Buenos Aires Trip: Live Music

By far, one of the greatest attractions of Buenos Aires is its vibrant live music scene. It costs literally nothing to access the performances of great, great musicians at various venues.

On this trip, I listened to saxophonist Miguel de Caro. For the uninitiated, the saxophone is not a traditional Argentine Tango instrument. It is a Jazz instrument. However, Miguel incorporates it in his quartet (piano, bass, bandoneon and sax). The night I heard him on this trip, he played at a private party, and it was just the trio, without the piano. I have, in the past, heard the quartet as well at a more formal venue. They’re excellent.

Another place I went to after work one night was the famous Notorious Jazz club. The artist for the night was Paul Dourge, who sang in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and English, drawing influences from all the musical genres ranging from Jazz to Tango to Samba to Soul to Blues. Paul’s accompanying pianist Ricardo and drummer Oscar Giunta were both great, as were many of his friends whom he invited to the stage to sing with him.

One of them, Egal Martin, was an older woman who has immense stage presence – way more than Paul himself. Her puffy face is perhaps a sign of alcoholism, yet her voice exudes power. Raw power.

When I left, “Victoria, donde esta?” kept humming in my head!

Another club that I missed on this trip, but have been to before, is Torquato Tasso. Many of Argentine Tango’s greatest living maestros play here, as do many of the newer musicians. The ambiance is wonderful, and this photograph below from Rob Nuijten would perhaps give you a flavor.

This segment is a part in the series : Buenos Aires Trip