The Cabeceo

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Tango By Year, the podcast

Julio De Caro

28 records across 17 episodes (18 play here), plus 3 chapters that mention them, in the order the music happened.

Records played, by recording year

19261952

0 of 28 heard

1926

  1. Mala Junta

    The most harmonically advanced track of the night, with the band laughing in chorus at the start and a striking two-bandoneón variation at the end.

    Only in the episode

  2. Farolito de mi Barrio

    Played to showcase the Pedro Maffio/Pedro Laurenz bandoneón pairing that De Caro aficionados prize over the later Laurenz/Blasco combination.

  3. Farolito de mi barrio

    From early 1926, to show how advanced the sound of the De Caro band was, with Pedro Maffia's soft passages standing out.

1927

  1. Flores negras

    Composed by Francisco De Caro; played for its true classical counterpoint and 'astonishing' piano conduction.

  2. Flores Negras

    A showcase for pianist Francisco De Caro's melody writing; so purely melodic and undanceable that Pugliese, who loved it, never recorded his own version.

1928

  1. La otra noche

    Chosen for its melody and bandoneón variación; Laurenz is first bandoneón and De Franco second, giving a Laurenz-style dynamic.

    Only in the episode

  2. ChapterThe Prince of Wales danced to De Caro

    In 1925 the Prince of England had a tango band at his ball. It wasn't Canaro.

  3. A record not yet identified

    After-party: De Caro having fun, with crazy sounds, shouting and interesting rubatos.

    Only in the episode

1929

  1. A record not yet identified

    Luis Díaz

    De Caro's first 1929 recording, on the Brunswick label; chosen for Francisco De Caro's piano work, with Brunswick's house vocalist Luis Díaz singing.

    Only in the episode

1930

  1. La Cumparsita

    De Caro's only-ever recording of this tango, a sprawling, nearly-minute-long-introduction arrangement that needed an oversized disc pressed to fit its four and a half minutes.

1935

  1. Tangomanía

    A five-minute potpourri of half a dozen unlabeled De Caro numbers for four bandoneóns, meant for listening, not dancing.

    Only in the episode

1936

  1. Derecho Viejo

    De Caro's own experimental 'Orquesta Melódica Internacional' version of a tango better known from D'Arienzo and Pugliese, with drums, trumpet and modulation.

    Only in the episode

  2. Dulce Esperanza

    Pedro Laugo

    A surprisingly danceable De Caro waltz from this experimental period.

  3. Contrapunto

    A creative, twice-modulating De Caro milonga, hard to find in good sound quality; the title references the folk-song dueling tradition, not counterpoint.

    Only in the episode

1938

  1. Sacale chispas

    Luis Díaz

    A danceable milonga, not truly De Caro in Lavocah's view: he is disoriented by the D'Arienzo phenomenon.

    Only in the episode

1939

  1. Ay, Aurora

    Héctor Farrel

    The B side of a record also covered by D'Arienzo the same year; De Caro is inventive but confused by D'Arienzo's success.

    Only in the episode

  2. El monito

    A De Caro composition, with whistling, that Dag describes as a young person with too many ideas.

  3. ChapterA De Caro without the lawyer's recommendation

    Without this man there's no Pugliese, no Troilo, no Laurenz.

1940

  1. Mariposa

    Héctor Farrel

    An obscure pick neither host nor guest knew well, noted for an unusually old-fashioned, habanera-like rocking rhythm.

1941

  1. No me pidas la exclusiva

    Héctor Farrel

    Played to demonstrate De Caro's missing marcato: the double bass just plays another melodic line instead of marking the beat, so dancers lose the pulse.

1944

  1. Boardija

    A rich, complex, poorly-recorded De Caro side, a surprise pick and a treat for his fans.

    Only in the episode

1949

  1. De mi barrio

    Fanny Navarro

    A surprise: De Caro with a woman singer, in a lyric about a woman who goes wrong that blames the social pressures of the time.

  2. Mala junta

    A new version of a De Caro classic; he no longer plays violin in these recordings, first violin is Manuel Francia.

  3. Aníbal Troilo

    A tribute to Troilo; Lavocah calls it more substantial than much De Caro, with the bandoneón standing out.

  4. Aníbal Troilo

    An instrumental tribute to Troilo from De Caro's favourite, final recording period, said to show Pugliese's influence folding back into his old teacher.

1950

  1. ChapterThe gentle De Caro

    Tango's great modernizer made his warmest music at the end.

  2. Mi dolor

    Orlando Verri

    Lavocah's top track of 1950 and the best Mi dolor by far; Marcucci wrote it c.1930, and De Caro's warm 1950 band lets the bandoneóns open it and keeps the singer back for more than two minutes.

  3. Boedo

    A warmer treatment of an exciting but cool piece; Pugliese had recorded it in 1948 to support De Caro's comeback.

  4. Soy bailarín

    Orlando Verri

    A vocal number by the same singer as Mi dolor, showing another side of De Caro; the double bass is now clearly audible.

  5. Mi dolor

    A Carlos Marcucci composition likely brought into De Caro's repertoire by Marcucci, who joined and now leads it; the De Caro of this period is 'rich and warm and juicy'.

1952

  1. Flores negras

    One of the most beautiful tango melodies ever written, composed by the orchestra's pianist, Francisco De Caro; no dance orchestra is known to have picked it up.

Tango By Year is Dag Stenvoll and Michael Lavocah's, published here with their permission. The audio plays from SoundCloud.