Album Notes

Dante Ascaino: Guitar, Composition and Arranging
Eugenia Menta: Violoncello

This duo presents an out of the ordinary instrumental combination playing some extraordinary music from Argentina.

Powerful rhythms like the “chacarera” and “chamamé” combined with the beauty and melancholy of melodies from the “litoral”, a landscape dominated by the great Paraná River.

This second release from Ascaino-.Menta features five of the most remarkable present-day songwriters from their homeland, singing their own tunes. Carlos “Negro” Aguirre, Mario Diaz, Jorge Fandermole, Coqui Ortiz and Sylvia Zabzuk contribute two compositions each, wonderfully arranged by Dante Ascaino for the duo. Other guests are the Numen String Quartet, percussionist Martin Bruhn and bandoneón and accordion virtuoso Julio Ramírez, adding their own magic to the whole.

The result is a music deeply rooted in the sounds, rhythms and folklore originated in Argentina’s rural areas, but treated with modern chamber-music sophistication.

The CD includes an interactive segment with more pictures, all the song’s lyrics, info about the project’s concept and guests (with links to their own home pages) and, of course, more about the duo.

This is a “must-hear” for anyone interested in finding an exciting, fresh new sound. Music you have not heard before, and will stay on your CD player more than you thought.