TS 6.08 - Caló & Ledesma + Instrumental, 1967/69

Tags: Miguel Caló, Singer, Instrumental

Category: Album

Samples

Release Note Producer's Note Full Track Info

“Miguel Caló’s farewell at Odeón — elegant, nostalgic, and deeply human.” — TangoSparks, 2025

From 1964 onwards, Caló’s orchestra entered a remarkably stable period driven by three musical pillars: Orlando Trípodi on piano, José Libertella on bandoneón, and Fernando Suárez Paz on violin — a triumvirate that would define the maestro’s late-style sound through 1969. Although less flamboyant than the former "Estrellas", these three achieved a mature, poised expressiveness.

Vocalist Raúl Ledesma, who had sung with Caló in the early 1950s, returned after a decade in 1967, with a voice more mature, darker in color, and deeply expressive, contributing four beautifully balanced recordings. The eight instrumentals from 1969 are Caló’s final sessions for Odeón. Canción Desesperada and Rondando Tu Esquina, presented here in purely instrumental form, are rare reinterpretations. Tierra Querida and El Amanecer revisit two of the tango classics with new vitality, while Notas Para El Cielo and A Villoldo stand as nostalgic tributes. Aquel Lugar Querido and En Fa Menor are compositions by the Caló brothers.

More than half of these performances have never appeared on CD. With TS 6.08, these forgotten gems finally re-emerge in pristine quality — a fitting tribute to one of tango’s most elegant orquestas.

These 1967–69 recordings mark the swan song of Miguel Caló’s long and fruitful association with Odeón. Following the studio practice of his late period instrumentals, bandoneons occupy the left channel and violins the right; for vocal titles, the placement is reversed — violins left / bandoneons right. Notably, En Fa Menor, Canción Desesperada, and Rondando Tu Esquina have been channel-corrected from the inverted layout found on the original release. Piano tuning A = 442 Hz.

Technically, the 1969 recordings preserve the same well-defined stereo separation characteristic of his mid-1960s work, though with a slightly gentler ambience compared to the drier 1966–67 sessions. Among the twelve titles, four Raúl Ledesma vocals and three instrumentals had never been reissued in any digital form. The remaining five instrumentals, though sporadically available on CD, suffered from casual, low-quality transfers. TS 6.08 restores the twelve pieces as a whole, representing them in unforgettable sound quality.

Artistically, these sessions close what might be called Caló’s second spring. With this album (TS 6.08), the Caló Revitalized series also comes to a close. In a sense, Caló was fortunate — unlike Di Sarli, his later years coincided with the maturity of the Hi-Fi era, allowing his artistry to be preserved with remarkable fidelity.

Enjoy!

Frank Jin

Date	Track	Genre	Singer	Label	Matrix No.	Pitch	Length
1967-09-12	Garras	Tango	Raúl Ledesma	Odeón	33851	442	02:20
1967-09-12	Así Era Ella Muchachos	Tango	Raúl Ledesma	Odeón	33852	442	02:21
1967-09-12	Sabor A Buenos Aires	Tango	Raúl Ledesma	Odeón	33853	442	02:43
1967-09-12	Aquel Viejo Tango	Tango	Raúl Ledesma	Odeón	33854	442	02:22
1969-03-28	Notas Para El Cielo	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35516	442	02:30
1969-03-28	Tierra Querida	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35517	442	02:20
1969-03-28	Aquel Lugar Querido	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35518	442	02:27
1969-03-28	El Amanecer	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35519	442	02:16
1969-05-15	En Fa Menor	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35749	442	02:58
1969-05-15	A Villoldo	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35750	442	02:30
1969-05-27	Canción Desesperada	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35823	442	02:50
1969-05-27	Rondando Tu Esquina	Tango	Instrumental	Odeón	35824	442	02:28