El Señor del Tango (Part 2)
Post date: Mar 10, 2014 1:09:46 AM
Following on from El Senor del Tango Part 1...
Not much has been written about Di Sarli's life from 1923 until his death in 1960. Details of this period are sketchy and filled with hearsay and misinformation. What is clear is that his personality was overwhelming. He was restrained, self confident and demanding.
What is clear is that If anyone knew how to lead a tango orchestra from the piano it was Di Sarli. He is most definitely one of the great piano men in the tango.
What is also clear is that Di Sarli forged and followed his own, unique musical path. He was the only orchestra director who did not belong to the two prevailing schools of the time; the traditionalist school of Francisco Canaro and Roberto Firpo and the avant-garde school of Julio de Caro. That Di Sarli's sound was and still remains unique is another reason he deserves the title of El Señor del Tango.
In the beginning, Di Sarli's music had a simple structure, but over time it evolved into a style that was richer, more lyrical, playful and subtle. Throughout this evolution Di Sarli never sacrificed the rhythm of his music. For this reason his music remained popular with tango dancers. This clean 'compás' (beat) made him popular with beginning tango dancers, while more advanced ones enjoyed the complexity and variations of his music.
Di Sarli's orchestra was one of the most popular ones of the Golden Era of Tango and can still be heard at milongas in Buenos Aires and around the world today. A milonga without a Di Sarli tanda would be unusual and unpopular!
Di Sarli died at the age of 57, leaving behind 27 albums. With such a rich musical legacy it is no wonder he was called 'El Señor del Tango'.
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