Review of Café de los maestros

CAFÉ DE LOS MAESTROS A musical journey, 8 August 2008-08-10 Author Gerry Brinkman, Vienna Austria The comments of Chris Docker cannot be understood as criticism but more as a complaint as he did not see what he expected to see. When Sartaolalla had included all that what Docker misses I estimate that the total film would have easily had a volume of 35 Gigabyte which of course would not have been a viable commercial project. I advise Docker to have a look at the DVD 30 Anos de Tango of the Sexteto Mayor which shows everything he wants to see included José Libertella in his full glory. Docker is disturbed by the comments made about the tango and life but the film showed an emotionality which brought tears to the eyes of every onlooker I showed the film to. The tango is a cultural treasure which should not be lost because it cannot be replaced by anything else. The bandoneon with its 142 tones is a difficult instrument to play but a tango tipica not played on a bandoneon looses all its characteristics. Astor Piazolla made a heroic effort to stop its decline in popularity by the introduction of the “Nuevo Tango” but failed to do so because the tango tipica cannot be replaced. It is the only dance I can think of where male or female can signal certain steps by touching knee or foot of the partner. It does not need to be danced as shown by show dancers, but with five or six basic steps you can dance an acceptable tango tipica which brings all the pleasures the dance can bring. In the internet, reputable firms offer holiday voyages to Buenos Aires which includes flight, accommodation, dancing lessons, round trips through the Boca and all historic places where the tango was borne. Sartaolalla in his unique way showed many scenes which were immediately understood by people who know the tango tipica and understood e.g. the scene showing the bandoneon players of the orchestra of d’Arrienzo (the cloth across the knees), the race track (the tango Por una Cabeza) etc. The film brought me an extreme deep feeling of admiration for the octogenarians who were still able to demonstrate their virtuosity, fervor and love for the tango tipica.