The exceptional Vietnamese guitarist Thu Le has long been a favorite of mine, so I was excited to come across this video from last year in which she plays her own wonderful arrangement of the classic song “Historia de un amour,” which is one of the most popular songs of all time. It was written by Panamanian songwriter Carlos Eleta Almarán (after the sad death of his brother’s wife) and first recorded in 1956 by Héctor Verela and his orchestra, fronted by singer Rodolfo Lesica. It has been translated in many languages and recorded by countless artists through the years—as well in numerous different instrumental settings (like this one). Thu Le’s version retains a lot of the tango feel of the original, while adding several lovely ornamental touches. —Blair Jackson
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