Underground Tango Ensemble Will Honor Raul Jaurena With a Concert at Merkin Hall This Week

On Wednesday, October 27 at 8 p.m., the Thalia Spanish Theatre is presenting the Underground Tango Ensemble in a concert dedicated to the memory of Raúl Jaurena. It will be the album release of "El Charrúa," a Tango Tribute to the Music of Legendary Composer and Master Bandoneonist Raúl Jaurena. All the music on the album was composed by Jaurena.

This "In Memoriam" event is produced by the RAUL JAURENA LEGACY PROGRAM of the Thalia Spanish Theatre of New York, where Latin Grammy winner Maestro Jaurena was the Music Director for 20 years, until January 5th, 2021, when he died of Covid-19. It will take place in Merkin Hall of the Kaufman Music Center, 129 W. 67th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in New York City.

Members of the UNDERGROUND TANGO ENSEMBLE are Federico Diaz, guitar; Pablo Lanouguere, double bass; Leandro Ragusa, bandoneon and Emiliano Messiez, piano, a person friend of Jaurena. Guest Artists are Marga Jaurena, singer and Sergio Reyes, violin. Guest Tango Dancers are Sarita Apel and Andres Bravo. Messiez explains how this album came to be. He said, "Federico, Pablo and I were scheduled to play in a Tango show with Raúl in June 2020 at Thalia Theatre, but it was cancelled due to the Pandemic. It was rescheduled for the following June, but, sadly, we lost Raúl to COVID when he died in January 2021. Several months later, Angel Gil Orrios, the director of Thalia Theatre, asked me to direct the same show without Raúl as a tribute to him. We brought in Leandro, a bandoneonist from Argentina, and while we were rehearsing we realized we should record an album to honor Raúl further and preserve his music. And that is how El Charrúa came to be. We are all proud to present Raúl's music in concert and on the album, and for me, as his personal friend, it is an honor that touches me deeply."

To attend the concert and enter Merkin Hall, there must be a proof of Covid-19 vaccination and masks must be worn. Tickets are $30 and can be ordered on the Thalia Spanish Theatre website. For more info visit www.thaliatheatre.org or call (718) 729-3880.