10a) Florindo Sassone and his Orquesta Típica (until 1972)

Florindo Sassone's musical rendering is often described as a blend of Fresedo and Di Sarli, yet this characterization oversimplifies his unique style. He delivers an elegant violin phrasing complemented by symbolic harp embellishments, accompanied by a quasi-Di Sarlian but lighter accentuation and arrastre. However, the aloofness even abstinence flavor in his music distinguished him, making him notably distinct from both the mental self-destructive inclination of the Tango Lord and the elitism and bourgeoisie associated with the Tango Patrician.

While many of his peers faded from the spotlight in the 1960s, Sassone partnered with Roberto Guisado and some other Di Sarli's violinists after the maestro’ demise, propelling him into a brilliant phase of his career lasting over a decade. This period included two successful tours to Japan in 1966 and 1972. Notably, Sassone produced a vast collection of recordings during this time, featuring a diverse repertoire of popular music from Europe, America, and Japan, all transcribed into tango style.

Sassone’s RCA era (pre-1956) suffers from tech transition and the quality is generally bad. His Odeón era (1959-70) and Carmusic era (1971) have his best recordings.

Must-haves: (9 albums)

These three (DBN BM1, BM2, GTA) albums covered most Sassone’s recordings from 1959-1966. However non-Argentine themes are all taken out. Probably EMI considered them unsuitable for Argentine market.

Could Haves:

The List:

Casal, Chanel (RCA)

Malbrán, Lavalle, Galé (RCA)

Instrumentals 1949-56 (RCA)

Singers 1959-70 (Odeón)

Instrumentals 1959-66 (Odeón)

Instrumentals 1968-70 (Odeón)

Instrumentals 1971 (Carmusic)

10b) Miguel Caló and his Orquesta Típica

If we were to rank the 6th best OT, following JD, CdS, OP, AT, and FC, I would argue that Miguel Caló deserves a significant share of the votes. Caló is also the third most important figure in the romantic tango school, after OF and CdS. With top-notch talents, musicians, and singers in his ensemble, Caló had all the cards for success. The only question that remains is why he couldn't be one of the immortals.

There are likely two reasons. Firstly, all of his musicians were well-trained, polite young men from the provinces, who perhaps appeared too "clean" for tango, reflected in the orchestra's neat, academic, somewhat straightforward, and naive style of interpretation.

Another factor could be Caló's personality: he wasn't a controlling tyrant, obnoxious perfectionist, narcissistic ideologue, pampered neighborhood boy, or corrupt capitalist. As a result, band members would depart, and Caló himself struggled to make his orquesta greatest again. Nonetheless, he played a crucial role in nurturing some of the most successful musicians in tango history, not to mention all the big names.

His influence was ubiquitous across Latin America, making it exceedingly challenging for collectors to obtain his complete discography. Here, we narrow our focus to his performances within his homeland border.

Must-haves: (6 albums)