By Ken Herman
With “Tango Society,” a program at La Jolla’s Baker-Baum Concert Hall devoted to the music of that seductive dance, San Diego’s musical ensemble Camarada reignited its love affair with the Argentine tango. A baker’s dozen of engaging tangos conveyed the breadth of tango moods, from mysterious infatuation—Astor Piazzolla’s “Silencioso”—to playful abstraction—Piazzolla’s “Adiós Nonino”—to exuberant revelry—Andrés Martin’s “La Picosita.”
Nonpareil bassist and Buenos Aires native Martin assured the group’s stylistic authenticity, supplying three of his own compositions to the program as well as arranging most of the other tangos for this ensemble of flute, piano, violin, bass, and percussion. Fleet dancers Carolina Jaurena and Juan Alessandrini added their bravura tango interpretations to half of the tangos on the program, giving expression to tango’s heightened sensual character that makes it stand out among the cornucopia of national dances.
