Julio De Caro - Agua corriente (Running water)

In May 1926, the orchestra of the De Caro brothers (violinist Julio, and pianist Francisco - the true musical motor of the orchestra) had already been recording with Victor for over 18 months. Why wait until now to present a work from the orchestra? Surely there have already been many great works? What about their first session with the new electrical system on 12th April, in which four tracks were cut? I was tempted to present the tango Feliz viaje, but I wanted to wait for something more accessible for the dancer: early De Caro can often feel a bit like chamber music.


Something with broader appeal appears on 11th May 1926 with the tango Agua corriente. The delicate piano opening - just like the running stream referenced by the title - is quite unexpected, and when it reappears towards the end of this section, Pedro Maffia decorates it with very high-pitched bandoneon firuletes (flourishes) that would simply have been inaudible under the old acoustic recording system. When we then move to the 'B" section (0'30"), Francisco De Caro takes the opening "a cappella", i.e. solo and unaccompanied, playing both the melody and a harmonised bass accompaniment - what a fantastic pianist he is. It's easy to hear why pianists such as Pugliese so respected him.

And the composer of this work? It's hard to believe, but Juan Rodríguez is the same man who composed the tango Mandria, such a huge hit in D'Arienzo's repertoire.

Electrical recording is a revelation for this subtle, nuanced music.

A curiousity: until this session, the discs of this group had carried the label "Orquesta Típica De Caro", which referred to both brothers. The disc presenting this session was the first on which the label read "Julio De Caro y su Orquesta Típica". Whilst Francisco was the greater musician, Julio was better at handling the affairs of the orchestra, so there's a certain logic to this change.


Julio De Caro y su Orquesta Típica - Agua corriente - recorded 11th May 1926.

Victor 79654-A. Matrix: BAVE-796-1. There is a cleaner audio on the DAHR website than the one embedded above, but one can't embed it - visit the site to enjoy it.

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