Asfalto: Street Tango
The late New Tango composer and bandleader Astor Piazzolla has cast a nearly inescapable shadow over those who have attempted to further his tango innovations. Consider the hurdles for Pablo Ziegler, Piazzolla's pianist for a decade. Remarkably, Ziegler does not shy away from Piazzolla (in fact he revisits several of the master's pieces) and still offers a personal sound. "El Empedrado" runs the gamut from Piazzolla's influence to Ziegler's lush romanticism. "Milonga en el Viento" has a surprisingly traditional feel--paced by jazz style drumming. The ambitious Radio Tango II suggests an intriguing fusion of jazz, rock, Piazzolla, classical music, and traditional tango. Ziegler has quite a challenge before him, but ifAsfaltois any evidence, he has the tools, the smarts, and the imagination to inch the New Tango line forward. It is an effort worth following.--Fernando Gonzalez