Juan D'Arienzo

"Cabbage Heads and Hinchas"

Juan d'Arienzo (1900-1976)

also known as "El Rey del Compás" (King of the Beat)

Juan d'Arienzo brought a clear and lively beat to Buenos Aires tango. His music is made for energetic, fast dancing.

Mine was always a tough orchestra, with a very swinging, much nervous, vibrant beat. And it was that way because tango, for me, has three things: beat, impact and nuances. An orchestra ought to have, above all, life. That is why mine lasted more than fifty years. And when the Prince gave me that title [King of Beat] I thought that it was OK, that he was right.

Juan d'Arienzo Todotango.com

The Hinchas

In Buenos Aires in the 1940's, each band had its own fans (hinchas), who wore specific clothes to show their allegiances. These fans were passionate about their music.

There is a story that Troilo was playing a lounge where a group of fans of Juan d'Arienzo began to hit the heels of shoes against the floor at full, synchronized speed. They were marking Troilo's rhythm, subtly accusing him of being slow and boring, as opposed to the quick style of "King of the Beat." (Clarín.com)

Cabbage Heads

R.F. Thompson's book contains an interview with Facundo Posadas about these style differences: Fans of Carlos Di Sarli would make, perhaps, 5 figures in a tango, leaving space for walking and seeing beginnings and endings, while fans of Juan D’Arienzo would make 10 figures in the same space. Thus the Di Sarli fans would call the D’Arienzo fans "cabbage heads" (repolleros), due to the fact they thought the dance was a cabbage-like mess (repollo). (Thompson. PP 187-190 & 201)

Sources

Juan d'Arienzo. (2016, April 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:56, July 17, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Juan_d%27Arienzo&oldid=713713002

Clarín.com. Edición Domingo 03.12.2000. INFORME ESPECIAL: LAS BARRAS DE LAS ORQUESTAS DE TANGO Los jóvenes de ayer, Retrieved July 17, 2016, from http://edant.clarin.com/diario/2000/12/03/c-01001.htm

Thompson, Robert Farris. 2005. Tango: the art history of love. United States: Vintage Books. Ps 187-190 & 201

TodoTango.com. Juan d'Arienzo - Tango has three things. Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://www.todotango.com/english/history/chronicle/4/DArienzo-Tango-has-three-things/