JUAN D'ARIENZO  December 14, 1900 - January 14, 1976   As animated at work as his music (1966 photo).   When he arrived in the latter 30's, he infused a whole new life and energy into Tango. His joyous abandon is as inspiring today as it was 70 years ago. Tu Olvido as we heard it for decades. Tu Olvido by Keith. Juan's orchestra brought throngs out to dance. No kidding - every other orchestra felt pressure to change their style to be more like what he made fashionable in terms of energy and fun. He studied violin from the age of 12. His first public performance was in theatres with D'Agostino and Bianchi. Through his 20's, he played in orchestras making all kinds of music. In 1926 he returned to tango as the violinist in Orquesta Típica Paramount (which included the legendary bandoneonist Anselmo Aieta). He stopped playing when he began fronting his own orchestra and became a recording star. Known as "The King of Rhythm" (El Rey del Compás), Juan was in many ways the engine that drove the Golden Age - by virtue of his orchestra filling the dance halls. His beat, his sound, his musicians were just amazing. Where would we be without his thrilling milongas (uniquely borrowing feel from polka inclinations (Fachimo La Polquita) ... not to mention his glorious and sexy Vals? Juan was heavy into vals from the beginning. His first recording (July 2, 1935) was a spirited version of Desde El Alma. Early on, 40% of his records were vals. No wonder people came out to dance to his band. Alfredo De Angelis, Angel D'Agostino, Juan D'Arienzo   Juan D'Arienzo happily expressed a hard-core Lunfardo attitude that is the Porteño way. His milongas are wicked and irresistible. His Valses fly (even at the correct speed!). Juan's recording of the milonga "La Puñalada" (the faster version HE sped-up) was the first million-seller Tango record (1950). Pianist Rodolfo Biagi was with the band for the first 2 years of recording. His style, including playing many lines in octaves, became part of the D'Arienzo sound such that his replacement, Fulvio Salamanca, was made by Juan to copy his style. D'Arienzo always kept the piano up-front in his sound. Too many, the best D'Areinzo recordings are from the Biagi period. They're certainly hot, hot, hot. When you see videos of the D'Arienzo orchestra, you see Juan always the entertainer energetically egging on in the leading. He reminds one of Jimmie Durante with the long nose and wicked smile. Before you learn "Milonguero" style dancing, you really like his energy and sound. AFTER, you get it! Here is Pénsalo Bien from the soundtrack of The Tango Lesson - which most people use as being the best quality version around. I cleaned it and gave it more body. The low frequencies you hear were not brought out with equalization, which can make things boomy, but by enhancing harmonics at certain frequencies. Makes it warmer and fuller; takes away the nasal tone. There are 6 ToTANGO CD's of D'Arienzo Tango Restorations, plus many more tracks in the milongas and vals compilations. Here is an anecdote sent to me by Joe Vasquenz of Ohio: "While reading about your restoration of D'Arienzo's music, I was reminded of a story my dad told me involving Juan D'Arienzo. My dad (Sal Vasquenz) went to the "clubs" on Saturday nights to dance, actually they were huge neighborhood recreation centers that on weekends had live tango orquestras for dancing. The real bands like D'Arienzo, de Angelis, etc., not wannabe bands. Because Buenos Aires was and is so large, and there were so many of these milongueras going on at one time, the orquestra leaders had 2, maybe 3 bands going at one time, in different centers, and he would spend a couple of hours or so at each one and then move on to the next. Anyway, my dad liked to dance valses, as well as tangos. This one particular night, D'Arienzo was playing in La Boca, a very rough area at the time (I don't know how it is today), and all the orquestra played were tangos. After D'Arienzo had shown up for a while, my dad went up to him to request a vals. D'Arienzo told him that he would like to oblige and under different circumstances it wouldn't be a problem. Then he asked my dad to take a close look to see the kind of characters that were on the dance floor. Then D'Arienzo said, "Do you know what these guys would do to me and my orquestra if I played a vals?" They both smiled at each other, my dad understanding perfectly that no valses were going to be played that night."