Sunday August 9th 7:30 PM First Metropolitan Church 932 Balmoral Rd
$28 door $22 advance
Known as: “Chamber Musician Supreme” pianist Linda Lee Thomas and the bandoneonist Jonathan Goldman of the Legendary Canadian group Quartango, have proved to be a formidable team in bringing tango to West Coast audiences. They have a classical exuberance to their playing that makes tango that is unforgettable. Ed Hughes of the Georgia Strait once reviewed a performance of Linda Lee's stating, “ You can expect deep emotional connections. In Thomas hands Piazolla's Inverno Porteno became a melancholy and pungent rhapsody if such beauty that it drew out-bursts of sobs and tears from a young woman seated next to me. She will never forget, nor will I.”
In 2008 The CBC produced a Tango concert in Regina, Saskatchewan, with Linda Lee Thomas, Jonathan Goldman and the True Jive Pluckers. The concert was recorded and made into an album in 2009. Listening to this collection, 3 days in February, is to experience a scintillating performance of tango. Linda Lee says it is currently a hot selling album in Buenos Aires. Together these two tango musicians combine many years of music making dedicated to tango.
Linda Lee Thomas; tango piano masterclass, musicology for dancers.
Linda Lee Thomas has been PRINCIPAL PIANIST of the VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and the VANCOUVER RADIO ORCHESTRA since 1972. As "Chamber Musician Supreme," she was Artistic Director of Masterpiece Music, the Vancouver East Cultural Centre’s hugely successful chamber music series for 17 years. In 2000, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to the industry.
Her other passion is the music and dance of Argentina – the Tango. Since her bold emergence onto the international tango scene, she has become Canada's foremost tango musician, performing and recording with Argentine bandoneonists Daniel Binelli and Nestor Marconi. She is affectionately known as "The Reina de Tango."
She has her own Tango Trio – TANGISSIMO – fast becoming known all over the world. Featuring Ed Henderson on guitar and Miles Foxx Hill on bass, they have played to thousands of people in live concerts, broadcasts and recordings. Their CD TANGISSIMO LIVE was chosen as one of the best releases of 2002 by Radio-Canada’s ESPACE MUSIQUE. They were taken to Buenos Aires in 2006 by INFINITY FILMS to shoot the documentary – CHASING THE TANGO HIGH for BRAVO TV. Their CD of the same name was released in October of that year. It features live recordings from Buenos Aires with Tangissimo and the tango legends of our time.
She leads tours every year for GREAT EXPEDITIONS to her beloved Argentina. It is called the "Insider's Tour of Buenos Aires," the beautiful city she is so passionate about.
The Spring of 2008 saw the release of her first Solo Piano Tango CD entitled "TANGO MAGIC." She is in constant demand as a Solo Tango Artist.
Website: www.lindaleethomas.com/
From 2003 to 2007, Jonathan Goldman performed, composed and arranged
the music of the Montreal-based group Sweatshop Tango Ensemble,
producing their début album “De la Main à la Boca” in 2006. In 2007,
they performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In 2006-2007,
he performed with Quartango, Canada's legendary tango group.
Streamed concert with Linda Lee in Regina:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/concerts/20080306tango
Direct from Buenos Aires
Alejandro Figliolo dances with an unforgettable charisma and an intensity that is inherently tango. His dance background spans Argentinian folklore, contemporary, dance-drama, jazz and hip-hop. He became passionately interested in tango music and poetry and thereby discovered 'the sensuality and passion conveyed by a cultural expression linked to the senses of two entwined bodies in order to create an unified expression.' A graduate of the "Buenos Aires Tango University," Alejandro is in demand as dancer and choreographer. Alejandro has participated in countless theatre and TV productions, including some of his own. Alejandro appears in this year’s festival with his Vancouver based dance partner, Monica Monty. Monica has studied tango performance and choreography and has been dancing and performing Argentine Tango for 10 years.
http://www.alefigliolo.com.ar/
The Junction of Jazz and Tango
Saturday August 8th 8:00 PM St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 680 Courtney St.
$22 door $18 advance
Martin Nemcovsky's CANTANGO ( Mike Spindloe sax, of Vancouver) play a CONCERT with guest violinist Pablo Hopenhayn. Martin comes from Rosario which is known in Argentina for being a music community. Well-known Latin bassist and cellist Freddy Veloso has come into their fold recently, www.myspace.com/cantango. Pablo Hopenhayn, is well steeped in tango tradition having played in the well known orchestras in Buenos Aires.
Cantango performs at the “Junction of Tango and Jazz” arriving there with the exceptional combination of tango, classical music and jazz training of leader Argentinean Martin Nemcovsky.
Living in Vancouver since 2003 he formed Cantango with saxophonist Mike Spindloe, also recently Latin bassist and cellist Freddy Veloso. They adeptly perform both tango’s own improvisational style known as a la parella (off the barbecue grill- anything can happen) and jazz improvisation.
This junction at Tango Fest 2009 will be a hot place as violinist Pablo Hopenhayen, also Argentinean, brings authenticity to the performance having played with the major tango orchestras in Buenos A
ries. He is also a jazz musician in his own right. Guitarist Martin Nemcovsky moved to Vancouver from Argentina in 2003, where he recorded two albums of jazz with his partner Carlos Gantus (www.carlosgantus.com.ar) under the name Jazz Friends. He performed at the 2000 International Tango Summit with Cacho Tirao (Astor Piazzolla’s guitarist and in Cuba at the 1993 International Jazz Festival of Havana. In Canada he has played with many BC artists including the renowned composer and bandoneonist Doug Schmidt.
Saxophonist Mike Spindloe arrived in Vancouver from Saskatoon in 2003. He is currently the leader of the 4Ground Saxophone Quartet, a member of the Brazilian music ensemble Mistura Fina and the pop/jazz group Left Coast. While in Saskatoon, Mike was alto saxophonist for the Saskatoon Saxophone Quartet for nine years and performed with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
Chilean-born, and Vancouver-raised Freddy Veloso has stayed true to his Latin roots as a cellist and bassist. He is currently a member of Vancouver's premiere salsa ensemble, Orquesta BC Salsa, which headlined at the Pan-American Games in Winnipeg in 1999, and has also played with Orquesta La Clave, Orquesta Vallarta, Salsa Brava and Orquesta Tropicana. He has recently played cello and bass for Vancouver's 30-piece choir Fusion Latina.
20 Minutes Each — A Spicy Mix of Soloists in Tango and Latin Music
Friday August 7th Centennial Square, City Hall Douglas St.
Free
11:30AM -1:30PMLatin vocalist and guitarist Marcelina is Victoria's popular singing in Spanish teacher. With a clear alto perfect for Latin music she has been singing in church since she was a young child. Though her specialty is Latin music Marcelina has a beautiful voice for tango vocals and will include tango in her repertoire.
Tango/jazz accordionist DR. D, creates tango arrangements for the accordion to showcase his adept use of the left hand for rhythm and bass. He expertly navigates the complex rhythms and smooth melodies of tango. Intricate and informed, his arrangements
are stunning to both tango and accordion enthusiasts alike.
Visiting classical guitarist Cesar Rojas of Colombia came to Victoria to study classical guitar and obtain a masters at University of Victoria. He has also studied and played in South America and Italy. Tango is highly popular in Colombia, being next to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, all of which make a claim on the rise of tango. Cesar has also played tango in a rock music group in Colombia, which is not so unusual a combination in South America.
Jonathan Goldman plays and gives a talk on the bandoneon. He is the tango musician in residence at the festival and will be playing as invited guest with other groups. See the Sunday Tango Masters concert for more information on Jonathan. 
Jazz tango composer Robert Mari is a tango dancer and the leader of the highly acclaimed project tango at last year’s festival. Robert has the ability to lead jazz ensembles (The Robert Mari Trio, Tango Abrazo) and give a sizzling performance as a solo jazz tango pianist. Check this website - previous festivals page, to sample his concert that audiences gave us rave accolades of last summer.
A Cultural Fare continues through the day; Latin and Argentinean food, local goods and Fairly Traded crafts, indigenous peoples crafts and information booths with the history of tango and dance demos. This is a family event with a festive atmosphere as Centennial Square will be decorated with bright colors. Come and experience this tango barrio.
Free Dance Workshop and Tango Fusion Music
5:00-6:30 
Performers and instructors, Deborah and Santiago are the new generation of tango dancers. They transmit a connectedness and dynamics created through natural movements using their bodies organically. They find the true beauty and surprise in Argentine Tango as an improvised art form. Santiago is from Argentina and Deborah spent eight years living in Buenos Aires studying Tango. They have been based in Vancouver since 2007. They will perform improvised tango dances to music from the Golden Age, Astor Piazzolla and the latest in electronic tango http://www.nuevotangovancouver.com/
Ethnic Diversity in Tango
7:00-9:30
Tango was formed from European immigrants and African slaves in a clashing of cultures with the established Buenos Aires social structure and a ranching culture of the pampas over 200 years old. This mash of ethnic diversity imbued with the sound of sorrow and, longing of the immigrants for their homeland was brought to Europe after 1900 and found a home with many countries and cultures there. It is not surprising that the Jews of Eastern Europe found an expression in tango of their own grief and dispossession. Yiddish Tango Barcada, the first group to perform this evening, is just that mix of cultures. Barcada means friends, a Filipino term originally. What cheek! Yiddish tango is tango music with lyrics sung in Yiddish.
This performance is by tango musicians - Alex Olson and Chaim David Mazoff (Dr. D) of Tango Abrazo and Grupo de Barrio - and Klezmer musicians Devon McCagherty and Tom Ackerman http://tomackerman.shawwebspace.ca/ (both with the Yiddish Colombia Orchestra) who collaborated to do a fusion of several pieces at last year's festival.
Also included is violinist Julian Vitek (West Coast Consort, Yiddish Columbia Orchestra) .
There is a beautiful and distinct body of tango composed for lyrics sung in Yiddish. It sometimes comes out of a very dark period of human history and takes much bravery and dedication to delve into. Yiddish Tango Barcada is well known to Victoria musicians in: jazz, swing, classical musette, and/or klezmer music. www.thestompclub.com http://www.myspace.com/theyiddishcolumbiastateorchestra
Caranavaliando is the duo Cesar and Ana who came to Canada from Colombia SA 2 years ago. Trained in classical guitar and opera, they miss the Tango and Latin American folk music in the every day culture of their home. Ana has a smooth, passionate soulful voice with the low range required of a female tango vocalist and perfect for what truly is the old school folk they perform an both know so well. Cesar performing demonstrates his expertise with the different rhythms of tango and also his knowledge of folk rhythms of Latin America. They will be joined by the Latin drummer Samuel, who is from Mexico.
Duo Corbett & Lochbaum with guest tango and flamenco dancers, and bondoneonist end the evening with hot combination of flamenco and tango. A mutual love for undertaking the music of Brazil, Flamenco, and Jazz brought Jason and Steve together. 
Guitar duo Corbett & Lochbaum have achieved a hyper-speed virtuosity of notes and percussive rhythms whacked on the body of the guitar are set against charming melodies. Jason spent a year performing with tango musicians in Grupo de Barrio, hence the combination with flamenco in his work with Jason. Tango in guitar performance has recently become a world wide standard.
Though the two musics may not be brother and sister, tango and flamenco are cousins that share a common root in Spanish culture, both in the rhythms so important in defining each genre of music and in the passion and unique development of each dance. www.jasoncorbett.com www.myspace.com/corbettandlochbaum
Tango and Flamenco are a natural combination for performance. Guest bandoneonist Jonathan Goldman performs with the duo.
Beware! Includes flamenco dancer Estelle Kurier (above) and tango dancers, Deborah and Santiago.
