Chin Chin SpiriTango Quartet

• 1 Chin chin 04:58
• 2 Concierto 09:02
• 3 Escualo 04:59
• 4 Kicho 08:59
• 5 Tangata 09:56
• 6 Libertango 04:51
• 7 Abandoneado 02:52
• 8 El Sur 06:19
• 9 Chaly 04:07
• 10 Passage à 4 10:26
• Total Runtime 01:06:29

Info for Chin Chin

With this new recording, SpiriTango have chosen to take their first steps into the world of jazz, film and contemporary classical music. Iti s also the fourth anniversary of the group, whose energy is most evident in the celebratory title track 'Chin Chin'.

Astor Piazzolla (1921–92) was an infant prodigy on the bandoneon. He emigrated with his family to New York when he was only three years old, then returned to Buenos Aires in 1937. There he performed in concert, arranged other musicians’ music and studied classical music under Ginastera. Ten years later, he composed a symphony for which he was awarded a scholarship which enabled him to study in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, who encouraged him to write tango music.

Condemned at the time by purists, Piazzolla is now considered in Argentina as the saviour of tango, which had been in decline since the 1950s. Later called 'nuevo tango', Piazzola’s tango introduced fugues, chromatism, dissonance, some elements of jazz and even sometimes an extended instrumentation. In this recording, the SpiriTango Quartet have made their own arrangements, based on the original quintet versions. The group has shared the guitar parts between the piano and the double bass and have also rewritten the different cadences

SpiriTango Quartet

SpiriTango Quartet
Closeness, friendship, enthusiasm and creativity: these four words sum up the SpiriTango Quartet. In their first four years, their rich and varied repertoire has covered a mixture of traditional tango, nuevo tango, contemporary music and original compositions.

After studying at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, under Ami Flammer and Jean-Noël Crocq, they released their first album, Rage, in 2003, which was dedicated to the music of Astor Piazzolla. They studied further under Richard Galliano, Hervé Sellin, Juan José Mosalini as well as the Quatuor Ébène, and performed on the national and international stages: Les Invalides in Paris, the opera house (amphitheatre) in Lyon, the Royal Conservatory of Brussels...

They were invited to perform at many festivals, including Festival Radio France Montpellier, Pianos Folies Touquet, Piano Campus, Jeunes Talents, Concerts de Poche...

Their artistic project hinges around very personal interpretations at the crossroads of tango and classical music, each world enriching the other. On the other hand, in selecting the repertoire for this ensemble, they endeavour to create and promote new works from contemporary composers, particularly showcasing the new generation. They have worked with Graciane Finzi and Alexandre Fontaines — among others— and plan to collaborate with Matthieu Stefanelli, Étienne Kippelen, Célia Triplet and Andrea Marsili.

Following their first album dedicated to Astor Piazzolla’s rage, the SpiriTango Quartet continue their artistic voyage through the world of nuevo tango and contemporary music with a second compilation called Chin Chin. This second album dares to surprise the listener by broadening its musical influences: at the same time being a celebration of major pieces by the master Piazzolla and the famous Belgian composer Frédéric Devreese, as well as works by young composers rarely played in Europe (Luis Caruana, Ramiro Gallo, Andres Linetzky). It is both an explosion of virtuosity and a display of instrumental buoyancy. This album, as the previous one, is the result of a meticulous study of chamber music and a liberated music practice which opens up slowly towards improvisation. Fanny Azzuro, Thomas Chedal, Fanny Gallois and Benoît Levesque guide you towards the music they stand for, in the exact way they want it to be heard. This second recording also celebrates the fourth anniversary of SpiriTango Quartet’s existence. These years have been enriched through meeting great people (Tomas Gubitsch, Julie Fuchs, Richard Galliano...), many mentors (Jean-Noël Crocq, Ami Flammer, Hervé Sellin, le Quatuor Ébène...), hard work and —above all— by sharing pleasure and emotions with the audience during concerts, tours and radio broadcasts. It is to thank you for all these happy moments that we propose a musical toast, looking you straight in the eyes... Chin Chin!

Booklet for Chin Chin