Astor Piazzolla

Few musicians impress me as the late Argentinan composer and bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla. He brought an enormous degree of innovation to the tango, and blended successfully strands of tango, folk music, European avant-garde compositional motifs, and... jazz, jazz of the best kind.

I usually don't care a lot for tangos, but listening to pieces such as "Suite for Vibraphone and New Tango quintet" (recorded in the Montreux Jazz Festival with vibraphonist Gary Burton) gives me incredible pleasure. He's so... perfect.