Thursday, March 29, 2007
Ariel Ardit at the Torcuato Tasso
Saturday, March 24, 2007
I caught just the last few songs of Ariel Ardit’s show at the Buenos Aires Tango Festival a few weeks back. I didn’t think it was enough to warrant an entry here, but it was enough to leave a big impression. Hundreds of people had turned out to see him, one of the largest crowds I had seen at the festival. As each song came to its conclusion with the gradual tempo downshift typical of tango the crowd erupted into rapturous applause that made it sound like there was a huge thunderstorm going on outside. I had never really seen anything like it, and thought to myself “this guy is a real star.”
Ardit launched his career singing with the Orquesta El Arranque, a kind of younger-generation super-group that has produced several artists now making their way, like Ardit, as soloists. Following his work with this larger ensemble, Ardit has put together a smaller group of two guitar accompanists, an instrumentation that obviously keeps him and his voice front and center. This kind of singer-plus-guitarists set up is typical of sung tango going back to Carlos Gardel (1880-1935), who sang with up to four guitarists backing him up. Comparisons between Ardit and Gardel don’t end there, either. Like Gardel, Ardit is incredibly charming and polished, with a infectious smile and a personality that makes him feel larger than life, his personality filling the room from wall to wall. At the end of the day, however, it is about the voice and the music, and Ardit warrants comparisons to Gardel in those departments too.
Backed up by his regular guitarist Ariel Argañaraz and guest Hernán Reinaudo at this recent show, Ardit pushed and pulled his way through each song, coaxing the last drops of sentiment from each of them. The instrumentation he works with allows for a lot of flexibility, with the ensemble able to follow his particular textual emphases and slight fluctuations in tempo without any hesitation or doubt. His material is drawn mainly from the canon of classic tangos by writers such as Manzi and Expósito, though it consciously emphasizes the lesser-known edges of that repertoire. Because of that, the set sounded fresh throughout, never eliciting the pleasant but sometimes corny feeling that can be brought forth by hearing “El choclo” for the nth time. Instead, Ardit made the typical tango stories of the old barrio and lost loves not only believable but really compelling, which is no small feat. All the while he was helped along by the truly incredible support work of Argañaraz and Reinaudo, which was at once hyper-virtuosic, deeply musical, and completely present with the singer. (They played one instrumental duo that left a lot of jaws dropped in the audience; they are apparently working on a record of duos that I eagerly anticipate.)
Hearing Ardit in a more relaxed, intimate setting such as this was a real treat. I have always been impressed when I have heard him with other groups in other settings, but this was the first time that I really understood just exactly what he is brining to the table as an artist. That is a talent and a sound that is truly special, and needs to be heard.
Related Link
www.arielardit.com.ar
I caught just the last few songs of Ariel Ardit’s show at the Buenos Aires Tango Festival a few weeks back. I didn’t think it was enough to warrant an entry here, but it was enough to leave a big impression. Hundreds of people had turned out to see him, one of the largest crowds I had seen at the festival. As each song came to its conclusion with the gradual tempo downshift typical of tango the crowd erupted into rapturous applause that made it sound like there was a huge thunderstorm going on outside. I had never really seen anything like it, and thought to myself “this guy is a real star.”
Ardit launched his career singing with the Orquesta El Arranque, a kind of younger-generation super-group that has produced several artists now making their way, like Ardit, as soloists. Following his work with this larger ensemble, Ardit has put together a smaller group of two guitar accompanists, an instrumentation that obviously keeps him and his voice front and center. This kind of singer-plus-guitarists set up is typical of sung tango going back to Carlos Gardel (1880-1935), who sang with up to four guitarists backing him up. Comparisons between Ardit and Gardel don’t end there, either. Like Gardel, Ardit is incredibly charming and polished, with a infectious smile and a personality that makes him feel larger than life, his personality filling the room from wall to wall. At the end of the day, however, it is about the voice and the music, and Ardit warrants comparisons to Gardel in those departments too.
Backed up by his regular guitarist Ariel Argañaraz and guest Hernán Reinaudo at this recent show, Ardit pushed and pulled his way through each song, coaxing the last drops of sentiment from each of them. The instrumentation he works with allows for a lot of flexibility, with the ensemble able to follow his particular textual emphases and slight fluctuations in tempo without any hesitation or doubt. His material is drawn mainly from the canon of classic tangos by writers such as Manzi and Expósito, though it consciously emphasizes the lesser-known edges of that repertoire. Because of that, the set sounded fresh throughout, never eliciting the pleasant but sometimes corny feeling that can be brought forth by hearing “El choclo” for the nth time. Instead, Ardit made the typical tango stories of the old barrio and lost loves not only believable but really compelling, which is no small feat. All the while he was helped along by the truly incredible support work of Argañaraz and Reinaudo, which was at once hyper-virtuosic, deeply musical, and completely present with the singer. (They played one instrumental duo that left a lot of jaws dropped in the audience; they are apparently working on a record of duos that I eagerly anticipate.)
Hearing Ardit in a more relaxed, intimate setting such as this was a real treat. I have always been impressed when I have heard him with other groups in other settings, but this was the first time that I really understood just exactly what he is brining to the table as an artist. That is a talent and a sound that is truly special, and needs to be heard.
Related Link
www.arielardit.com.ar
