Born March 11, 1921 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla would become the most important figure in the history of tango. Near the end of his career, not only had he brought tango to audiences worldwide but had also broken the traditional style of the genre and modernized it into a new creation he liked to call, "Nuevo Tango". With its mix of jazz, classical, and contemporary music, "Nuevo Tango" infuriated the conservatives of tango, who felt Piazzolla had perverted the honored music of Argentina, and, at the same time, captivated millions by its unique passion and power.

Astor's family immigrated to New York in 1924 and at the age of nine Astor was given a bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument, by his father. Living in New York, Astor was quickly influenced by jazz greats, like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, but at the same time held his Argentinian background through his father's playing of tango records by such masters as Carlos Gardél. Along with practicing the bandoneon, Astor took piano lessons under Bela Wilda and quickly took a liking for the music of Bach and Rachmaninoff.

In 1936, Piazzolla's family returned to Mar del Plata and, in 1938, Astor moved to Buenos Aires seeking work as a musician. During the next years, Astor would play and compose for the Anibal Troilo orchestra, continue studying classical piano and music theory, and eventually form his own group that performed traditional tangos. In 1949, Astor's group broke up and, seeking to leave tango for more refined music, he immersed himself in the music of Ravél, Bartók, and Stravinsky. He also continued to work on his compositional skills and listened to American jazz.

In 1953, Astor's piece "Buenos Aires" caught attention by having the bandoneon being part of an orchestra setting. In 1954, Astor received a scholarship to study composition, in Paris, with famed teacher Nadia Boulanger. Boulanger encouraged Piazzolla not to leave tango behind but to reinvent it with the classical and jazz influence he had grown up with. Astor returned to Buenos Aires, in 1955, and set the tango world on its feet by establishing an octet of musicians which would perform tango as self-contained music rather than follow a singer. Protests immediately flared as traditionalists sneered at the project yet Piazzolla pushed on.

In 1960, Piazzolla formed his first quintet, the Quinteto Tango Nuevo which would lead his vision of spreading tango. Throughout the 60's Piazzolla set a number of poems by Jorge Luis Borges to music and collaborated with poet Horacio Ferrer on an "operita" named "Maria de Buenos Aires". During the 70's, Piazzolla toured Europe with growing popularity. Argentina was taken over by a conservative military party which contradicted everything Piazzolla was about (modernism, lack of respect for the traditional, etc..). Politically, Piazzolla"s music became unwelcomed. Suffering a heart attack in 1973, Astor moved to Italy where he saw it wiser to live. He experimented with electric music through his Conjunto Electronic and brought Nuevo Tango back to Argentina by performing a major concert in Buenos Aires in 1976.

In 1978, Piazzolla formed a new quintet and worked extensively on performing and composing symphonic works. His reputation grew even more and prime exposure was granted to him in the U.S. during the late 80's. In 1986, the quintet entered the recording studio and recorded what Piazzolla considered the finest album of his career, Tango: Zero Hour. He won amazing reviews and in 1987 performed in New York's Central Park.

At the height of his fame, unfortunately, Piazzolla's health began to fail him. In 1988, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery but recovered enough to mount another international tour. Not long afterward, Piazzolla suffered a stroke which left him unable to perform or compose. Two years later, on July 4, 1992, Astor Piazzolla died of lingering health in his beloved Buenos Aires and left a legacy as one of South America's greatest musical figures and a major composer of the 20th century.

- by Jeffrey Silva

For More Information Visit:

www.piazzolla.org
www.rootsworld.com/rw/feature/astor.html
www.allmusic.com