Julian Curwin: The Mango Balloon (Rufus, 10/12/10)
Julian Curwin: “The Mango Balloon”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Julian_Curwin_The_Mango_Balloon.mp3|titles=Julian Curwin: “The Mango Balloon”]
Led by multi-instrumentalist Julian Curwin and buoyed by a healthy eclecticism, The Tango Saloon is a Western-, Gypsy-, and jazz-inflected tango juggernaut.
The Mango Balloon is Curwin’s exploration of this material as a chamber set, providing a glimpse into the band’s quieter moments. With klezmer intricacies, accordion and guitar movements engage in a close-knit dance on the title track; elsewhere, Spanish guitar rhythms join a melancholic trumpet touched by counter melodies. The songs give better access to their players’ unique voices, in arrangements centering on more isolated compositional elements.