Héctor Varela
Héctor Varela
Salustiano Paco Varela (1914 – 1987)
Some tango music is great for listening, but not for dancing. Héctor Varela made his music for the dancer. Wherever he played, the dance halls were full.
Bailando Tango
If you are looking for good music for dancing, a nice collection of Varela's post-1950 instrumental tangos can be found in the compilation "Bailando Tango", available on iTunes, YouTube and other websites.
He was trained as an accountant, but his true calling was the bandoneón. By the age of 16, he was playing in several tango halls in Buenos Aires, including the orchestra of Juan D'Arienzo. He played for D'Arienzo for 10 years and became his main bandoneónist.
In 1939, he formed his own orchestra, and his music continued to reflect D'Arienzo's style of traditional sound and strong rhythm, which young dancers loved.
The most important fact about Varela and his orchestra was that he played tango for dance and his dancing audience. His concerts were so crowded that they caused traffic-jams as everyone wanted to dance to his music.
In the early 1950's, he changed his style, presenting a completely new music and rhythm. These became the years of his greatest success, as he appeared on radio and television throughout Buenos Aires and Latin America, including the famous show Grandes Valores del Tango.
His greatest popularity was always among the young tango dancers of the 50's and 60's.
Bailando Tango Album playlist (from Tango-DJ.AT)
Milongueando en el ’40 13/04/1971
La cachila 16/05/1967
El pollo Ricardo 30/09/1966
Un tropezón 22/03/1968
La chacarera 21/08/1952
Canaro en París 09/06/1952
Buen amigo 17/10/1966
La viruta 04/07/1967
Sábado inglés 17/07/1951
La morocha 14/07/1967
El africano 15/11/1951
El caburé 23/10/1966
Champagne tango 19/09/1952
La cumparsita 02/05/1968
Sources and References
Grandes valores del tango. (2016, 4 de abril). Wikipedia, La enciclopedia libre. Fecha de consulta: 21:02, septiembre 30, 2016 desde https://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grandes_valores_del_tango&oldid=90249297.
Héctor Varela (musician). (2016, March 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:42, September 23, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=H%C3%A9ctor_Varela_(musician)&oldid=712612952
Héctor Varela. Bailando Tango. Tango-DJ.AT: Association for the preservation and provision of Argentine tango. Retrieved 02:42, September 30, 2016, from
http://tango-dj.at/shop/product/bailando-tango-dancing-tango-hector-varela-533183
Tango Artists. Héctor Varela, Composer, arranger, and bandoneonist (1914 – 1987). Passion Tango. Lisbon Tango School. Retrieved 02:42, September 23, 2016, from