Masters of Tango
To accompany Michael Lavocah’s excellent talk on Canaro on Saturday at Tango Cafe , get yourself a copy of his new book in his Masters of Tango series. Other books in the series include books on Juan D’Arienzo, Anibal Troilo and Carlos di Sarli.
Francisco Canaro (1888-1964) was one of tango’s true pioneers. A man from the generation prior to tango’s “Big Four”, he actually lived the wild early days about which tango is so nostalgic. Born into grinding poverty, he fought his way to the very pinnacle of success with an unequalled work ethic and an unerring sense of what would be popular. Ambition then brought him close to ruin.
Tango Masters: Francisco Canaro takes the reader on a journey through Canaro’s life and the vast body of work he left behind (a remarkable 3,800 recorded tracks), paying special attention to his pivotal relationship with Ada Falcón which coincided with his best decade as a musician.
Michael Lavocah is the author of Tango Stories: Musical Secrets, the guide to tango dance music. This is the fifth volume of the series Tango Masters, which explores the music of the great orchestras of tango’s Golden Age in depth.