Guapeando

Aníbal Troilo recorded it in a brief but intense format: Guapeando does not reach three minutes, yet in that time it encapsulates all the flavor of his orchestra. It is not a piece that lingers in long introductions; it starts straight away, with the air of defiance that the title conveys. The bandoneon of Troilo, known as Pichuco, sounds here with an energy that seems drawn from a neighborhood tough, as if the instrument itself put on its baggy pants and went out into the street to throw down a challenge. There is no room for unnecessary embellishments: the phrasing is sharp, almost cut to the quick, and the orchestra responds with precision, as if each note were calculated to maintain that back-and-forth rhythm without losing the beat.