Tango Mahi “Tanda of the Week” by Orquesta Tipica Anibal Troilo with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino
1942 “Barrio de Tango”
1942 “Buenos Aires”
1942 “Gricel”
The 1942 recordings of the Anibal Troilo Orquesta featured Troilo as a bandoneon soloist and Francisco Fiorentino (who was also a bandoneon player) on vocals.
Troilo took up the bandoneon at the age of 10 and from the age of 16 was playing in orquestas with many of the maestros still recognised today as among the best. These included Osvaldo Pugliese, Alfredo Gobbi, Pacho Maglio, Julio De Caro, Juan D’Arienzo, Angel D’Agostino and Juan Carlos Cobian. Troilo formed his own orquesta in 1937 at the age of 23.
The Troilo orquesta played music that was more emotional and sophisticated than the then highly popular D’Arienzo orquesta, but it was embraced by milongueros and attracted a substantial following; albeit, smaller than D’Arienzo’s. In 1938 the orquesta recorded “Comme il faut” and “Tinta verde” but then Troilo fell out with the record company and didn’t record again until 1941 with a different company.
Astor Piazzolla joined the orquesta in 1938 as a 17 year-old and over the next six years played in the bandoneon section and wrote the arrangements for much of the orquesta’s repertoire.
In 1942 the orquesta recorded all three songs chosen for the tanda, the first of which, “Barrio be Tango”, was composed by Troilo. This and the other two recordings “Buenos Aires” and “Gricel” are recognised as classics and have been played regularly in Buenos Aires milongas ever since.
I have included a YouTube clip of Cristian Marquez (“Los Totis”) and Virginia Gomez dancing to “Gricel” at a festival in 2015 with dancing that well matches the subtleties and sophistication of the music:
