TS 6.02 - Caló Insrumental & Fujisawa 1964

Tags: Miguel Caló, Singer

Category: Album

Samples

Release Note Producer's Note Full Track Info

“Caló, rediscovering himself, in shared spotlight with the Far East’s tango songstress.” — Tango Sparks, 2025

These 1964 takes (TS 6.02) show that Miguel Caló and his orquesta were anything but fading, as they sound newly invigorated. While the early “estrellas,” Domingo Federico, Enrique Francini, Armando Pontier, were no longer in the lineup, Orlando Trípodi still anchored the piano, with young standouts José Libertella (bandoneón) and Fernando Suárez Paz (violin) leading their sections. The ensemble, perhaps less star-studded, meshes even more naturally with Caló’s aesthetic. The six instrumentals are spotless, including Sans Souci, La Cumparsita, El Choclo, balancing dance-floor drive with refined details.

The vocalist here is Japan’s tango queen, Ranko Fujisawa. Initially opera-bound, she embraced tango in the late 1940s and became a defining Japanese Porteño voice, collaborating with Troilo, Piazzolla, and Salgán. Recorded during her South American tour with the Orquesta Típica Tokio, these 1964 sides were cut with Caló for Odeón, including two Japanese songs adapted into tango — Luna De Viejo Castillo and Noche De Plataforma — alongside the then-hit Qué Falta Que Me Hacés and the charming Mamá Yo Quiero Un Novio.

Fujisawa’s bilingual delivery (Japanese/Spanish), paired with Caló’s seasoned phrasing, yields tracks that work beautifully at milongas and reward close listening. To close with Troilo’s words about Fujisawa:

“Con algo de Malena o de Esthercita, proyecta en Buenos Aires su emoción oriental, para hacernos saber que allá, muy lejos, bajo la luna de un Oriente vestido de pagodas, se respira la dulce cosa nuestra.”

This is Caló's first complete stereo album in practical terms: bandoneóns read left, strings sit right. Original pressings exhibited channel inversion in some tracks (likely a manufacturing mistake rather than intent); we have normalized these.

The piano is tuned to A=440 Hz, a detail cross-confirmed against the bandoneóns’ micro-pitch. Earlier issues — EU-19003 for the instrumentals, and several Japanese CDs for the Ranko tracks — suffered from EQ and speed problems. Our edition restores these tracks (TS 6.02) with markedly improved fidelity to better reflect their historical and artistic significance.

Note that early stereo often carries wide inter-channel disparities. We preserved the original stage pickup and avoided modern stem-style remixing. For milonga use, DJs may adjust balance/mono-sum to suit the room and system. Enjoy the music.

Frank Jin

Date	Track	Genre	Singer	Label	Matrix No.	Pitch	Length
1964-03-13	Yira Yira	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29825	440	03:10
1964-03-13	Adiós Pampa Mía	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29826	440	03:16
1964-03-17	Caminito	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29833	440	03:17
1964-03-17	Mamá Yo Quiero Un Novio	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29834	440	03:05
1964-03-31	Noche De Plataforma	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29933	440	03:50
1964-03-31	Qué Falta Que Me Hacés	Tango	Ranko Fujisawa	Odeón	29934	440	02:53
1964-04-07	El Choclo	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	29958	440	03:27
1964-04-07	Nadine	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	29959	440	03:08
1964-04-14	Luna Del Viejo Castillo	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	29990	440	02:34
1964-04-14	Sans Souci	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	29991	440	03:04
1964-04-24	La Cumparsita	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	30047	440	02:57
1964-04-24	A Media Luz	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	30048	440	03:11