Tango style, a la Astor Piazolla

[modulusbassist]

Any bassist here has ever accompanied Astor Piazzola's Tango music? It's really melancholy, dark and somber. The reason is that I am trying to accompany my friend's band next Friday at an after hour restaurant(Actually I know the owner of the restaurant and asked him if I could gig that night). It will be some sort of an art show with Astor Piazolla's music.

I listened to some of the recording, it doesn't sound too difficult.

Just wondering if anybody has had any experience playing with a tango band.

Thanks.

[Christopher]

I think it's harder to play than it sounds. The basslines alone aren't too demanding, but the intricate rhythmic interweaving of all the player's parts means that you and everyone else need to be very precise with entrances and articulation or things get messy. If you're playing electric, I hope you have a bass that sustains well.

Not all of Piazzolla's material is slow and somber; he wrote a good deal of uptempo stuff, too, eg. "Libertango".

[modulusbassist]

Thanks Chris, that's exactly my point, the articulation, the entrance must be precise, and my bass do sustain well, that's why I want to try it next Friday. There seems to be a lot of improv, I'm listening to the Tango Apasionado or "Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night" very very lovely tunes, beautiful but fragile.