Tango By Year


Tango By Year is a joint initiative between myself and Dag Stenvoll of Tango Abrazo, Bergen, to explore tango music and to bring people together during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which we cannot meet to dance. Each year Dag will take a year in tango, choose some tracks, and ask me to talk about them – all live on zoom. Here’s the plot twist: I don’t know what he’s going to play!

Juan D’Arienzo on Radio Gouda

In summer 2019, I returned to the studios of Radio Gouda to chat with Oliver Kruse-Dougherty, this time about Juan D’Arienzo and my new book about his life and work.

Part One looks at the beginning of the D’Arienzo phenomenon and the key elements in his sound – most notably, Rodolfo Biagi.

In Part Two, we heard how D’Arienzo reacted in March 1940 when he lost his entire orchestra.

Rock and roll! Part Three looks at how D’Arienzo regenerated himself in 1950, returning to his roots.

‘Our Tango World’ on #JoesTangoPodcast

Iona was interviewed by Joe Yang for his podcast #JoesTangoPodcast.
Joe and Iona discussed the relationship between writing and dancing; why a tango partner is like a witness and dancing feels like being heard; the controversy unleashed by one of her old blog entries (included in the book and read here); the concept of long-term beginner scenes; how India changed her attitudes, and the shifts and evolutions of the local tango scene in Buenos Aires.

Carlos Di Sarli on Radio Gouda (Part 3/3)

Part 3 of my interview with Oliver Kruse-Dougherty about Carlos Di Sarli and my new book. This segment focusses on the orchestra in the 1950s, especially the early 50s recordings on Music Hall, which are often neglected in favour of the brighter ones from the late 50s on RCA-Victor.

As a case in point, the broadcast opens with the 1952 recording of “Cara sucia” – much more muscular than Di Sarli’s better known 1957 version.

Review of ‘Tango Masters: Carlos Di Sarli’ in Tangodanza magazine

Tango Masters, Carlos Di Sarli was reviewed by TangoDanza magazine in Issue 75 (July 2018).

Mit diesem neuen Werk präsentiert der Londoner Tangohistoriker, der seine Leidenschaft für die großen Orchester auch in charismatischen Vorträgen weitergibt, seine dritte, bisher nur auf Englisch vorliegende Monografie, die in Qualität und Umfang wieder Maßstäbe setzt. In Qualität, Stil, Aufbau und Layout setzt Lavocah fort, wofür er in den ersten beiden wegweisenden Bänden der Serie, die sich mit Aníbal Troilo bzw. Osvaldo Pugliese beschäftigen, den Grundstein gelegt hat. Wohl niemand recherchiert aktuell so konsequent und präsentiert das Auffindbare dann in lockeren, schlüssigen Geschichten in mal sachlichem, mal persönlichem, mal engagiertem Ton.

With this new work, the London tango historian, who passes on his passion for the great orchestras in charismatic presentations, presents his third monograph, so far available only in English, which sets new standards in terms of quality and scope. Lavocah continues in the quality, style, construction and layout for which he laid the foundations in the first two groundbreaking volumes of the series, which deal with Aníbal Troilo and Osvaldo Pugliese. Nobody currently researches so consistently and then presents what he finds in relaxed, coherent stories in a tone that is by turns factual, personal, and engaged.
– Olli Eyding

Carlos Di Sarli on Radio Gouda (Part 1/3)

On 16th June, Oliver Kruse-Dougherty invited me into the studio for a wide ranging, three hour interview about Carlos Di Sarli and my new book. Here is the first part. We focus musically on the sextet, but there is a lot of interesting material in the early part of the interview about Di Sarli’s place in the tango pantheon, and the reasons for writing about Troilo and Pugliese before Di Sarli and D’Arienzo – musically speaking, a strange choice.