There are a number of influential artists that have helped shape the Latin Jazz world, and each one has contributed a number of important elements. Some musicians left a legacy of great compositions that live as standards for future generations.  These songs become the foundation of the style and serve as stepping stones for young musicians to discover their artistic identity. Other artists built a reputation as iconic players, contributing a number of memorable phrases and technical innovations.  Young musicians spend years transcribing their improvisations, studying their phrasing, and repeating technical exercises in pursuit of capturing their role model’s sound. Several individuals served as great bandleaders, building a collection of legendary recordings and memorable performances with the help of sidemen. They leave a legion of young musicians that performed beside them, prepared with the necessary tools to continue their artistic lineage. There are always numerous pieces to the puzzle that leads to an artist’s influence, but when a musicians puts them all together, they leave a mark that changes the Latin Jazz world forever.

2009 Latin Jazz Hall Of Fame inductee Astor Piazzolla brought together many of these qualities, bringing elements of jazz together with tango in an unforgettable way. Piazzolla’s compositions remain his greatest contribution to the music world, completely changing the way that the world viewed tango. He elevated the style from an elegant dance hall music to a piece of high art found exclusively in concert halls. His original works drew upon jazz, but they went much further than that, integrating compositional techniques from the twentieth century classical music world. Many times composition overshadowed improvisation in Piazzolla’s work obscuring a traditional concept of Latin Jazz. Improvisation never completely disappeared though, it simply evolved in Piazzolla’s hands; musicians developed a new language of scales and phrases that reflected the unique sound of Piazzolla’s work. As a performer, Piazzolla took the bandoneon to a new level of technical virtuosity that allowed for intricate lines and improvisatory flourishes. His musicianship influenced the small group of bandoneon players that followed him, but a number of additional instrumentalists also attempted to capture the expressive nature of Piazzolla’s performances. Piazzolla worked as a bandleader for much of his life, and a number of musicians continue his work today. Musicians such as pianist Pablo Ziegler have taken Piazzolla’s work into the future, retracing his steps, but also expanding upon his original ideas. Piazzolla’s influence has become so great that his work serves as an important starting point for any history of Argentinean Jazz.

In celebration of our newest Hall Of Fame member, today’s weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix will be dedicated to Astor Piazzolla.  This will be the first of many looks at Piazzolla, so as a starting point, we’ll be presenting some of his best known pieces.  The first clip finds Piazzolla with a quartet at the 1984 Montreal Jazz Festival performing ”Adios Noniño.”. The next video reveals a more introspective side of Piazzolla with the piece “Milonga Del Angel.” The last clip returns to the 1984 Montreal Jazz Festival for an enthusiastic version of “Muerte Del Angel.” If you’ve never checked out Piazzolla before, check out these videos, they make a great introduction. For those of you that know Piazzolla well, hold tight - we’ll be diving more deeply into Piazzolla’s work in the upcoming weeks, so take a few moments to enjoy some of his most familiar pieces!

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Astor Piazzolla At The 1984 Montreal International Jazz Festival Performing “Adios Noniño”

Astor Piazzolla Performing “Milonga Del Angel”

Astor Piazzolla Performing “Muerte Del Angel”

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Want to hear more from Astor Piazzolla? Check out these albums:

Tango: Zero Hour

Adios Noniño

The Vienna Concert

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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Exploring Latin Jazz: Argentinean Jazz
Moving Nuevo Tango Into The Next Generation: Buenos Aires Report, Pablo Ziegler
Exploring Latin Jazz: Analysis & Questions About Nuevo Tango
Exploring Latin Jazz: From Pop Star To Artistic Innovator - Two Sides Of Tango

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