The Uruguayan musicologist, composer, and historian Gustavo Goldman concludes his book by informing us that it “does not deal at all with the origins of the tango” (p. 197). Rather, he says, it focuses on the role of Afro-Uruguayans in the creation of this world-famous music and dance. Nevertheless, by providing abundant information on how Afro-Uruguayans took part in that process, and on the social context in which that participation took place, this meticulously researched and clearly argued book has a great deal to tell us about the tango and how it came to be.
Readers of HAHR who are not familiar with the tango and its history may ask, “What would Afro-Uruguayans have to do with the creation of Argentina’s defining cultural artifact?” But if tango defines Argentina, it defines Uruguay as well. Throughout their histories, the two countries, and especially their capital cities, have been linked by dense...
