The Pedro Giraudo Quartet — Contemporary Tango | First Set
The Pedro Giraudo Quartet opens the evening with contemporary tango led by Latin GRAMMY Award–winning bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo, blending Argentine tradition with modern energy, lyrical depth, and expressive improvisation.
Admission: $20 Cover charge Mezzanine
8:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Second Set)
Featuring:
Nicolás Danielson – violin
Rodrigo Ávalos – bandoneón
Martha Kato – piano
Pedro Giraudo – bass
About Pedro Giraudo:
Latin GRAMMY Award–winning bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo is one of the most compelling voices in contemporary tango. A native of Argentina and long based in New York, Giraudo has become an active cultural ambassador of tango, expanding its language while honoring its deep tradition.
After two decades performing with some of the most important interpreters of tango, he debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in 2015, establishing himself as a leading figure in the global tango scene. His 2018 album Vigor Tanguero won the Latin GRAMMY Award for Best Tango Album. In 2014, he recorded bass on Rubén Blades’ Tangos, which won both a Grammy and a Latin Grammy.
Giraudo has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists including Pablo Ziegler, Paquito D’Rivera, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Regina Carter, Miguel Zenón, and William Cepeda, among many others. He has performed at major venues worldwide including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note (USA & Japan), Birdland, and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
As a composer and arranger, Giraudo bridges Argentine tango, classical forms, and jazz improvisation with striking orchestral depth. He has conducted the WDR Big Band and the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, and has been commissioned by major cultural institutions to create new works celebrating Argentine and Afro-Argentine heritage.
His work reflects both mastery of tradition and fearless contemporary exploration.
About Pedro Giraudo Quartet:
The Pedro Giraudo Quartet represents the evolution of tango in its most intimate and dynamic form. Drawing from the traditional orquesta típica, the transformative language of Astor Piazzolla’s tango nuevo, and contemporary compositional approaches, the quartet offers a sound that is both rooted and forward-looking.
Through lush harmonies, intricate counterpoint, and passionate improvisation, the ensemble reimagines tango as a living, breathing art form. Giraudo’s compositions and arrangements create a dialogue between Argentine tradition and modern jazz sensibilities, preserving the emotional depth and rhythmic intensity of tango while expanding its expressive possibilities.
The quartet’s performances balance refinement and fire, honoring the past while embracing the future of tango on the international stage.