Why Tango Podcast

This episode starts with a question:“What have you been listening to lately?”Five minutes later, Adam and Heyni are digging into waltzes: why some musicians avoid them, why guitarists favor them, and why a good vals can be just as interesting as a tango. Adam and Heyni talk about:✨ How composers think (messy, obsessive, rhythmic)✨ Guitars behaving and misbehaving✨ A Nelly Omar detour no one saw...

We’re back! And Season 2 is all about listening . To kick things off, Adam ambushes Heyni with one of the wildest tango openings ever recorded: Atilio Stampone beginning Responso … with a choir. Yes, a literal choir. Yes, it somehow works. Yes, it’s glorious. Baroque wig energy meets Buenos Aires grit. Heyni fires back with a brand-new 2024 six-movement fever dream inspired by Roberto Arlt’s 300 M...

Season 1 was a wild ride! Thanks for joining us! We’ve started recording season 2… Now that we covered the basis, we’re really ready to start having fun! Tag along! Why tango? Why Not? 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. Our home : Why tang...

Live (and caffeinated) from Buenos Aires, Adam and Heyni finally record face-to-face and dive headfirst into... composition. But not the tortured-genius, candles-and-quill-pen kind. This is tango composition in 2025 — weird scales, minimalist obsessions, mandolin orchestras (yes, that’s a thing), and the unexpected inspiration of white noise in hospital corridors. Heyni unpacks her new piece inspi...

Adam and Heyni couldn´t leave Piazzolla out of this first seasson… What is his music really about? 🎶 The Piazzolla phenomenon: the bandoneonist, the innovator, the rule-breaker who turned tango into something the world had never heard before. Was he anti-dance? Absolutely. Was he still 100% tango? Without a doubt. From his years with Troilo to his studies in France and the creation of Nuevo Tango...

Step into a virtual milonga with Adam and Heyni as they turn their attention from the stage to the dance floor. What makes tango music danceable ? Is it the steady pulse, the embrace? and why do some melodies stretch like a rubber band? And why do some tangos feel impossible to dance to, while others keep the floor full all night? Oh my, that unique relationship between dancers and musicians… Play...

No full episode this week, but Adam and Heyni didn’t want to leave you hanging! In this special mini check-in, they share a peek behind the curtain: how Why Tango gets made, the challenges of editing across continents, and why your suggestions for improvement might not be heard until a year later. They talk about listener feedback, the joy of meeting fans in person, and the tools that help keep th...

In this episode, Adam and Heyni dig into the making of Arco y Aire – Una noche entre sueños. They also wonder about what happens when tango escapes traditional instrumentation. From unconventional duos to commissioning eight brand-new works, this episode is a journey through contemporary tango, musical risk-taking, and why sometimes limitations (like “no bandoneon player available”) can spark your...

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, bandleade...

In this episode, Adam and Heyni explore (pandemic) creativity, unexpected musical collaborations, and how a duo of bandoneon players (the Ávalos–Solera Duo) ended up performing Bach fugues in churches across two continents. They also dive into Adam’s 2024 album: Cuartetos Guitarreros, a collection of original compositions for tango guitar quartet that blends traditional Argentine rhythms with a co...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the whole orchestra. How many instruments are there? Is it really an orchestra? Playlist: Loca - Juan D’A...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the singer. Is the singer singing, talking or complaining? Let’s see! Playlist: Paciencia - Juan Villarre...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the bandoneon. Are they trying to get rid of a bug or all that movement is part of the instrument? For th...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the guitarist. Do they have an amplifier on the bass strings? And what about does nails, mani/pedi, natur...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the bassist. Is the bassist mad at the instrument? Stop wacking it 😉!! Or maybe it’s the nonstop switchi...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the violinist. What’s happening up there — are they playing tango… or chopping vegetables? There is some...

Join Adam and Heyni in the theater of their imagination as they explore each musician on stage — discovering what makes them unmistakably tango. Is it the sound? The way they play? Their posture? Maybe it's all of these things… or none at all! In this mini-episode, they turn their attention to the pianist. Do they go to the gym just for the left hand? Is it a pianist or a conductor? Playlist: Qué...

Join Adam and Heyni while they try to discover the soul of tango. Is it the people? Is it the drama? Is it the openess, or maybe the straightforwardness? Yes, there are some funny anecdotes in this one too! It’s not always easy being a foreigner in Buenos Aires. 😂 Also, they discuss the concept of popular music. What is it? No, Taylor Swift has nothing to do with it! Playlist : Milonga Roja (from...

Our first episode is kind of a meta... Meet your hosts Adam and Heyni, two musicians from the United States who got so into tango that it changed their lives. Adam lives in Buenos Aires and Heyni travels there regularly. In this episode they tell some entertaining and remarkable stories about how they fell into this music in the first place, the people who’ve inspired them, and of course, why they...