El Paso's Mariachi Roundup, Mariachi Performances in El Paso, Texas

Sundays

Mariachis at Sunland Park, 7-9:30pm

Mariachis @ Speaking Rock, 122 S. Old Pueblo, 5-10pm

Mariachi Los Galleros @ Teddy’s, 6555 Gateway West (inside Holiday Inn), 9:30-10;30pm.

Mondays

Tuesday

Mariachis @Sugar Daddy’s, 1204 Airway, 7pm, no cover

Mariachi Real de Jalisco @ Teddy’s, 6555 Gateway West (inside Holiday Inn), 9-10pm.

Wednesday

Mariachi Los Galleros @ Joe, John, & Mark Clug, 601 Piedras, No cover.

Thursday

Los Galleros @ Las Cuesta, 1926 Montanta, 6pm.

7-10pm, Aceitunas Beer Garden, 5200 Doniphan. www.aceitunasbeergarden.com

Gerardo’s Restaurant and Bar, 9pm

Fridays

Mariachi Real de Jalisco, Frankies’s Restaurant, 9828 Montana, 7pm. No Cover.

Mariachi Los Galleros @ La Cuesta, 1926 Montana, 7pm, No cover.

November

Sunday, Nov. 18,7-9:30pm, Mariachi Flores Mexicanas, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

Sunday, Nov. 25, 7:00-9:30pm, Mariachi de Mi Tierra, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

Sunday, Dec. 2, 7:00-9:30, Mariachi Alegre, Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino

Canciones de Siempre - Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano

Canciones de Siempre was the first recording Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano put out on digital format. Los Camperos had put out an LPs: Puro Mariachi (Indigo Records, 1961); North of the Border (RCA/Carino Records, 1965); El Super Mariachi, Los Camperos (Latin International, 1968); Valses de Amor (La Fonda Records, 1973). These are true gems if you have that recording.

But Canciones de Siempre was the first recording of the modern Los Campersos.

I rate it was one of the best mariachi recordings ever just in the power the group has on the CD. The album was produced by Linda Ronstadt and George Massenburg, her producer on her two ranchera albums.

The CD begins with the traditional Los Camperos theme of the huapango Los Camperos, originally made famous by Miguel Aceves Mejia and Francisco “El Charro” Avitia. They quickly flow into one of the most powerful versions of Pepe Guizar’s “Guadalajara” ever recorded. It should be mentioned that this recording of Los Camperos, had one of the legendary female mariachi musicians Monica Trevino and her grand voice. It gave uniqueness to all the songs. Remember, back then, and still today, many of the show mariachis did not have women. They have resisted to this day.

The liner notes say all songs were arranged by Nati Cano. It was always up in the air whether Nati Cano was doing the arrangements or Jesús “Chuy” Guzmán. At mariachi conferences, most music that Los Camperos would hand out would be transcribed by Chuy. However, here the liner notes state Nati did the arrangements and conducting, so well go with that.

Now, the liner notes list the membership of the group, but that does not mean they all recorded. This is especially true with the violins. However, listed on violin is Juan Manuel Córtez one of modern mariachi’s best arrangers and later arranger with Mariachi Tlaquepaque. On violin are also Juan José Alamguer, Pedro García, Chuy Guzmán, Ismael Hernández, José M. Rodríguez, and Mónica Trevino. On trumpet are Martín Lara and Marcos Mancillas. On harp and guitar is Juan Morales.

Luis Damián is on vihuela and in my opinion one of the best guitarron players to ever be recorded, José Arrellano. Arturo Palacios is on guitar and Fermín Herrera, professor at Cal State Northridge and who had accompanied Los Camperos on their tour with Linda Ronstadt back in 1993 is also on arpa.

1. “Guadalajara” – Here, the song starts with some anticipated strumming before launching into the song with “Ay, ya yas.” Arturo Palacios sings first. You hear his grand voice on song such as “Júrame” and “Paloma Negra” in later recording. His loud voice shoots out the first verse. Nati put in many strategic pauses in his arrangements as you will see throughout the CD. Trumpets lay out a nice cord going into a diminuendo. Then Monica Trevino comes in with the chorus. On the next verse, a trio of singers including Chuy sings. Monica rings out her voice showing what an asset she was to the mariachi at that time. The song ends with the men singing “Guadalajara,” then Mónica belts out accapela “Guadalajara” and the song ends with her voice over the chorus.

2. “El Bandolero” by J. Ramos is sung buy Luis Damian was an old Charro Avitia song. However, at the time this was released, it was very hard to find Francisco “Charro” Avitia on CD. Unless you had his old LPs, you did not recognize the song. Here Damian gives a terrific rendition. Throughout the song the strings have some nice adornos, in tune and the trumpets have some licks but most are just accompanying adornos.

3. “El Preso #9” was a huapango by los Hermanos Cantoral. Alberto Vásquez was known to have sung it too. It’s is not for the faint of heart and has gained some criticism from modern feminists for his portrayal of violence against women. The violins begin the song shoring the seriousness of the text. On vocals is Luis Damian. The trio is Ismael Hernández, Juan José Almaguer, and Chuy Guzmán, a trio you will see frequently in Los Camperos recordings and performances and frankly one of the best. The trios sing softly in the Hermanos Cartoral trio style. When Luis Damian sings “Lo mate…” they trade off falsettos. Luis Damian sings the verse about Prisoner #9 finding his love in the arms of his rival. So in the “heat of passion” as they say in law, he kills them. This is how the story goes as the flow into another falsetto trade. The Prisoner #9 says he does not fear death as he is confessing to the priest before his execution and if he finds his lover and rival in the afterlife, he’ll kill them again. Gruesome isn’t it.

4. “Tres Dias” is a song by the legendary Mexican composer Tomás Méndez, composer of “Cu cu ru cu cu Paloma” and “Paloma Negra.” It begins with some arpa runs by Fermín Herrera. The song is sung in duet style with Ismael Hernández and Chuy Guzmán. Again, I’ve mentioned the trio in Los Camperso, but this duo of Ismael Hernández and Chuy Guzmán is one of the best duos in the mariachi world. They are just so on the dot with each other, almost as good as Los Dos Reales. Does Fermín Herrera ever play the arpa badly? Not that I’ve heard. This recording reminds me of Antonio Aguilar and Cuco Sánchez who were not afraid to feature the arpa predominately in a canción ranchera. Herrera does another run in the intermedio before the duet comes in with the chorus singing in the background. The violins give some licks before the songs ends.

5. “No me Queras Tanto” is an old song the trios use to sing. It is by R. Hernández and here sung by Mónica Trevino. She excellently sings it with the trio backing her up soft voice. There are also some requinto licks and the trumpets and violins garner in some adonos. I’m not sure who is doing the guitar licks, but I guess it may be Juan Morales or Arturo Palacios. Monica sings this very well being that the rhythm is slightly different than what mariachis are use to with José Arellano doing song pulls of the guitarron as the rhythm back them up.

6. Los Camperos’ version of “El Cascabel,” the son jarocho arranged by Lorenzo Barcelata has always one of strongest. I can’t tell who is singing the pregonero part of this son jarocho, but the arpa comes in right alter the first verse, a little different than how Los Camperos usually do it but more into with the son jarocho style. Hearing the strums the the arpa players odes and adornos, I figure it is Fermín Herrera. As he goes down the scales with the bass notes, the violins come in giving that “evil” cascabel violin run. As the pregonero sings, there is a wonderful violin adorno followed by one of Nati’s pauses that he frequently puts. The violins play the traditional solo and scale climb before coming into José Arellano’s guitarron solo which is very original. Luis Damian does a stylistic strumming solo. Not too show offy, but difficult to say the least. The song returns with the violins setting up the Monica Trevino to sing. But pay attention here, notice how Nati arranges with the trumpets and strings, he modulates them so that Monica can hit that note. Brilliantly executed and arranged. Trevino begins the son’s ending. The chorus comes in and boom, it’s over with an “Ay, Ay!”

1. “La Parranda” by G. Ruiz is sung by Chuy Guzmán. The trumpet work is really great both in the introduction and adornos. It’s lively song. Start of the verse is fun for a guitarron player. Listen to José Arellano. He’s playing a little more than the regular bass line.

2. “Flor Silvestre” by los Cuates Castilla begins with the arpa. Like in “El Preso #9,” Luis Damian is the soloist and the trio is Ismael Hernández, Juan José Almaguer, and Jesus Guzmán. The violins beautifully play adornos in the background. I can’t tell if Ismael or Chuy sings the second verse intro. The trio joins him. Like in “Preso,” they trade off with falsettos, which are done very well by the way. Many mariachis recording are filled with wantobe falsetantes.

3. “Sufriendo a Solas” by J.A. Espinosa is a classic cancion ranchera recording. I remember Mariachi Sol de Mexico covering this song in one of their older albums. Here Ismael Hernández sings it with some arpa in the back ground. It a song of suffering alone. In fact, the song is void of other instruments other than the arpa for many bars. Then the mariachi comes in. The trumpets gives soft adornos mimicking the singer, in the old 1950s style mariachi trumpet playing. As Ismael get’s more passionate, the trumpet accompanies him. The mariachi chorus comes in backing up Ismael as he ends the song pleading his heart.

4. “Cihualteco.” Los Camperos have always been good at playing sones jaliscienses. Few of the show mariachis can do this anymore: Cobre, Mariachi de America de Jesús “Chucho” Rodríguez. Juan Morales sings this one, kind of in the style of Memo Quintero and Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa recordings of the 1950s. Los Camperos give tremendous power to this son and it just flies, not being rushed as so many mariachis do. On the second verse, the trumpets give an adorno backing up the voice. The violins, together and powerful, go into the last instrumental run, which of course is a smorgasbord of rhythm changes. The violins and trumpets trade off brining the son to an end.

5. “Quizá, Quiazá, Quizá” is probably my least favorite song here. By O. Farrés, this song always reminds me of Eddie Gormy and Los Panchos. The arrangement is cute though with some requinto and trumpet runs. Luis Damian sings solo and the Hernández, Almaguer, Guzmán trio back him up doing well as always. The violins have pretty adornos in the background. Other than this, it’s pretty uneventful.

6. “El Tren” – this is a popurri consisting of the son jalisciense “El Tren,” “El Maracumbe,” the “Zapateado veracruzano,” and Los Camperos’ signature ending of “Tierra Mia.” Los Camperos love to play El Tren, especially live. They do the train mimicking that you find in the old Mariachi Vargas recordings. Los Camperos do some other train mimicking that is original to them and work hard to make the vihuela strumming sound like the train running on the tracks. Their version of “El Maracumbe” is one I had never heard before. I sound a little like the son michaocano style. Compare this with Mariachi Vargas’ recording of the same son. They are very different. It is excellently executed with Chuy singing the son. There is an interlude with some son huesteco style violin. There is violin show off, as I call them, as the violins bounce the bow. Most huesteca violin solos are played by Chuy. There is a grito and Fermin Herrera plays the “Zapateado” with his daughter Xilomen dancing jarocho in the background. Of course this is the son jarocho they are playing. The mariachi plays in the background as well has the guitarron giving the baseline, not that Fermin needs it. But this is masterful and difficult. When Los Camperos does this live, Juan Morales usually plays “El Siquesiri.” They end with “Tierra Mia” and Monica Trevino giving the last belt of “Tierra Linda!” The harmonies sound terrific and they end in trumpet.

This recording would launch Los Camperos into the digital age and catch them up to the other show mariachis who had already beaten them to CD. However, unlike most mariachi recordings on CD, few compare with Los Camperso. I’d even say this about the modern Mariachi Vargas. In all, this is a CD for your collection.

Una Nueva Generacion - Mariachi America de Jesus Rodriguez de Hijar

Una Nueva Generacion – Mariachi America de Jesus Rodriguez de Hijar

This is a very good album with many arrangements by Don Jesús Rodriguez de Hijar “Hormiga” and with some guest help by Alberto Jiménez and Crescencio Hernández. On violin are Don Jesus Rodriguez de Hijar, Alberto Jimenez Maeda, Jesus Chavez Alcocer, Andres Gonzalez Anaya, Martin Alfaro Flores, and Luis Dominguez Gonzalez. On trumpet are Jesus Villegas Arenas and Jorge Aguayo Nunez. On guitarron is Ismael Villegas Arenas. On guitars are Mario Vimez Baena and Arturo Vargas. On vihuela is Victor Puentes Flores and on arpa is Marco A. Valadez Conchola. You may recall Crescencio Hernandez was along with his brother part of the trumpet duo of Mariachi Vargas is brother of Jose Hernandez of Sol de Mexico.

The liner notes also mention Lorenzo Gonzalez de Gotari y su Camerata Mexicana which includes Javier Alfaro Rodriguez, Javier Carrillo, Hugo Colula, Jorge Ruiz, and Baudelio Rodriguez. I am not sure what this Carmareta refers to and not sure on what tracks they play.

The liner notes also mentioned special participation by Crescencio Hernandez, one of the best trumpeters in mariachi history. The liner notes give him thanks for his arrangements and trumpet, voice, etc. I’m not sure what tracks he plays the trumpet, but the trumpets on this album are spectacular and we can guess at it.

The tracks are as follows
1. Huapangos de Ruben Fuentes
2. La Bikina
3. Corazon Partio
4. Popurri de Selena
5. La Fuente
6. Oh Gran Dios
7. Homenaje a los trios
8. Nueva Guadalajara
9. Popurri Jorge Negrete.


“Huapangos de Ruben Fuentes” is an arrangement by Don Rodriguez. This is a popurii with the huapangos of Ruben Fuentes. Most of these songs were made popular by Miguel Aceves Mejia. The arrangement sounds vaguely familiar. I’m not sure of Don Rodriguez had his hand in the arrangements to Mariachi Vargas’

Track 1: “Huapangos de Ruben Fuentes I, II, and II” or they were Ruben Fuentes’ arrangements or a mix of both. Anyway, Don Rodriguez’s arrangement is a very nice one. The first song is “Que Bonita Es Mi Tierra,” which starts with nice trumpets duos doing the short choppy background theme. The strings also sound very nice on this arrangement. There is some intonation with the first singer, but very slight. Right into the transition into “Fiesta en el corazon” the string hit some high notes very well. The song ends with a nice falsetto. Again the strings are magnificent in the back ground of “Fiesta.” I was not a big fan of the way they did “La el robozo blanco” acapella here. But once the music starts it sounds nice again, but goes a little bad before the vihuela comes in. But after that it’s fine. There is a nice string intro into “Ni contigo ni sin ti” with some nice strumming when the voice comes in. Also note the string arrangements in the background. The singer does well and hits the falsetto on the dot. What I really like is when the chorus comes in singing “Sabras que la amore.” The harmonies are really well done. What follows is probably one of the prettiest melodies in Mexican music from the son jarocho El Jarabe Loco, but used in “La noche y tu.” It follows with rhythm. Notice that they are solely using the arpa’s bass in the introduction before the singer comes in. I can rightly place the strumming, but it seems different. Son jarocho strumming is way more complex than mariachi. The song comes to a nice pause that Don Rodriguez put in and nicely come back with a falsetto and the arpa again. Listen to the harpist too. He very good. The popurri is long, almost 9 1/5.

Track 2: “La Bikina” on this CD is arranged by Crescencio Hernandez. Jose, his brother also has arranged this song by Alejandro E. Roth. The most famous arrangement is by Ruben Fuentes. With Crescencio’s expert trumpet playing, the trumpets are jazzier, so I think he is playing on this track. The voices are light as the trumpet improvises in the background. The strings are excellent. The recording doesn’t overdo the reverb. There are some nice pauses before the second chorus. Again, very nice arrangements of the voices. Mariachis should take note how the violins hit the high notes in unison.

Track 3: “Corazon Partido” is a Alejandro Sanz song, here arranged by Alberto Jimenez. This is a more pop song that sounds a lot like what Vargas has been doing with other pop songs of the like. The singer sings it very well. I was not familiar to the title, but the song sounds familiar from hearing it on the radio. The song has a nice duo trumpet run in the intermezzo. Other voices join singing the chorus at the end.

Track 4: This popurri on Selena’s songs is arranged by Crescencio Hernandez. Most of Selena’s ranchera or mariachi songs had been recorded by Linda Ronstant only a few years before, so you can see the influence. I was not a fan of Selena’s ranchera singing, nor the arrangements. “No me queda mas” is a pretty song, but at some points I don’t like how she sung it. Bolores, like this, are hard to sing. Examples of good bolero singers are Javier Solis, Pedro Infante, and Daniel from Mariachi Vargas. Vicente Fernandez and Pepe Aguilar can even bust out a good bolero, though Alejandro Fernandez is sometimes in and sometimes out. At least I haven’t found one I 100% like. Then again, I did like “Si Dios Me Quita la Guerra” by Luis Demetro, but that could have been because of the great musical arrangement. I analogize bolero singing it to jazz sax players and ballads. I remember in one interview, a sax player in the Count Basie Orchestra kept asking Count Basie if he can play a ballad and the Count kept telling his he’s not ready. Years later, the sax player admitted Basie was right. The trumpet gives a nice flowing introduction to Felipe Valdes Leal’s classic “Tu Solo Tu.” Take note of the vibrato by the trumpet player as the singer comes in. The harpist also has some sides along with the voice. In the chorus, another voice is added though you can hardly hear it. I do not know if that was done purposely or bad engineering. There is not a real transition into the next song. All good popurri’s have transition with minimal pauses. But Crecencio mariachizizes Selena’s song more than it ever was originally. I can’t tell if a fugal horn plays in the background of Ricky Vela’s “No me queda mas.” I like how the voices sing in harmony on the chorus, but I think it could have been sung better. Going into “Toro relajo” there is a transition, barely, but enough to win me over. The arrangement here is much better than the one sung by Selena. The trumpets have more show. The singer is great. There are some really nice trumpet and violin runs, especially when they follow the lead voice. There are some adornos I could do without however, especially where they sing “arrestado.”

Track 5: “La Fuente” is Don Rodriguez famous composition originally recorded by Mariachi Vargas in their landmark album “La Nueva Dimensión,” but here he left Chucho Ferer to do the arrangement. That’s modesty. The trumpet player goes at it here back up by a wonderful rhythm section. At one point, I think there is a fugal horn again unless the trumpets are muted. The violins do a very low run here. It sounds like violas. The trumpets continue playing tag with some touches by the strings. There are many trills by the trumpets, some slight intonation by the strings at the end. But in all very good.

Track6: “Oh Gran Dios” here is arranged by Don Rodriguez. I really think the “sinfonia” introduction here is played by Crescensio. Jonathan Clark describes the sinfonia as a “stock introduction that can be used with any ranchera or corrido.” (Mariachi Vargas – Mexico’s Pioneer Mariachis, Vol. 2). An early recording of it with just violins can be found on the Mariachi Vargas recording mentioned above recorded on the song “El Buque” (1937-8). It is most widely know for its introduction of “Los Laureles” (Consuelo Velasquez/Jose Lopez). Here, the trumpet player plays it in one breath and very choppy and hitting specific notes quickly. This arrangement is like the old style mariachi rancheras of Jorge Negrete and Pedro Infante’s time in that it give the solo trumpet player some latitude. Remember, most mariachis at the time only had one trumpet player. I actually think the one trumpet who plays here on this track might be Crescencio. The vocals are nicely done with the chorus singing beautifully. The words to this song are great. The song says domino publico, so I wonder how old it is. I know I have heard it before, but just can’t place it. Don Rodriguez arrangement is a very nice one.

Track 7: “Homenaje a los trios” is arranged by Don Rodriguez and Crescencio Hernandez. I didn’t find this popurri much different than what other mariachis have done with songs by trios, with exception of Juan Manuel Cortez’ Popurri Nostalgia, which is superior. The first song is Armando Manzanero’s “Contigo aprendi” followed by “Sin Ti” The voices are light with some muted trumpet in the background. The voices sound very good. The strings are a light addition. Again, I would have wished to the voices to be engineered better. Transitioning into “Sin Ti” there is some requinto and it follows the song in the background. This is probably Mario Virnez Baena or Arturo Vargas doing the requinto. There is some intonation however, but only slightly. The trumpet plays the intro to as the string modulate into “Sabor a Mi” by Alvaro Carillo. Of course these last two songs were made famous by Trio Los Panchos. The rhythm add some strikes to it bolero strumming. Again, the muted trumpets come in as the string adorn the background. The voices have a really nice ending.

Track 8: “Nueva Guadalajara” is a new composition by Crescencio Hernandez. I really like this take on Pepe Guizar’s “Guadalajara” and I think it will become popular with mariachis like Juan Manuel Cortez R.’s “Este Es Mi Mexico” by Mariachi Tlaquepaque did. I think Crescencio sings on this. There is some nice harp licks. It’s not an arrangement of Guizar’s song, but a play on the classic song. It is very nice and well done. The stings adornos are very well. They have diminuendo and come back strong.

Track 9: The last track is the popurii of Jorge Negrete’s songs, mostly the compositions of Manuel Esperon and Ernesto Cortezar. It is arranged by Crescencio Hernandez. It has a string introduction followed by trumpets going into “Esos Altos de Jalisco.” The trumpet pecks along with chorus right before the solo voice comes in. The trumpet has some quick runs during the song also. I like the adornos Crescencio gives the song as well as the solo trumpet ones. At the end of the song, the voices are great, but the adornos may be al little too much. His transition into “Tequila con Limon” is original. This song is sung out of tune by many singers, but then again is hard to follow in Jorge Negrete’s footsteps. The singer does alright here. Again, the transition into the second verse of this song is original but I’m not a fan of how the second verse is done. It ends nice though and bam! A real nice transition with the solo trumpet playing a “Yo soy mexicano” theme before actual going into the song. That is how it should be done in all popurris. The muted trumpet follows the “Yo soy Mexicano” dialogue. The harp helps out on the transition into “Corrido de Jorge Torress” with the string adding a healthy run down and up the scale. Also note the strumming here and the solo trumpet playing. It flows into “Aunque lo queran o no.” I didn’t like that transition, but I have always loved the song. The singers trade off singing the songs then going into its famous chorus. I didn’t like the ending voice arrangement so much but I liked the added strumming and the very end.

In all, I really liked this CD. It’s always fun to hear from Don Rodriguez de Hijar again as well as Crescencio Hernandez. Like the recent CD by Mariachi Los Camperos, Don Rodriguez may be looking to who he is going to hand the reins over to and here he gives many of his members a chance to record their arrangements. Mariachi America never had the voices that Los Camperos, Vargas, Cobre, or Sol de Mexico had, but America's strings have always been better then some of those mariachis. I won’t tell you which ones. Plus, Don Rodriguez’ arranging abilities have always been a plus. Some recording during the 1980s and 70s did have some guys with good voices now that I remember. I need to look at the dates of those LPs I have. The CD is not recycling old Mariachi Vargas songs.

This is definitely a CD worth buying.

How to get this CD

Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa: El Autentico Son Jalisciense"

Orfeon Records











One of the best recordings of sones jalisciences ever made. In my opinion, it rivals the two Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan sones jaliscienses recordings made in the 1950s and 1960s ("Sones de Jalisco" and "Mejor del Mundo"). I know Pepe Villa played vihuela and later, Ausuncion Casillas' ("La Becerrra") also played vihuela in Mariachi Mexico, so I don't know exactly who is played on this recording.

Nevertheless, the vihuela can be heard very strongly in this recording. The guitarron player, Leon Espinoza is fantastic. He and the vihuela player make a great pair. You can hear Espinoza distinctively on "Los Arrieros." Miguel "El Trompetas" Martinez plays the trumpet solo on many of the recordings but also plays with the second trumpet on some. I think the second trumpet is "El Churpias" Jesus Cordoba. This shows how Mariachi Mexico established the two trumpet playing style. Check out Martinez on "Camino Real de Colima." Even today, its hard to find turmpet players who can play that lick.

Pepe Gutierrez sings most of the songs. The choruses in these recordings are a little different from the two-part harmonies we usually hear in this genre, but Gutierrez sings these songs so well that you'll wish for a return of solo singing in this genre. I know Los Camperos de Nati Cano have recorded most of their recent sones jaliscienses have used the single voice.

Back to Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa, the harmonies of the chorus are excellent. Take note some of the three-part harmonies in "Las Olas" and the harmonies of "Camino Real de Colima." Very different from what one usually hears. The strings are some of the strongest I've ever heard, much stronger than the Mariachi Vargas sones recording of the 1950s. You can hear Mariachi Mexico emphasis on the accents. Every mariachi violinist should listen to this recording to get a feel on what a third-part violin should sound like. Also, listen to "Los Arrieros" where Memo Quintero sings a bridge. Arrangements of this version using the bridge have recently been recorded by Mariachi Cobre.

The sones on this album are:

La Negra (R. Fuentes/S. Vargas)
El Palmero (D.P.)
El Carretero (D.P.)
El Cuatro (Silvestre Vargas)
La Madrugada (Rafael J. Lell/P. Gutierrez)
Camino Real de Colima (S. Vargas/R. Fuentes)
El Pasajero (S. Vargas/R. Fuentes)
El Gusto (R. Fuentes/S. Vargas)
El Zihualteco (D.P.)
Los Arrieros (D.P.)
Las Olas (R. Fuentes/S. Vargas)
Las Copetonas (D.P.)

If you listened to "La Negra," the first verse is a little different from what you may be use to hearing. I think it says "Negrita de mis cantares..." This has a solo trumpet. Strings as I said, are very strong.

"El palmero" also has solo trumpet playing and no violin adornos during the verse. The first verse is sung solo, then the second is sung in two-part harmony. Notice how the mariachi does not rush the son. Most mariachis have a tendency to play sones jaliscieses very fast. Pepe Gutierrez sings the last verse.

"El Carretero" has the two trumpets playing. Gutierrez sings the verse and the repeat is done by the chorus. Listen to the trumpets play their run right after the first verse. Excellent execution. Gutierrez has excellent rhythm in his singing. The final bridge is sung by the chorus ending the song with Gutierrez joining in. The mariachi ends with their caballito ending and "Ay, ay, ay..."

Listen as the trumpet plays solo with the violins on "El Cuatro." Listen to his short licks of the notes. I also love his run after the intro right before the verse. Gutierrez sing the first verse and the second verse is sung in a two-part harmony. Gutierrez returns for the third verse. At the final run, the trumpet plays on the mark with the violins who play very strongly. Few mariachis play this last run very well.

"La Madrugada," here, is listed as being a Rafael J. Lell and Pepe Gutierrez arrangement as opposed to the Fuentes/Vargas team we usually see. It has both trumpets playing. The violins actually play adornos during the verse. Gutierrez sing the verse and it is repeated by the chorus. Both trumpets give a triumphant run right after the verse. They are followed by the violins.

"Camino Real de Colima" has the solo trumpet playing execellent runs as I have already mentioned. But don't miss the strings playing right along with the trumpet player. Notice how they the trumpet player neither drowns the violins our or the violins let themselves be drowned out by the trumpet player. The second verse is the one I spoke that has a different two-part harmony chorus than what we usually hear. I've heard some Vargas versions only play two verses. Here three are played.

"El Pasajero" here is listed as a Vargas/Fuentes arrangement. This recording has not aged. The trumpets play excellent together where most trumpet teams waiver. The same can be said for the violins. The vihuela player is heard prominently through the various changing rhythms. My memory is not serving me right, but I think Gutierrez sings a verse not commonly performed. The final runs which are very difficult for most mariachis, are taken care of with ease here by Mariachi Mexico's violins. Espinoza can be heard prominently here on his guitarron.

"El Gusto" is always a favorite of mine. Mariachi Mexico's violins rock here. If my ear does not fool me, I think only one trumpet is playing. The violins play no adornos during the verse. In the intermedio, listen how the trumpet plays exactly in line with the violins. Gutierrez sing the full second verse as opposed to combining them like Mariachi Vargas does on some recordings. Mariachi Mexico plays all three verses. They don't do the little trumpet solo and slide as in the Mariachi Vargas versions.

Here "Sihualteco" is spelled with a 'z'. The violins add adornos here while Gutierrez is singing. Listen how violins stay in line with the singers. Of course there is the final run after the last verse to hear. Study it well.

"Los Arrieros" has Espinosa playing prominently. You can hear his guitarron very loudly. Memo Quintero sings this son. The trumpets play in pair here. "Los Arrieros" is a hard son to play and usually butchered by many mariachis. This is the version that has that bridge, "Ay no mas...". Only here, unlike the Mariachi Cobre version, Mexico ends the son after the bridge. The recording lists the version as "domino publico" as opposed to the Vargas/Fuentes arrangement we usually hear.

"Las Olas" has Gutierrez back singing. The chorus sings the second verse, Gutierrez the third, the chorus the forth. Both trumpets play on this recording. Espinoza and the vihuela player can be heard very well here. Listen to them play during the verses. The introduction changes rhythm a few times in a 40 sec introduction. "Las Olas" is a funny son because it does not have intermedios between the verses. After the forth verse, is flows into the ending run changing rhythms a few times. It is played nice and slow with the trumpets playing elegantly.

I'm not sure who exactly is playing on this recording, but stemming from mariachi historian Jonathan D. Clark's interview with Leon Espinoza, we can make an educated guess that they are probably: Pepe Villa (vihuela?), Ernesto Villa, Eliseo Camarena (guitar), Rafael Quintero (violin), Miguel Martinez (trumpet), Asuncion Casillas (vihuela), Jesus Cordoba (trumpet), Leon Espinoza (Guitarron), Emilio Galvez (violin), Juan Cordoba (guitar), Rafael Cardenas (violin), Bonifacio Collazo (violin), and Jose Ramos (violin). Bonifacio Collazo was first violin, arranger, and the musical director. Of course many of these guys played with Mariachi Vargas. If you look at the photo in Mariachi Vargas: Their First Recordings, 1937-47, you see Miguel Martinez and Asuncion Casillas. Pepe Villa also played with Mariachi Vargas. You can hear him along with Rafael Quintero in songs 1-7 of the recording of Vargas' Their First Recordings. Futhermore, Pepe Gutierrez also sings some songs on that recording, songs 7-24. You can also see Ernesto Villa on the cover of that recording. Clark says in the liner notes to that recording that Rafael Quintero, along with his brother Jeronimo, played in "regional string bands known as orquestas de cuerda and "introduced new repertoire to Mariachi Vargas..."

The trouble with Mariachi Mexico is that there are few recording available today of their recordings they made in the 1950s. This recording was done on Orfeon and their polkas and pasodobles album on Musart. They also have another sones jalisienses album with Antonio Maciel on Musart. In Clark's interview, Espinoza says the mariachi made many recordings on Columbia. Unfortunately, today many of Columbia's recordings, in general, have not been re-released.

We are going to have to make educated guesses on the musician's identities in many of the recording we review on this blog. Identifying the musicians was pretty rare back then. Like many of the jazz musicians to today, we are just left with "he said" he recorded on that album, but no real proof from the recordings themselves. This continues to this day. For example, look at the most recent recording of Mariachi Los Camperos.

"El Autentico Son Jalisciense" is one of those great albums in mariachi recording history. One may not be tempted to buy it with all the "show" mariachi recording available, but I've always said the son jalisciense is the true test of a mariachi, and Mariachi Mexico de Pepe Villa passed that test with flying colors.

Reviewing mariachi recordings

Welcome, I hope to review various CDs and albums by various mariachis and hopefully help create a history of mariachi recordings. The reviews are to be constructive and we ask that musicians involved in the recordings not take reviews personally. We hope to give praise where deserved, and not give praise to the undeserving. If there is a CD you would like us to review, let us know.