" on Cannonball Adderley's "Nippon Soul," for example, or "Coral" on Dawn Clement's wonderful CD "Hush."
It was "Hush" that prompted me to look up tango master Astor Piazzolla and to buy his seminal recording "Tango: Zero Hour." Piazzolla is known for modernizing tango, an Argentine folk music, in part by infusing it with elements of jazz and there's a lot here for jazz fans, even avant-garde jazz fans, to enjoy.
Although it isn't jazz per se, it's not far in places from stuff by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, James Carter, Jenny Scheinman, Dave Douglas and other people who have used European- and Latin-style folk music elements in jazz. Piazzolla plays the bandoneon, the chief instrument of tango, in a quintet with a violin, piano, guitar and bass. Great music and a nice horizon expander.
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