Piazzolla: 5 Tango Sensations
Click here to check out and purchase this album on Bandcamp.
Click here to download the liner notes for all the technical and creative detail.
I wanted to make an album featuring the accordion, an instrument I started on at the age of 5 years. I've always loved Astor Piazzolla's tangos, and was delighted to find I could purchase the score to his "5 Tango Sensations", originally written for the Kronos Quartet. Using a battery of synthesizers for the string quartet, I arranged the original bandoneon parts for accordion and recorded this electronic realization of Piazzolla's incredible composition.
At the same time, I've arranged 7 of his compositions for The Divine Hand Ensemble. We've recorded an album, soon to be released, entitled "Viva Astor!", and will be performing it live with tango dancers throughout the coming year. Playing Piazzolla's work is challenging, passionate, and a joy to achieve.
This is the culmination of a lifetime's work for me, on an instrument I avoided for 30 years and came back to with very different insights as an adult musician. I'm very proud to have found an expressive voice to bring this music to life.
