The Hum in Your Head

"What is this tune? Humm ... humm..huhum..." say The Old Man.
"You mean... Humm ... humm.. huhum.. hummmhumm?"
"Yes."
"I don't know."

"HUHum..humm..humm.humm...." sing we.
"Something French?.... Something Latino?"
"Could it be Carlos Gardel?" say I, "That record what M brought back from Buenos Aires?"
"I dunno." say Old Man
" Well put it on and we can find out." says me.

So, a morning of searching high and low do ensue with me getting increasingly grumpy at The Old Man's "intuitive" record filing system. It's my precious record.... brought all the way back from Argentina by friend who be performing at that time in theatre thing in Buenos Aires. Memories of a time when friends flew all over the place and I do not live the life of a pensioner in West Cornwall. I be getting very, very upset when The Old Man finally finds the Carlos Gardel album. We do put it on and I do hum along happily.

We have both of course forgot whatever tune it be that we be humming at breakfast time.

World Music: Astor Piazzolla

So with this Last.fm listening.... (see previous post)

The other night I put Astor Piazzolla's name in the box.

Piazzolla was known for his new approach to Tango: orchestral, dramatic, narrative.

Years ago - in the mid-1980s - The Old Man and I saw Astor Piazzolla,and his Quinteto Tango Nuevo, play at the Almeida Theatre in Islington.




It was the first time that I'd seen this music being played. And the bandoneon in particular. That's the accordion sound in tango. The bandoneon looks like a square, Uber-concertina. It pulls out forever. So much so, that the player stands with his foot on a stool or box and lays the instrument out across his knee as he pulls and bends it.

Bang! Bang! Percussion, piano chords, violin bow strikes, double bass slaps. Bang! Bang! And the bandoneon being pulled out in Tango time.

It was a wonderful concert. And my good fortune to see and hear Piazzolla play.

If you prefer a gentler, more old-timey feel - try the singing of Carlos Gardel.