Not all news is new. Although I wrote about this fantastic group about a month ago in the German blog and then wrote a few lines in the newsletter after that, I haven't really got around to writing a few words in English until now.
The group, Jasstango, brought out the same-named album back in 2008. We just brought in on board at the beginning of this year. I listened to the album intensively for a good couple of weeks back then and was extremely enthusiastic. Then I took a break. I'm listening to the CD again as I write now and I can say that my 'love at first hearing' from more than a month ago was no superficial flirt: the music remains good.
There is so much to write about here. The mixture of styles and sounds that they achieve is truly remarkable. So often the term 'fusion' creates a less than enjoyable foretaste in the minds of most of us, simply due to the fact that fusion albums are rarely as good as that which musicians try to fuse. One needs a high degree of musicianship and musical understanding to pull of even a 'light' fusing of musical directions. And here we find undoubtedly the requirements for what is in any case deeper fusion: Tango remains the keystone around which a structure of great variety is built using elements of jazz, classical, folk, rock, latin...
Jasstango is a quartett of mature, lively and sensitive musicians, notably Johanna Schmidt on violin, who is a particular treat to listen to and the bandoneonist, Stephan Langenberg - who also plays the accordion on this CD - and who brought out a great CD, Squeezed, a few years ago.
In my German review I spontaneously listed my favorite tracks at that time. I can't do it now. Just have a listen: jasstango, Johanna Schmidt, Stephan Langenberg, Tangofusion CD
I would be delighted to hear some other enthusiastic opinions on this CD, if you care to share!