BT: When did you start to play bandoneon? What was your previous musical experience and background? And what’s the story behind the Conjunto Berretin project? What’s up with it? Any new discs on the way? How much of Hugo Diaz is there behind Conjunto Berretin? What’s your attitude to Diaz? Whom do your consider tango icons?
AK: I have been playing music my whole life (violin from 3 years old, to saxophone, and then bandoneon). I picked up the bandoneon about 8 years ago and that has been my primary focus musically ever since. The idea driving Conjunto Berretin was to play danceable tangos in the “a la parrilla” style - that is playing it off leadsheets with a lot of improvisation to capture the energy and spontaneity of the moment. Each musician in the group brought their musical background into the playing and the result was a danceable tango-hybrid. I disbanded Conjunto Berretin 2 years ago and began to do arrangements for sextet and also for orquesta tipica because I wanted something very specific - a sound that is danceable, carries the deep “tango feeling” and tries to approximate what the great orquestas of the Golden Age were doing. Hugo Diaz was not a driving force behind Conjunto Berretin. Joe Powers played harmonica with us, and I’m sure Hugo Diaz influenced his playing, but as a group we looked more towards D’Arienzo, Canaro - the more playful orquestas. My tango musical icons now are the great orquestas of DiSarli, Troilo, D’Arienzo, Laurenz and others - they had everything and captured all the subtleties of the form.
BT: Have you ever tried to dance zamba in tango style (in embrace, with no handkerchief)? Do you like zambas? Do you like Argentinean folklore?
AK: I love zamba and Argentine folklore in general as a music and as a dance. I’ve taken many lessons, but feel that I am less than a beginner at zamba. Chacarera is a different story - I feel like I can at least have fun and approximate it decently.
BT: Does (or did) Conjunto Berretin play at milongas? What live orchestras do you like to dance to?
AK: YES! We only played for dancers. We never played in a concert hall for people sitting down - that was never the idea for the band. I like dancing to Trio Garufa, Color Tango, Los Reyes de Tango, the duo Musamistonga... Now there are more danceable orquestas than 10 years ago.
BT: Is there any difference between the music played by live orchestras and music played by DJs? No live orchestras seem to play “golden age” arrangements, do they?