Tango
Artists
Pablo Aslan, lead instructor
Photo by Anita Kalikies
Argentine-born Pablo Aslan is in demand for his skills as a producer, bassist, and educator, and for his knowledge of traditional and contemporary tango. His most recent album is Piazzolla in Brooklyn (Soundbrush Records 2011), a tribute to the late Nuevo Tango master. Tango Grill (Zoho Music 2010) was nominated for a 2010 Latin Grammy Award for Best Tango Album and a Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.
Aslan recorded Tango Jazz: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center (Paquito Records 2010) with Cuban maestro Paquito D'Rivera and toured Europe the following year. He was music director of D'Rivera's Tango Jazz Septet.
Aslan has performed and recorded with Yo-Yo Ma, Shakira, Lalo Schifrin, Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, Denyce Graves, Osvaldo Golijov, Pablo Ziegler, the New World Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness among many others. He has produced over a dozen albums for the Soundbrush label, including the 2007 Latin Grammy Winner Te Amo Tango by Uruguayan bandoneonist Raul Jaurena.
Nick Danielson
Violinist Nick Danielson is a classical and Tango musician. He is the assistant concertmaster of the New York City Ballet Orchestra and was a longtime member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He can be heard on many Orpheus recordings, including Stravinsky's "Concertino" on the Grammy Award–winning CD, "Shadow Dances". He has toured and recorded extensively as a soloist and chamber musician as well as with numerous Tango ensembles. Among his most recent collaborations, Danielson has performed with pianist-composer Fernando Otero, sax master Paquito D'Rivera, and Tango legend Pablo Ziegler. His latest recording with Otero, "Vital" ( World Village ), won the 2010 Latin Grammy for best classical album. Danielson received his training at the Curtis Institute of Music with Ivan Galamian, after which he spent five years as first violinist of the Chester String Quartet. He has made New York his home since 1988.
Octavio Brunetti
Photo by S. Reyes
Octavio Brunetti, one of the most sought after tango pianists of our time, studied classical piano in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. His work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including two first prizes in the New York International Tango Competition for Best Solo Pianist and Best Duo (with saxophone player Bernardo Monk). His recordings include “Soledad” by Astor Piazzolla, with world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma (appearing on the album Appassionato on Sony BMG-Classical), and the Grammy Award– winning album Te amo Tango with Raul Jaurena. Brunetti participated in the recording of the original soundtrack music for Francis Ford Coppola’s film Tetro (Deutsche Grammophon), with a score composed by Osvaldo Golijov.
Julian Hasse
Bandoneonist Julian Hasse was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1967. After attending Musicians Institute of Technology in Los Angeles and Berklee Summer School, he developed a career as a bandoneón and guitar player, arranger, and orchestra conductor in Argentina. Since 1996 he has published several bandoneón and tango arranging methods. He was the founder and director of Orquesta de la Academia Nacional del Tango and has taught bandoneón for more than 12 years. An author and arranger, he is also director of Tangoscores.com, the largest online store for tango musicians. He is currently living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.