#canyengue

Canyengue Definition Ah, Canyengue… you ask about Canyengue. It is not just a word, you see. It is a sound, a feeling, a swagger. The word itself is a ghost from Africa, a whisper of candombe rhythm that found a home in the muddy outskirts of Buenos Aires. It means to walk with a certain cadence, a swing. In tango, Canyengue is the mischievous grandfather of the dance we know today. It is an…

Canyengue, the collaboration between cello innovator Maya Beiser and pianist/tango luminary Pablo Ziegler, "wowed" the audience with a much anticipated Le Poisson Rouge performance.  Music blog Lucid Culture writes:

"Ziegler’s arrangements and also his originals gave Beiser a launching pad for tracking down every bit of restless unease in the genre-spanning compositions: his part’s in his blood, meticulous yet forceful, whether driving the rhythm, adding jazzy flourishes or the occasional joyous glissando. [...]

After a 1970s-era lullaby by Ziegler, the ensemble wowed what looked like a sold-out crowd with a plaintive version of Piazzolla’s Adios Nonino, then a swinging, somewhat satirical portrait of a macho doofus written by Ziegler and then closed with an impressively understated version of the iconic Libertango, its restrained, tense revelry a perfect resolution of the tension between Piazzola the pop tunesmith and Piazzolla the modernist composer. The crowd wanted an encore; they got an unselfconsciously beautiful rendition of Ziegler’s Muchacha de Boedo. Considering how much fun everyone onstage was having, let’s hope they keep this richly enjoyable project going."