It’s All About the Music – Tango Rhythms Summary

Tango rhythms can be complex.
Starting simply and progressing to more complex, you have (at least)
the following rhythms:
– slow, walking beat emphasised in Di Sarli or 1940s Fresedo
– double-time or quick-quick-slow rhythm emphasized in D’Arienzo,
Biagi, older Canaro
– Dramatic pauses while beats slip away
– Habanero, like in Milonga Triste by Hugo Diaz
– 3-3-2 or long-long-short syncopations like Troilo,
– Melodic lines as in Calo, Canaro, Demare, De Angelis or other
1940s orchestras
– Expressive drama like in Pugliese, (but the underlying tempo remains steady)
Modern Tango
As for Piazzolla, he almost completely went over to the 3-3-2 rhythm,
plus imported a lot of Jazz and Classical ideas like tempo changes,
which explains why it is so difficult to dance with improvisation to
Piazzolla.
Color Tango and other modern orchestras are heavily influenced by
Piazzolla, complex compositional techniques, and the 1950s singing
tradition of tango, which was tango for concert, not dancing.
Only a few modern orchestras cultivate a “real” tango dance-beat,
like Hector Vargas or Miguel Villasboas, but you still wouldn’t call
it traditional golden-age tango. Where is the golden-era revival,
like the 1990s swing or rockabilly revival? [The past 5 years has shown a shift away from “cover bands” to new Tango  bands that respect the classic form, but bring their own freshness to the music.  Orq. Victoria (Argentina) and Tangalo (Australia) are examples.  The Emilio Balcarce Tango Orchestra School and Maggie Ferguson in Australia have had a huge impact in the rise of new musicians – ED.]
Non-tango tango?
Some modern music, such as Gotan use a very heavy disco bass line,
which explains why people new to tango are able to hear the beat.
But, Gotan lacks the rhythmic complexity of intertwining rhythms or
melodies of 1930s & 40s traditional tango. In addition they lack the
“pre-lead”, the tension-building drama which really defines tango (as
opposed to rock or foxtrot or whatever where this tension is absent.)
A lot of popular non-tango tangos and world or pop music uses the
habanero rhythm. For example, the ever-popular “Tango for Evora”,
Lhasa’s “De Cara a la Pared”, or Fabrizio de Andre’s “Crueza de Ma”.
Tom Stermitz