Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (CD - 2007)

Translators: Julien Massardier; Jorge Maldonado.

Although most people understandably associate it with its South American origins, the tango--both the incendiary dance and the musical style--has been globally embraced and built on by a variety of musicians. This excellent Putumayo compilation examines the genre as expressed and riffed on by Finns (M.A. Numminen), Serbians (Earth Wheel Sky Band), Norwegians (Electrocutango), and there are even a few tangos from the genre's birthplace, Argentina. Perhaps the most interesting track here is by Senegalese singer Ousmane Toure, whose song follows the basic rhythmic structure of tango with the unmistakable grit and soul of sub-Saharan folk/blues. minimize