Astor Piazzolla

Born 1921-03-11 · Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Died 1992-07-04

Astor Pantaleón Piazzolla was an Argentine tango composer, film composer, bandoneon player and arranger. His oeuvre revolutionized the traditional tango into a new style termed nuevo tango, incorporating elements from jazz and classical music. A virtuoso bandoneonist, he regularly performed his own compositions with a variety of ensembles. In 1992, American music critic Stephen Holden described Piazzolla as "the world's foremost composer of tango music".