Tango No. 9 began in 1998 as an Astor Piazzolla “cover band.” In a Mission District café, bandleader Catharine Clune began exploring tango with her quartet. With Piazzolla’s driving, complex compositions as a foundation, the band began transcribing from recordings. They took courage from their idol’s revolutionary innovations and freely mixed in improvisation and unusual arrangements, creating their own sound: tango, jazz, chamber…a unique combination of all. Argentine tango is a music of passion, and Tango No. 9’s interpretations of what some consider a sacrosanct style aroused passionate opinions. People walking by -- including some Argentineans -- were drawn inside the café. They voiced fiery criticism, argued the validity of Piazzolla as a tango artist, and became ardent fans, returning again and again.

Following the release of Tango No. 9’s first album, All Them Cats in Recoleta, composed almost exclusively of early Piazzolla material, the group looked back and dug even deeper into the history of tango. They studied and learned traditional Argentine tango with a fury and passion befitting the form ... becoming a hot ticket on the popular San Francisco milonga (tango dance party) circuit in no time. Playing at these events, the group took another chapter from the book of tango and, once again, made it their own.

Tango Number 9’s second album, Radio Valencia, is a tribute to the story of tango...a selection traditional tango, from well loved classics to unknown gems, played in the group’s unique style. Tango “standards” are steeped in tradition, yet speak timelessly of passion, nostalgia, and struggle. In addition to falling in love with this repertoire, they found working with dance performers to be another source of inspiration and improvisation. In collaborating with the Bay Area’s best tango dancers, the band learned to play off the intricate improvised footwork and saw the dance partners moved by the emotions of the music.

And, they have discovered a world of tango aficionados who were hungry for such fare provided live. With the third album, Here Live No Fish, the group no longer felt confined to tango in a single style or from a certain time. The album includes tango standards, original compositions, reinterpreted classics from Piazzolla to Prokofiev, and a guest vocal turn by indie music legend Jonathan Richman.

With its unique instrumentation of violin, trombone, piano, and accordion/bandoneon, Tango No. 9 embraces both a reverence to tango’s seductive past and an innovative vision of the music’s storied future.