BWW Reviews: VIVA PIAZZOLLA Invigorates at The Shabazz Center

Uruguayan tango pianist Polly Ferman invited a warm audience to her neighborhood of Washington Heights for the second night of the "Shall We Tango?" festival, titled Viva Piazzolla, a special concert featuring virtuosic violinist Eddy Marcano. Through her charismatic eloquence, Ferman introduced the six-piece ensemble, including double bassist José Puentes, accordionist and violinist José "Pepe" Saglimbeni, percussionist Yilmer Vivas, maracas player and guitarist Manuel Rangel, and pianist Dino Dinelli.

Too often, music lovers stay, or go to Brooklyn, a notion that Ferman aired openly. Clearly, Washington Heights is a treasure trove of cultural and musical wonders, as the magnificently receptive audience appreciated at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center at 3940 Broadway.

Entering under a lion statue, symbol of wisdom and strength, the Shabazz Center, as it is abbreviated, welcomes with a standing statue of Malcolm X behind a microphone, delivering one of his richly controversial lectures. Brilliant murals on the life of Malcolm X are displayed boldly, embodying Washington Heights, and the Viva Piazzolla concert itself, as exhibiting the art of intercultural understanding, by the empathic and compassionate solidarity found through listening.

The art of listening is exactly the legacy of bandoneónist, composer and arranger Astor Piazzolla, who prompted tango music into a future of purely musical development. With over a hundred years of history, well before the name Piazzolla popularized the genre

with unrivalled dynamism for the world stage, tango enjoyed various artistic movements. Piazzolla, who was born in 1920, came into the world just before the time of instrumental tango music, which he would later advance into the modern form. It makes sense then, that a violinist led the concert Viva Piazzolla, as violinists often led instrumental performances in the musical era of tango, which was most prominent during Argentina's 1930s.

Ferman leapt onstage with her characteristic charm, to enlighten the audience with a brief history of tango. Each successive decade in the early to mid-20th century exhibited a marked shift in the style of tango, from instrumentalism, to the era of poets and singers in the 40s, to orchestral and dance platforms in the 50s. When Piazzolla emerged most vibrantly, in the 50s, he essentially transformed not only a style of music from its foundations, but also the suasions of its listeners, a much more daring feat. Eddy Marcano did every last note a justice only meant for artists of such magnanimous vibrancy, and all with an effortless poise.

The very first piece of the concert, Libertango, is classic Piazzolla. Such a masterful performance of what is essentially the unofficial tango anthem brought the audience to the edge of their seats. The band opened like a sonic force to be reckoned with, charging through the melodic soundscapes, moving blissfully towards a fulfilled, and spirited conclusion. Together with two very special guests, the six-piece ensemble played many Piazzolla pieces, including Invierno Porteño, and De Carisma.

Marcano led the sextet through a blistering fire of sound and drama, evoking the bittersweet history of tango performers, and the Latin American urban culture at large, which has embraced tango as a regional art form with such impeccable heart, and sincerity. Most of the pieces performed during the night spoke of the virtuosic dedication to art implied in the wildly difficult styles, and compositions of tango music. In simple language, nearly every piece was raw, fast, and loud. Marcano balanced gentle harmonies with the coarse sounds throughout as he bowed behind the bridge for rhythmic effect.

Special guests during the night included the famed Puerto Rican violinist and conductor Karlo Flores, who performed together with Marcano, inspiring a triumphant and energetic Pan-Latin collaboration. Direct from Venezuela, Marcano, and his group fascinated, impressed, and most importantly, moved the audience with a rare, and genuine artistry. During the heartfelt evening, Marcano, dedicated the concert to bandoneónist Daniel Binelli, who sat near the front of the stage to listen, and grace the Shabazz Center, a legendary former member of Piazzolla's late-career sextet.

The swift glory, and intoxicating vitality of the music compelled the audience to their feet as the band ignited the air, from floor to ceiling, and beyond, with a masterful clincher. The last piece left one young audience member, an aspiring musician from Brooklyn, in tears.

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