Astor Piazzolla used to say "primo la musica e dopo la parola" (the music first, then the lyrics). By beginning these liner notes with his symbolic words we are not only paying respect to the greatness of his persona (and to the music on this CD), but also to the seeds of the Tango Nuevo movement - and philosophy that he planted and therefore also created. This musical production unifies the fine traditions of his Tango with a refined projection of his music. The dialectical phenomena, once again, has been a decisive creative factor between its illustrious protagonists.

Tango Nuevo can be heard anywhere in the world today. Its universal language is still opening new doors into more jazz clubs and concert halls than Tango has ever seen before. As Tango once was "removed from the feet to the lips" (as Enrique Santos Discépolo once described it), leaving the dance steps behind and projecting the song as the leading element (the so-called "Tango Canción" era), today the music of Buenos Aires is more music than ever.

The vast majority of the progressive Tango bands base their repertoire mainly on music. The romantic songs and their vivid lyrics we know from past singers such as Roberto Goyeneche and Carlos Gardel have been replaced or enriched by new elements within the music itself. But the gentle touch and the taste of the Tango we once knew is only moving forward towards infinity. Yet, the passion is a renewing element that will always lie within.

Even though some historians have concluded that Tango does have some African roots, it seems enough to hear the music of today to understand that the link of its contemporary musicians, arrangers and composers can be traced directly back here in Europe. In that sense it becomes only natural to understand this unique collaboration between Tango Orkestret and Marcelo Nisinman. After all, the most relevant composers and interpreters of Tango carry a well-defined European heritage (Italian, German, Swedish, Spanish, etc).

Tango Orkestret is, in every aspect, both the confirmation and the prolongation of Argentinean Tango Nuevo. Their sole existence as a band is proof of the new grounds that Tango has found in order to develop. But behind this phenomenal Danish quintet we might just find a universal vision never ever seen or heard in any other European Tango band before. In that sense, this CD is a fresh and spontaneous step towards a mutual dialectical development, where its protagonists make a history trip through famous Tango tunes and classic songs. But make no mistake; Despite the progressive and modernistic style, this musical production does not lay its ground on loose experimental arrangements and compositions (as many other bands do). Nor do they try to copy Astor Piazzollas style. They take, they build an entirely new avenue for themselves. This band, featuring Marcelo Nisinman in a leading, innovative and intelligent way, know exactly where they are going. They are projecting themselves, through Marcelo Nisinmans profound knowledge of Tango, into new grounds into an open future: The Nuevo Tango- Nuevo.

30-year-old Marcelo Nisinman is the leading Argentine musician of his generation. But he is so much more than "just" that. He is a visionary - and also the Third Man of a trilogy (Gardel-Piazzolla-Nisinman) yet to be discovered by many Tango lovers, connoisseurs and studios. After a long life of hard work and musical studies (he has been playing professionally since he was 15!!!), he is projecting a lifetime of compiled musical knowledge and experience to become a potential master arranger and composer. But in order to understand the dimension of Marcelo Nisinmans projection in life and music, one must first understand where he comes from, that is in musical terms. And in that search for the vintage of his rather unusual background, we must go back in history, space and time, all the way to the mythical Argentine singer Carlos Gardel. There we will also find Astor Piazzolla at the very beginning of his musical odyssey.

In 1934, in New York, the young Astor Piazzolla met Carlos Gardel for the very first time. He was 13 years old and in the process of learning the first notes on a bandoneón that was presented to him as a special gift by his father, Nonino. The famous encounter led to a beautiful friendship, and also to some collaboration. There we will find Gardel playing the leading role in a famous Tango film; "El Día Que Me Quieras". By his side we see the young Astor Piazzolla playing a minor role as a newsboy. Despite the generation gap between them, their mutual admiration grew stronger. And so Piazzolla became Gardel´s bandoneonista, too. They performed together sporadically at a number of shows in the New York area. But Gardel went back to tour South America, where he died tragicly in an airplane crash in Medellín, Colombia, in 1935. Immediately after his death he became the most potent cult figure ever in Argentine history.

It is difficult to measure, beyond any romantic speculation, the true relevance of that meeting for Astor Piazzollas development in music. But it is also impossible to ignore the fact that they did meet, and that somehow that encounter must have made an impression on the young apprentice. With all this in mind, it seems rather natural to make a link between the two most relevant musicians in Tango history so far. And considering the fact that Astor Piazzolla and Marcelo Nisinman also met and developed a similar, yet a longer and more profound relationship (Marcelo was Piazzollas protegé at the beginning of his career), it seems inevitable to link not the two, but the three of them into one sole historical Tango Trilogy. Only time will tell if such a conclusion is right. But the wonderful arrangements and compositions on this CD (which are passionate and erotic, but also innovative and profound) seem to open an auspicious new road towards further development and exploration. And be sure that this ambitious project will find its reward and its place in history, space and time.

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