Pablo Ziegler Chamber Quartet
Radiotango
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Selection #: ZM 201905
UPC Code: 880956190525
Availability: Worldwide
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Songs:
1. Radiotango 5:14
2. Maria Ciudad 7:44
3. Asfalto 5:16
4. El Empredado 5:41
5. Milonga del Adios 5:06
6. Desde Otros Tiempos 5:17
7. La Conexion Portena 6:24
8. La Rayuela 5:35
9. Muchacha de Boedo 7:33
10. Fuga Y Misterio 5:59
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All compositions by Pablo Ziegler except # 10: Astor Piazzolla, Horacio Ferrer.
Reviews
"the high-energy & full sound on “Asfalto” will thrill your ears, and make you wish you were there to watch these fantastic players live… I’ve no doubt that this piece will be getting some HEAVY airplay on jazz stations ’round the globe!
Joining Pablo’s lively piano performances, your ears will also be treated to the splendid talents of Hector Del Curto on bandoneon; Jisoo Ok doing cello and Pedro Giraudo on bass in some of the most lively jazz tango you’ve ever heard…
just listen to the 6:23 “La Conexion Portena” (The Portena Connection) – with your headphones on
– and you’ll realize why this is some very important music to have in your collection.
Of the ten exciting sonic journeys offered up, though, it is the title track (and opener), “Radio Tango“, that gets my vote for personal favorite… even if you’re not a “dancer”, you’ll be gliding ’round the room for this lively jazz tango!
Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
"You just don't mess with the Zieg. Continuing to do as much for tango as Piazzolla did, the classic form is kept contemporary, moving forward and hot. Cinematic in scope, these are more than tunes played well--they are plays without words that reveal scenting new with each new listening. Raising the bar for adult listening, this is as good as it gets."
Midwest Record
"Ziegler continues to push
the art form forward... nuevo tango's
leading living exponent."
All About Jazz
"There's no question that Ziegler
takes the tango to levels of
sophistication and refinement
probably undreamed of by Piazzolla."
The Chicago Tribune
"No one embodies
the art of the tango better."
Lincoln Journal Star
"the music moves as if it possessed its own blood and limbs, and renders the tango a sinewy and electric thing"
Lemonwire
"Ziegler is a giant among men"
Latin Jazz Network
"filled with complex moves, sensuality and drama as the strings are tapped,
strummed and spliced"
Jazz Weekly
"A trip to the heart of this music... [Ziegler] is a sort of musical brujo, a conjurer who can make all within earshot a believer in his message."
New York City Jazz Record
"He is cool, understated and makes everything look easy and natural... just as a really suave tango dancer seems not to move with feet but on wheels, Ziegler skates the keyboard."
The Los Angeles Times
"Pablo Ziegler and his ensemble proved
this Argentine music could rub shoulders with Schubert and Brahms and hold its head high.
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San Diego Story
Linernote
Radiotango is the latest terrific release by pianist/composer, and GRAMMY and LATIN GRAMMY winner Pablo Ziegler, an artist who been synonymous with the very best of tango music for decades. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ziegler is celebrated for pushing the musical boundaries of Nuevo Tango. And for good reason: He has helped to shape this very genre, beginning his career as Astor Piazzolla’s pianist, and later, composing and arranging his own works that have become standout classics. Ziegler has breathed fresh ideas into tango, adding influences of classical music and contemporary jazz to the genre, to the delight of audiences around the world. Radiotango continues Ziegler’s intrepid and ceaseless march toward adding a fresh and vibrant spirit to the music.
The title track Radiotango comes from the introduction of the radio program “FM Tango” that aired in Buenos Aires in 1988 and 1989. There is no doubt that this arrangement will catch the antennas of porteños (those from Buenos Aires), with rolling lines performed by Ziegler on piano and Hector del Curto on bandoneon who joined again following Ziegler's previous 2018 Grammy-winning album “Jazz Tango”. Maria Ciudad is a deliberate milonga that was dedicated to Ziegler’s daughter Maria, whose namesake is also the original name of the beloved city: Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires. Imagine Ziegler’s music taking you to and from the obelisk at the city center, with stops in Plaza de Mayo and Teatro Colon. Asfalto establishes a propulsive ostinato that carries forth through the piece, to evoke the pitter-patter of those walking through the Bueno Aires streets.
El Empedrado harkens to vintage tangos from the 1920s and 1930s. Ziegler infuses the piece with bright lines and incandescent virtuosity that we’ve come to expect from the master musician. Milonga Del Adios is akin to a farewell tribute that Ziegler composed for his late mentor and friend Astor Piazzolla who passed away on July 4, 1992. Desde Ostros Tiempos showcases Ziegler’s prowess as a composer, fusing a classic tango style with contemporary harmony and tonalities. La Conexion Porteña is also familiar number, the soundtrack of an Argentinean film that was based on the US film “The French Connection.” You’ll sense the frenetic feel of the thrilling film. Paradoxically, the movie wasn’t released because of a government ban, but the music became widely known.
La Rayuela evokes a brisk milonga rhythm that has become a favorite for tango dancers. It was initially popularized in the early twentieth century. Ziegler re-arranged the cello in a more melodic way, which is performed by the incredible Jisoo Ok, over the rock-solid bass foundation provided by one of the premier bassists in tango music, Pedro Giraudo, a 2018 Latin Grammy winner in his own right. Muchacha de Boedo is Ziegler’s stirring tribute to Boedo, the iconic neighborhood in Buenos Aires, which is referenced in the lyrics of several tango songs. Upon hearing this tune, you may start to think of the bustling city life in this remarkable, urbane metropolis. Lastly, Fuga Y Misterio is an elegant fuga style which Piazzolla composed in 1960. It’s from the opera “Maria de Buenos Aires” and alludes to the time in which he studied counterpoint in Paris with Nadia Boulanger.
To encounter Ziegler’s music is to experience genius. And to encounter the man himself, is to know a gentleman. It has been a high privilege to collaborate on Radiotango with one of the greatest tango masters of them all. – Kabir Sehgal
-Kabir Sehgal is a New York Times bestselling author and Multi-Grammy & Latin Grammy Award winning author.
Biography
PABLO ZIEGLER - piano, composition, arrangements
For decades, Buenos Aires-born, Latin Grammy-winning pianist, composer and arranger Pablo Ziegler has been one of the most important figures in Argentine New Tango, the vibrant musical hybrid of classical music, tango, and jazz music. “He is cool, understated and makes everything look easy and natural,” writes Mark Swed of The Los Angeles Times, “just as a really suave tango dancer seems not to move with feet but on wheels, Ziegler skates the keyboard.” Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz affirms: “When [Astor] Piazzolla departed this Earth in 1992, the torch was passed to his longtime pianist who's been carrying it proudly ever since.”
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After performing in tango grand-maestro Astor Piazzolla’s legendary quintet for over a decade, and appearing on iconic Piazzolla recordings including Tango: Zero Hour, La Camorra and Central Park Concert, Ziegler has led his own groups for over 20 years, refining and re-imagining the bounds of the modern tango tradition.
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Recent season highlights include a performance at Lincoln Center Out of Doors in summer 2014 on a shared bill with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. The evening included a set by Ziegler’s quartet – described by The New York Times as “rapturous” – as well as a historic, first-ever collaboration: Taylor's Piazzolla Caldera with live accompaniment from the Pablo Ziegler Ensemble.In summer 2012, Ziegler joined violinist Lara St. John at the Naumberg Bandshell in Central Park to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Piazzolla’s historic Central Park Concert of 1987, in which Ziegler also played. The 2012 concert brought the largest crowd in the 107 year history of the Naumberg Orchestral Concerts series.
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Touring throughout the world with his trio, quartet and mixed ensembles, Ziegler has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Colon Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Muziekgebouw, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro di tradizione Dante Alighieri, Zurich Schauspielhaus, Opera House, Kit Tropentheater, Tel-Aviv Performing Arts Center, Verbier Festival, Ravinia Festival, SFJAZZ, La Jolla Summer Fest, Montreal Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, Ottawa International Jazz Fest, Laguna Beach Music Festival, Tokyo Jazz Festival, Blue Note, Birdland, and many others.
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In addition to performing with his own groups, Ziegler has been a featured guest soloist with many major orchestras, playing his own compositions as well as the music of Piazzolla with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Presidential Orchestra of Turkey, Colorado Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Metropole Orkest, and Jazz Sinfonica Orchestra in São Paolo, Brazil.
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Pablo Ziegler’s Tango Meets Jazz project – which for over ten years saw an annual week-long residency in New York, starting at the Jazz Standard and later taking residence at Birdland Jazz – paired Ziegler’s quartet with guest artists including Branford Marsalis, Regina Carter, Stefon Harris, Paquito D’Rivera, Kenny Garrett, Joe Locke, Randy Brecker, David Sanchez, Nestor Torres, and others.
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Ziegler’s most recent recording, the Latin Grammy-nominated Amsterdam Meets New Tango (Zoho Music 2013), sees his quartet paired with the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest, playing his most famous works arranged for jazz orchestra. His work as music director, arranger and pianist for bass-baritone opera star Erwin Schrott earned an Echo Klassik Award in 2011 for the album Rojotango. Ziegler’s 2005 release, Bajo Cero, won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango Album, and in 2008, his album Buenos Aires Report made the final list of nominees for the same honor. Other major recordings include 1998’s Tango Romance with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and 1996’s Los Tengueros with Emanual Ax.
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Ziegler has been artist-in-residence at major institutions, such as the Berklee School of Music, New England Conservatory, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University among others.
HECTOR DEL CURTO - bandoneon
Praised by the New York Times as a "splendid player," Argentinean bandoneonist Héctor Del Curto's career, spanning more than thirty years, has encompassed the traditional Tango, New Tango, Jazz, Classical and World music. He was the youngest member to join the legendary Osvaldo Pugliese's Orchestra and shared the stage with many Tango luminaries including Astor Piazzolla, the master of New Tango. He has performed with leading orchestras such as Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra.
Born into four generations of bandoneon players, Mr. Del Curto was introduced to the bandoneon by his grandfather, Héctor Cristobal. He directed the show Forever Tango on Broadway and founded the Eternal Tango Orchestra (now the Hector Del Curto Tango Orchestra).
Mr. Del Curto recently produced and released an awarding-winning album, Live at 2016 Stowe Tango Music Festival. He also produced an album, Eternal Piazzolla, featuring his celebrated quintet and Eternal Tango, which was featured on BBC News and Public Radio International's The World. He appears in numerous recordings with such artists as Osvaldo Pugliese, Astor Piazzolla, Pablo Ziegler, Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente and Plácido Domingo.
Mr. Del Curto is the founding Artistic Director of the Stowe Tango Music Festival, the premier tango music festival in the United States.
JISOO OK - cello
Jisoo Ok enjoys a multi-faceted and vibrant musical career as a cellist, festival director, arranger/orchestrator and educator. Deeply committed to exploring connections with musicians from other backgrounds as well as artists of other disciplines, she has collaborated with distinguished artists such as latin jazz clarinetist/composer Paquito D’Rivera, tango pianist/composer Pablo Ziegler, bandoneonist Hector Del Curto, pianist Orli Shaham, jazz violinist Regina Carter and bassist Ron Carter; performing at prestigious venues and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest, Laguna Beach Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, Soka Performing Arts Center, Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Concerti di Mezzogiorno at Spoleto Festival in Italy, Copa Fest in Brazil and National Concert Hall in Taiwan.
With her husband, Hector Del Curto, Ms. Ok co–produced and released two critically acclaimed albums, Eternal Piazzolla and Eternal Tango, which was featured on BBC News and Public Radio International’s The World. She also appears on Rojo Tango with bass-baritone Erwin Schrott released on Sony Classical, on Horizon: Piano and Chamber Works by Gareth Farr with pianist Henry Wong Doe, on Django Festival Allstars with gypsy jazz guitarist Dorado Schmitt, and on Introducing Letizia Gambi with Lenny White, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Gil Goldstein, and Patrice Rushen.
Born in Seoul, Korea but grew up in New Zealand, Jisoo began cello studies at age eleven to escape from studying violin. Her early teachers included James Tennant and Natalia Pavlutskaya. She has participated in numerous Master Classes with Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse, Paul Katz, Laurence Lesser and Anner Bylsma. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School as a recipient of the Irene Diamond Graduate Fellowship and the Heward Memorial Scholarship, studying with Bonnie Hampton and Fred Sherry and she studied chamber music with Itzhak Perlman and Robert Mann.
Latin Grammy Award winner bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo is among the most compelling tango artists today. After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, Pedro Giraudo debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in July 2015 and since then has become an active cultural ambassador of this beautiful and passionate music of his native Argentina.
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In 2014 Ruben Blades’ CD “Tangos” on which he recorded bass won two Grammys Awards (Best Tango Album & Best Latin Pop). Pedro Giraudo has collaborated with Grammy award winner Pablo Ziegler, 9 time Grammy award winner Paquito D’Rivera, and Dizzy Gillespie’s protégé William Cepeda, as well as ‘Tango meets Jazz’ guests: Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garret, Regina Carter, Nestor Torres, Miguel Zenon among many others. Pedro Giraudo has also been the musical director of Tango for All’s ‘Blind’, Mariela Franganillo Company’s “Tango Connection” and “Tango Recuerdo” and performed with U.S.’s most prominent tango ensembles including ‘Forever Tango’, Hector Del Curto’s Eternal Tango, Fernando Otero’s X-Tango and Daniel Binelli’s ‘Tango Metropolis’. He has participated in numerous jazz and music festivals throughout the North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, and performed in venues such as The Blue Note (Japan & USA), Birdland (Austria), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Jazz Festival Royale in Thailand, Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Iridium, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (NYC).
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As a composer and arranger, Giraudo leads his own jazz and tango ensembles and has been hailed by critics as one of the most creative and daring bandleaders on the scene today. His compositions combine his love of classical forms, Argentine tango and folk music, and the spontaneity of jazz improvisation. The band, which boasts some of New York’s finest musicians, has performed regularly in the most prestigious jazz clubs in the New York City area, including the Jazz Standard, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, as well as abroad. John Murph of Downbeat described Giraudo’s music as “an opulent listening experience of modern, orchestral jazz, brimming with passionate improvisations, deliberate contrapuntal melodies and plush harmonies. Pedro Giraudo has also conducted the world renown WDR Big Band and Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. Pedro Giraudo also leads his own Tango Orchestra which debuted at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing.
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His discography includes ‘An Argentinian in New York’ (Zoho Music 2018), ‘Vigor Tanguero’ (Zoho Music 2018), ‘Cuentos’ (Zoho Music 2015), ‘Córdoba’ (Zoho Music 2011), ‘El Viaje’ (2009) , ‘Desconsuelo’ (2005), ‘Mr Vivo’ (2002) and ‘Destiny of Flowers’ (2000). ‘Córdoba’ won 2011 Latin Jazz Corner’s: “Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year”, “Latin Jazz Boundary Breaking Album Of The Year”,” South American Jazz Album Of The Year”, and “Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year”; while ‘El Viaje’ won 2010 “Best Latin Jazz Album Of The Year,” and “Best Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year,” as well as “Best Latin Jazz Composition”.
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In 2013 Pedro Giraudo was commissioned by Música de Cámara a piece for string orchestra which will be presented in May 2014. He recently finished pieces for members of the San Diego Symphony and for Japanese clarinetist Sawako Yoshida. In 2008, Giraudo was awarded a composer’s commission through the Jazz Gallery in New York, for a new work for his large ensemble; and in 2010, he was commissioned by the JazzReach initiative to compose a new work for their Big Drum/Small World main-stage program.
He has played bass on dozens of recordings for the world’s leading labels including Sony, Warner, Nonesuch, Naxos and Harmonia Mundi, as well as for independent projects, and on movies including Oliver Stone’s ‘Wall Street II’. He is also the principal bassist of the Música de Cámara String Orchestra. Pedro Giraudo is endorsed by the gold standard in string makers, D’Addario, and the outstanding Keeley Electronics.
