17/2024 Enrique Rodríguez & Armando Moreno - Argentine Tango

Creating the tanda

This is a straight-forward mid-uptempo tanda from Enrique Rodríguez with singer Armando Moreno. I think you could alter the order of the songs if you like for different situations. This order with A media luz as the first song might be best for when there's already some energy on the dance floor, but you want to start the tanda smoother and build up energy towards the end. Another way to arrange the tanda could be to start very strong with Cómo se Pianta la Vida. Then again, it might be best to start with the longest song Llorar por una mujer (2:47), as all the other songs are rather short for tangos ranging from 2:11 to 2:25.

All these songs have great rhythmical quality and are rather uptempo, but also Armando Moreno's calm singing gives you options while dancing to slow down a bit and finish strong with the bandoneon solos. While all the songs have great solos in the end, A media luz has the shortest one, and Cómo se pianta la vida has the longest and strongest one.

1. Enrique Rodríguez / Armando Moreno - "A media luz" 1940

2. Enrique Rodríguez / Armando Moreno - "En la buena y en la mala" 1940

3. Enrique Rodríguez / Armando Moreno - "Llorar por una mujer" 1941

4. Enrique Rodríguez / Armando Moreno - "Cómo se pianta la vida" 1940

Criticized by innovators and praised by the dancers

"This peculiar musician is a faithful follower of the traditional rhythmical style played by Edgardo Donato and Juan D'Arienzo. Criticized by innovators and praised by the dancers, his orchestra enjoyed a great popularity in the forties and fifties, either in Argentina or in the rest of Latin America.

His style was a breakthrough for the groups of the period, because he played all kinds of genres, introduced miscellaneous instruments and his repertoire, always assorted, only included merry or romantic tunes. But when he played tango, you heard the brilliant sound of a well-rehearsed orchestra, with simple nice arrangements and also with very good vocalists.

The collector and researcher Emilio Pichetti tells us: «Enrique Rodríguez was a complete functional musician, besides playing bandoneon, he equally played piano and violin or brandished the baton. He was talented and was fast to easily write simple arrangements and versions of consecrated classical and popular melodies of all countries, without depriving them of their essence of international beat. So the success of his orchestra was strengthened not only in our milieu, but also in the whole continent for the delight of listeners and dancers»."

"The singer that stood out was, undoubtedly, Armando Moreno, "El niño Moreno", who joined the orchestra in three different periods. This team left indelible footprints in the tango memory."

- Read more about Enrique Rodríguez by Ricardo García Blaya at Todotango.com