Pablo Ardouin & Tango Efusion

Chilean singer Pablo Ardouin brings an irresistible authenticity to the tango with his powerful, charismatic voice. Some pieces were written by him and belong to the living tradition of the equally poetic and aggressive tango. He is accompanied by Sabine Scheffel (violin), Rene Garcia (bandoneon), Pedro Gadelha (bass) and Christof Sanger (piano).

Authentic playing with a lot of soul and spirit by the ensemble reveals the life-like substance of tango, and expresses the whole scope of the feelings of the music.

Pablo Ardouin and Tango Efusion interpret classical and modern tangos and milongas in Censurado. In so doing, they direct their attention above all towards pieces that were banned at some period or another for moral or political reasons, such as, for example, the bittersweet milieu study "Los cososde al la'o" (The People Next Door) that was despised by the opinion-formers of society as tasteless and insulting (because of the vulgar slang), or the tangos "Cambalache" and "Yira-Yira," both by Enrique Santos Discepolo, banned by the military dictatorship during the 1970s.

Censurado — forbidden! Ever since the tango first originated, this term has been closely connected with the sensual, rhythmic dance and its usually cheeky and vulgar texts. The tango is considered a child of the streets and grew up in the cathouses of Montevideo and Buenos Aires. That is reason enough for the so-called better society to despise this sinful and decadent music, above all because it has served as a mouthpiece and means of expression for the poor population and social fringe groups, openly and honestly describing a reality that was being ignored by politicians and society in general.

In spite of censure and restriction, the tango's popularity was unstoppable and has continued to enjoy periods of flowering ever since it began at the end of the 19th century. Despite all musical developments that the tango has undergone during the past century, the themes remain the same: everyday life in the midst of prostitution and urban poverty, pain and passion; longing and hopelessness, fulfilled and disappointed love. The texts are formulated in plain and direct language, never slipping into pathos and sentimentality.

— Courtesy Calabash Music