Sudoplatov - Toccatango

Hear The Track Here

In case you are beginning to see Russians everywhere (having just reviewed Andrey Mishchenko) let me explain that Sudoplatov is merely the bandname of another classical musician, this time from the other side of the world; Texas USA. Mere coincidence that these two tracks happened to fall together but somehow apt too. For those with advanced short term memory loss, my first encounter with Sudoplatov (not on a bridge at midnight, that's for sure) was with Rumbafolia # 1 (August 2010). While I am not a big fan of dancing per se - at least not the ballroom style - I am a huge fan of the various musical styles that go along with it. I should also point out that I have been known to do a Deranged Dad Dance at various functions so dancing is not beyond me although there are many, many people who would dispute that.

My utmost favourite of all dance music is the tango. I love the languid, sensual edge to the music and have done ever since I first heard it when I was a little boy and automatically associated it with the wandering gypsies of England, a notion I was rudely disabused of when I grew somewhat older. Although tango has distant roots in Spanish flamenco, it does stand up in its own right as a distinct sound and style and definitely South American rather than anywhere else. I admit that because of that reason I did grab a listen to this track when I reviewed Rumbafolia #1. So yeah, I cheated so nrrrr

True tango is music and dance of the poorest sections of Buenos Aires, Argentina and - to my mind - is still best performed in as basic a manner as possible, and Sudoplatov shows that he understands this principle, as well as essentially nailing it musically. OK, so there is a kind of 'piano rag' feel about the track but that's probably because it IS just a piano, but the music that is being played is pure tango. Tocca is Italian for touches and given the tango is all about that, this is exactly what I would reach for when I needed a good tango-ing. Excellent, but obviously you should like the stuff, and I do...

Excellent piano tango. Highly Recommended.