Ep 4 - The Tango Philosophy of “Throw It on the Grill”

In this episode, Heyni and Adam dive deep into the magic of a la parrilla, no, not the barbecue (well, sort of), but the spontaneous, by-ear approach to arranging and performing tango that shaped their musical journeys in totally unexpected ways.

What begins as a conversation about an arrangement of Lágrimas turns into a deep dive into how tango musicians learn to think like arrangers, bandleaders, and composers , sometimes without ever writing a single note.

From improvised arrangements to fully composed pieces, the conversation explores how tango blurs the line between performer, arranger, and composer. There’s a lot of nerding out (naturally), including theories about why parrilla might literally mean “grill,” musical memories from asados, and the deep influence of legends like Troilo, Pugliese, and Salgán.

💬 Plus:

* Why playing “by ear” might actually be a master-level skill

* How classical musicians fall into the tango trap (in the best way)

* Why composing your own tango is like refusing to re-record the Beatles’ White Album 🎙️

* The musical DNA of a tango and what makes it sound uniquely yours

A little celebration dance because they stayed away from 🚨 nerd room.

🎧 Stick around for a blind-listen moment where Heyni hears a Pugliese version of Lágrimas for the first time, after finishing her own arrangement. And Adam brings in a jaw-dropping mini-masterclass on A Fuego Lento by Horacio Salgán. Trust us: this one’s a wild ride, and it's only 3 minutes long.

Playlist:

Lágrimas - Osvaldo Pugliese

A fuego lento - Quinteto Real

Our hosts: Adam Tully & Heyni Solera

Theme music: La Tomajena by Shino Ohnaga

Interstitial music: Imágenes (Almas) written by Adam Tully, played by Arco & Aire and Fernando Otero by Adam Tully.

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Production: Sol Linares for TANGOdeHOY

Why Tango is a production of TANGOdeHOY and Penny Productions