Folk music
As shown in this beautiful panorama on Argentine folklore that is the documentary Zonda, folclore argentino by Spanish director Carlos Saura (released in 2015) folk music has never lost popularity in the country. And today, as in the past, one can easily attend folk music concerts in the peñas - typical dance houses - that are legion in the territory. Largely inspired by the indigenous culture, folk music varies greatly from region to region. In the northwest, among the many danceable rhythms, the best known is the chacarera, a kind of rural response to the tango. But you can also hear the gato, very similar, theescondido, the remedio or thearunguita. In Tucumán, the zamba is danced, soft and sensual, considered de facto the national dance. The city of Salta vibrates to the rhythm of the baguala, languorous and melancholic, sometimes called "the Argentine blues". Jujuy is Bolivian and plays the cueca, a mixture of Spanish dances as well as the very joyful carnivalito, the huayno, the yaraví, the triste or the bailecito. The music of the region commonly uses some typical instruments such as the charango (small guitar from Bolivia) and the bombo legüero (drum). The piano, the quena (Andean flute) or the violin are sometimes added. In the region of La Rioja, people dance to the chaya and the vidalita riojana. In the Cuyo region, Chilean influences can be felt in famous genres such as the tonada, the cueca - different from that of the North - or the waltz(el vals as it is called here). In Mesopotamia (North-East) we find one of the most famous folkloric musics of the country: the chamamé, soaked with Guaraní influences and where the accordion is king (listen to the great Raúl Barboza to convince you!). There is also the schotis (with European influences), the rasguidodoble, the valseado and the galopa from Paraguay. In the province of Entre Ríos, the chamarrita (with Uruguayan influences) resounds and in the province of Córdoba, there are other versions of chacarera and zamba as well as the jota cordobesa or bailecito cordobés. In Patagonia, attempts are made to preserve an indigenous heritage that the country's government authorities have done everything possible to eliminate: loncomeo, cordillerana, chorrillero and kaani. One of the local instruments is the kultrún (percussion), a cone-shaped box that is struck with a stick. Finally, in Buenos Aires, there is folk music where the singing is more introspective, more sententious. It is here that one hears the famous rhythms of the milonga, the huella, the cifra, theestilo or the triunf. Bonaerense music also gives great importance to improvised singing, or repentista.
Among the greatest representatives of Argentine folk music, many have become legends, such as the mythical singer-songwriter-guitarist Atahualpa Yupanquí, Ariel Ramirez (author of the famous Misa Criolla and Alfonsina y el mar), the group Los Chalchaleros, the singer Jorge Cafrune, author of great hymns, the imposing Tomás Lipán or the famous singer Mercedes Sosa, who died at the end of 2009, a great name of the nueva canción.
No matter where you are in the country, there is always an opportunity to listen to folk music in Argentina. The peñas, the dance houses, are even dedicated to them. In Buenos Aires, in the Palermo neighborhood, there is the Peña del Colorado, the place to go in the city to listen to folkloric groups. There is a concert every night with a strong penchant for chacareras, zambas and other northwestern genres. In Rosario, there is El Aserradero, the best peña in town, and in San Miguel de Tucumán, El Alto de La Lechuza, a very old folkloric peña (1939) where they play guitar, sing, dance and eat empanadas with a good wine. On the other hand, in Cosquín, every January since 1961, the biggest folk music festival in the country, and even in South America, is held: the Festival Nacional de Folklore de Cosquín. Nine days - or rather "nine moons" - during which we meet the greatest artists of the genre. Los Cantores Del Alba, Mercedes Sosa, Los Chalchaleros or Gustavo Cuchi Leguizamón (among others) have performed there.
Tango
"The tango is a sad thought that is danced. This is how the famous lyricist Enrique Santos Discépolo described the genre and the image could not be more accurate. A sad thought that is at the same time a magnificent music, a national treasure and (of course) a tourist attraction that Buenos Aires offers a thousand opportunities to admire and dance. To do so, you just have to go to one of the famous (and numerous) milongas of the capital, a kind of popular ballroom that brings together all generations. Among the best, El Beso Club and its large floor that can accommodate nearly 200 dancers is an institution. Just like La Viruta, a real reference with a good restaurant and very good groups. Younger, less stuffy, La Catedral, is a huge room decorated with bricks and mortar installed in an old disused factory from the 1880s. An alternative place where young people come to dance tango in sneakers. Let's not forget El Boliche De Roberto, an old tango bar, one of the most authentic in the city (Carlos Gardel himself used to frequent it), which is also spared from the tourist madness.
To see a tango show, San Telmo concentrates the great tango clubs but they are very touristy and therefore expensive for the most part. And if there is a very large offer in town, from one theater to another, the level can vary enormously. Among the sure values, in San Telmo, the Bar Sur has a timeless and rather intimate atmosphere, towards Abasto, theEsquina Carlos Gardel, renowned address in the world of tango, distinguishes itself by its very elegant atmosphere and finally El Viejo Almacen, also in San Telmo, offers high quality services for a price, alas, very high.
Also note that every December 11, Argentina commemorates its emblematic dance, the tango, during the Día Nacional del Tango Buenos Aires, a date chosen in reference to the anniversary of the national glory, Carlos Gardel.
Classical music
It is often forgotten, but Argentina has produced some of the greatest names in classical music. Even some of the greatest names. Like Martha Argerich, considered simply the best living pianist and known worldwide for her graceful and intense interpretations of Chopin and Liszt or Rachmaninov, Ravel and Tchaikovsky. An artist from another planet that should not completely overshadow the talent of some of her colleagues such as pianists Miguel Angel Estrella, Aquiles Delle Vigne or the more contemporary composers Gerardo Gandini, Juan María Solare and Nelson Goerner. Alberto Ginastera, one of the most important composers in Latin America, is also worth mentioning for his concertos, orchestral pieces, ballets and three operas, including Bomarzo, which was censored by the dictatorship until 1972.
Finally, it is impossible not to mention the great conductor Daniel Barenboim, who has led the Orchestras of Paris, London, Chicago and Berlin and has gained enormous international fame thanks to his charismatic leadership. Of course, he has been invited on several occasions to conduct the prestigious Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1946 and located in the magnificent Teatro Colón. Also, classical music lovers visiting Patagonia will be delighted by the Festival Internacional de Ushuaia, a must-see event that brings together musicians from all over the world for 15 days in mid-October. The southernmost classical music festival in the world!
The cumbia
Although it is not a local tradition at all, cumbia is still one of the most popular musics in Argentina. Whether it is served plain or mixed with reggaeton, techno or rock, it can be heard in cabs, stores, street corners or at any party. Of Colombian origin, the cumbia was born from the fusion between black culture (for the rhythm) and Indian (for the melody) and has a rhythmic signature all in contretemps recognizable between thousand. In the country, the style had its first success in the 1960s with the hits of Colombian groups like Los Wawancó and Cuarteto Imperial. Since then, cumbia has maintained itself as the popular genre par excellence, knowing how to adapt to the times and trends. One of the last important changes occurred in the early 2000s, when it became cumbia villera (which translates as "slum cumbia"), more aggressive -but still very joyful melodically- and with lyrics about street life, drugs, crime, etc. More recently, the genre has found in the clubs of Buenos Aires an umpteenth new breath by being mixed with electronics - becoming nueva cumbia - in the hands of Zizek Club and ZZK Records.
In Buenos Aires, you can hear the best of this nueva cumbia wave at Niceto Club, the top of the line in terms of trendy and crazy nightlife. In the provinces, Tucumán's cool Boho Bar often plays all kinds of cumbia, as does Salta's party place,Amnesia.
The dance
No, in Argentina, we don't only dance tango. The country has a rich panel of folkloric dances, including the Chacarera, a traditional dance from the northwest of Argentina, born in Santiago del Estero and also found in southern Brazil, Bolivia and Uruguay. Based on the waltz rhythm, it is usually danced in a line, face to face, with the woman twirling her skirt and the man hitting the ground with the heel of his boot, the "Zapateado". In the region of Corrientes in Mesopotamia, there is the Chamamé, also called Polkita Correntina or Habanera-Polka, an amazing mixture of polka and Guarani Indian music. A joyful and very popular dance, just like theEscondido, practiced in the north of Argentina and seeing couples playing cat and mouse (yes, yes) on a Creole music. A real whirling ballet. The Malambo, on the other hand, is a virtuoso dance of the gauchos that has its origins in the central Andean pampas. It is the only Argentine folkloric dance that is not danced in couples. Expressing skill and virility, it was originally reserved for "free men". Let's also mention the Zamba, a dance that is performed in couple with two scarves, the pañuelos, waved in a gallant way by the right hands of both partners. Derived from the Peruvian Zamacueca , it is characterized by a game of seduction in which the woman initially repels the advances of the suitor before succumbing.
And even if in Argentina one does not dance only the tango... one dances it all the same much! The tango as a codified dance appears around the years 1910. Initially undertaken by couples of men on the sidewalks, it was prohibited for obstruction of the traffic by an order in 1916. We don't really know how the tango crossed the Atlantic at the beginning of the 20th century, but one thing is sure: it was all the rage in Paris during the Belle Époque (even if the Vatican condemned it in 1914). Thus, by acquiring its titles of nobility in the Parisian lounges, the tango can make its entry in the lounges of the good society of Buenos Aires. From then on, the genre did not cease to cultivate the success that one knows to him. If it is danced and admired in the milongas of the capital, we should also mention some beautiful events, the Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial and its hundred or so shows and concerts (as well as a legion of dance workshops for all levels) and the CITA (Congreso Internacional de Tango Argentino), a dream week for all tango lovers including an incredible number of workshops to improve.
