It’s finally Miguel Caló’s turn in the tanda of the 45th week. If tango had five major orchestras, the fifth would undoubtedly be Caló’s orchestra. Born in 1907, Caló formed his orchestra as early as 1929, but shortly afterward he joined Cátulo Castillo’s orchestra as a bandoneón player.
Miguel Caló developed a style known as “el estilo Caló” (Caló style), characterized by its refined and emotional tones. This style, with its melodic subtleties and meticulously organized orchestration, contrasted with D’Arienzo’s energetic approach. His orchestra featured prominent vocalists such as Raúl Iriarte, Alberto Podestá, and Raúl Berón. In this week’s tanda, I included tangos recorded with Raúl Berón.
Together with Berón, Caló recorded six milongas, two waltzes, and twenty-one tangos. These tangos, in chronological order, are as follows:
Al compás del corazón 1942
Qué te importa que te llore 1942
Trasnochando 1942
Tarareando 1942
Lejos de Buenos Aires 1942
Tristezas de la calle corrientes 1942
Margarita Gauthier 1942
Corazón no le hagas caso 1942
Jamás retornarás 1942
Un crimen 1942
Cuatro compases 1942
La abandoné y no sabía 1944
En tus ojos de cielo 1944
Entre sueños 1944
Domingo a la noche 1944
Tú 1949
Mi moro 1950
En la calle 1963
Soy milonguero 1963
Madre hay una sola 1963
Pa’ lo que te va a durar 1963
Every tango Caló recorded with Berón — including Tú from 1949 — is beautiful enough to stand on its own in a tanda. In fact, you could easily create four different tandas from their repertoire. That’s why it’s quite common to hear a Caló–Berón tanda at milongas and find yourself dancing to familiar tunes. This week, I’ve put together a tanda that’s musically cohesive — familiar, yet with a slightly different flavor.
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