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Contratangos by Juan Pablo Navarro
I was just finishing my review of “Pulso” by Marcelo Yakko where I mentioned that there wasn’t a single Tango on the whole CD when “Contratangos” by Juan Pablo Navarro landed on my desk. Now I have a lot of Tango to enjoy!
The Argentine Tango originated from the suburbs of Buenos Aires around 1880. This music is written in a 4/4 measure but the counterpoint marking makes you think it is in some odd meter. I find tango intense, serious and very danceable (I can’t dance it but I think it looks great when somebody else does).
Juan Pablo has given us, in his very first CD, a masterful rendition of this genre. The basic format is duos of the double bass and an assortment of other instruments. We hear the intertwining of the Piano, a Guitar or a Bandoneon with the deep, flawless Bass work from Pablo. They trade off the tasks of soloing and maintaining a groove where they are percussive as well as melodic. The interaction between the instruments is mathematically precise with each note in its’ place and time. Juan Pablo has recruited some amazing musicians to collaborate on this project.
Each tune manages to paint a complete picture with only two instruments! I “see” dark, grungy, smoky forbidden places like Bars, Brothels and Gambling houses where the sentiment is an expression of passion, hate, lewdness and despair. Some of the melodies are haunting and outright disturbing, yet so beautiful and exquisitely performed. There are no vocals on any tracks; it is the music itself that tells each story and a lot of the tunes are original works from Juan Pablo.
I really enjoyed every track on this CD and found each one of them to be completely unique, but if I had to pick a few favorites I would start with, “A La Alta Escuela”. There is just something about the Bandoneon for me that gives a tango its’ classic identity.
I really liked the guitar – double bass interaction in, “Tanguito para Nestor“. The purposely disjointed and dissonant approach is fascinating. The are moments where both instruments follow the same notes then split off on their own harmonious existence only to come to an abrupt end.
“Liquido 5” has a samba feel as the piano and double bass elicit the image of flowing, bubbling liquid (water?). There is a busy but calculated exchange that is enhanced with some minor percussion instruments.
“Candombass” treats us to some very nice harmonics and percussive use of the entire instrument and bow. Juan Pablo carries this whole tune by himself.
“Cancion para Betty” is beautiful piano double bass homage to Betty. Hearing this tune, I would guess she is really special as is this music she inspired.
Want to enjoy some quality Tango? Then Contratangos by Juan Pablo Navarro is the CD for you!
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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