"For many musicians of my generation, classically trained and with a deep love for jazz, the tango we revered was born with Astor Piazzolla. The older style was too simple harmonically and stuffed with lyrics that spoke of a Buenos Aires which was not anymore the one we walked. It took me so many years to find out how wrong I was, and a bit of good luck to cross paths with my mentor for this music, Pablo Aslan, a true master of the style. Thru him I met Uruguayan legendary bandoneonist Raul Jaurena, and before I knew it, we were playing a weekly gig at the emblematic Zinc Bar in New York's. When we decided to make an album, Nick Danielson's intense and expressive sound was the natural choice for the violin.
Discovering the foundation of this music has been a revelation for me and has affected every aspect of my playing and writing since then. With this album I want to pay tribute to Pugliese, Troilo, Arolas, Di Sarli, Salgán and, of course, Astor who himself grew in that tradition and drank on those waters before changing the direction of this music for ever.
My challenge was to make an album FOR DANCERS, repainting some of these old pieces (and creating three new ones) with the beat in mind, yet still daring to use more modern harmonies and colors than the ones in the old recordings. They are in no case better arrangements than those precious ones, just different. I encourage tango dancers everywhere to let their feet react instinctively to these versions, with no prejudices. This dance is as alive as ever and I reject to look at it as a museum piece. I truly believe that these versions will achieve that goal. Enjoy!"