dear diary,
i have been preparing for tonight's alternative milonga. for days, i agonized over the sets. the more i listen, the more i am unhappy with my collection. finally, i have a couple of hours of the alternatives.
i burned a cd yesterday, to listen to them in the car. ugh! one set after another, "i can't dance to this!" "too long!" (but this i can deal with.) "hmmm. what do i play before this, and what after?" (ok, this is a good sign.) "what was i thinking? this song stinks!" getting out of the car, i was fuming. less than 36 hours away, and i am not in love with my music.
this morning, i burned another cd, to see if the changes that i made are acceptable. i am now doubting my taste. i mean, I LIKE the MUSIC, but, is it danceable? is it going to be fun? is it going to be embraced? should i keep it? should i go ahead and play it? should i go with an old set that i know to have been good?
and then, what about the traditionals? i have a few beautiful, and i mean really really beautiful new sets, sets that i have never played, one of De Caro, that i want to play, but that i am not sure would work with the alternatives. should i just go for it? should i be "conservative," and play the traditional sets that i know?
i only have 2 hours before the milonga, to figure out what i want. yes yes yes i don't create a list on-the-fly. i am not good enough to do that yet. i prepare and i prepare, and this time, i do not feel confident at all.
going into the night, with trepidation.
-
update: the night was fantastic. will post playlist soon.
3 comments:
Why not just focus on traditional instead of alternative? Most of the alternative are not ideal for dancing anyway, in my humble opinion.
There are so many good tango music from 1920s-1950s that I don't think I could play all my favorites in one night.
Alternative is good for changing the feel and adding dynamics, but never the center piece.
Just my two cents. :-)
Dear Pilgrim,
I do it because of the challenge. You are right, I don't like most alternatives that I hear. But that just makes it more interesting.
I could never play everything I want anyway. Part of the "pain" in preparing a list is the stuff that I leave out.
As to whether alternative is (or should be) the center piece, that's not how I think. I see everything as contributing to the night.
You're not the only one with these doubts! Ive been going thru Sharna Fabiano's NeoTango list. "Slow too slow - yep dirge like - mmm nice but where's the content?" Like you, I *like* the tunes. But are they danceable?
Sometimes recognizability helps. For example, the Beatles tunes. And sometimes it works because you're obviously borrowing from another genre (arabesque, jazz). But a whole (or even half of an )evening? That Im still really struggling with.
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