30/2025 - Quinteto Real's tango album from 1960

Welcome to this week's post!

When I was writing the original Tanda of the Week blog (2010-2017) I also presented some music in tanda format that was not for dancing in the traditional sense of what we call traditional tango or danceable tango. I would sometimes for example feature orchestras that had their part in the 1920s or 1930s in shaping tango to what it became in the golden age of Argentine tango.

Quinteto Real

This week's tanda is one from 2013 in which I showcased "Quinteto Real", a legendary group of great soloists Horacio Salgán (piano), Pedro Laurenz (bandoneon), Enrique Mario Francini (violin), Ubaldo De Lío (guitar) and Rafael Ferro (double bass). All were very established and celebrated musicians and/or orchestra leaders and they recorded together for Phillips and Columbia, in an attempt to make tango re-flourish in the 1960's with a bold renewal in rhythm.

Ignacio Varchausky on Quinteto Real

"Truly a gem that can not be missing from anyone's tango collection"

There probably isn't anyone who can describe the significance of Quinteto Real better than Ignacio Varchausky, the musician, producer and founder of El Arranque, to name only a few of his accolades.

I absolutely recommend taking 15 minutes to watch his fascinating introduction to the 1960 Quinteto Real album, the "super group" of musicians and the new rhythmic patterns in the music among many other things.