Pablo Ziegler & His Quintet For New Tango - Asfalto: Street Tango (1998)

The late New Tango composer and bandleader Astor Piazzolla has cast a nearly inescapable shadow over those who have attempted to further his tango innovations. Consider the hurdles for Pablo Ziegler, Piazzolla's pianist for a decade. Remarkably, Ziegler does not shy away from Piazzolla (in fact he revisits several of the master's pieces) and still offers a personal sound. "El Empedrado" runs the gamut from Piazzolla's influence to Ziegler's lush romanticism. "Milonga en el Viento" has a surprisingly traditional feel--paced by jazz style drumming. The ambitious Radio Tango II suggests an intriguing fusion of jazz, rock, Piazzolla, classical music, and traditional tango. Ziegler has quite a challenge before him, but if Asfalto is any evidence, he has the tools, the smarts, and the imagination to inch the New Tango line forward. It is an effort worth following. -- Fernando Gonzalez