chango spasiuk - tarefero de mis pagos (Piranha)   Cost $31.95

chango spasiuk - tarefero de mis pagos

Chango Spasiuk, a virtuoso Argentinian accordion player of Ukrainian lineage is credited with extending the tradition of chamame, the ebullient dance music of the northern province of Misiones, la tierra colorada (the red land) sandwiched between Brazil and Paraguay. Chamame reflects the influences of its place, the Polish and Ukrainian immigrants who settled there in the 19th century, Spanish and Indian sounds and Afro-Brazilian elements. Chango takes all these traditional strands and expands them with a world view that encompasses a consciousness of classical and jazz music but without straying too far from the soulful richness of the original style.

If a comparison could be made I would hesitatingly compare him to the Nuevo Tango genius Astor Piazzolla, in that Chango is a master musician of the absolute first rank and because of the exquisite passages of classical orchestration with piercingly beautiful violin. However the jaunty 6/8 rhythms of the chamame are never too far away, as Chango and his seasoned band present a cornucopia of influences that range from Afro Peruvian cajones to Brazilian berimbau to the bandoneon of the Tango. Tarefero De Mis Pagos is el senor Spasiuk’s first international release after six successful local albums.

On 13 varied performances the world music public now has its first opportunity to hear a maestro peel off the layers between joy and sadness. It’s not the jaw dropping virtuosity that really amazes though. It’s the pulsing excitement tinged with heart-felt wistfulness that makes this release absolutely indispensable.