Lenox — Juan Pablo Jofre Romarion (a k a JP Jofre) plays the bandoneon, an instrument practically synonymous with tango, which nowadays is practically synonymous with one of its best known practitioners, the late Astor Piazzolla. In fact, it was likely Piazzolla’s reputation that got people interested in hearing Jofre’s group perform November 16 at Tanglewood’s Linde Center. The event was dubbed “TASTE: Argentina featuring JP Jofre,” one in a series of Taste events presented by the Tanglewood Learning Institute. These programs (there will be many more) feature art, wine and cuisine from around the world, preceded by free classes or workshops. The November 16 event included dance lessons.
There’s no denying that tango dance moves have a reputation for being a bit naughty (okay — more than just a bit.) Maybe that’s why the third edition of Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians suggests that tango’s dance movements are less presentable to a “polite” audience than those of the habanera and that the tango has thus become “nothing but an incitation to desire.” (The editors add, however, that the tango “never fails to draw forth vociferous applause.” Fair enough.)
Because of its quirky keyboard layout — and the scales most idiomatic to the instrument — it seems likely that the bandoneon actually shaped the evolution of tango music. For example, the chromaticism in Piazzolla’s Libertango and in many of Jofre’s original pieces (which the New York Times has described as “classical-tango hybrid”) seems tailor-made for the instrument.
So we had to ask Mr. Jofre about this. Does he think the bandoneon’s keyboard layout shaped the melodic contours of Tango music in its earliest forms? In other words, would Tango music sound very different today had early practitioners had access only to piano type accordions?
“Yes,” he said, “I believe the keyboard layout of the bandoneon shaped the melodic contours of tango music, but only a bit. However, there are amazing tango pieces written by composers that didn’t play bandoneon, such as Gobbi and Pugliese, just to name a few.”
Although Mr. Jofre started playing bandoneon only about 20 years ago, the word “virtuoso” seems to follow him around fairly consistently in press notices. This notion is borne out in spades during his concert performances. In fact, if you look at a few YouTube videos of Piazzolla, you may find it difficult to detect anything in the old master’s performances that would likely exceed Jofre’s capabilities.
JP Jofre performed a program of mostly original compositions on the 16th, along with violinist Ji in Yang and pianist Pablo Cafici (both of whom probably have more classical training than Jofre). It would appear that Mr. Jofre is able to engage some of the finest musicians available.
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TLI’s next Taste event, on February 21, will feature Russian cuisine, music and literature, with Ignat Solzhenitsyn presenting music and poetry focusing on the life and work of his father, the Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
