A little more about Ranchera music
I cant remember who it was who was asking about Ranchera music a week or so ago. I put in a query with a friend of mine who's a journalist down in Mexico City and here's what he had to say: - Jose Alfredo Jimenez is the Shakespeare of Ranchera music, author of such classics as "Caminos de Guanajuato," with the refrain "la vida no vale nada." I think he's the guy I gave you a tape of. Javier Solis, Vicente Fernandez, Charro Avitia Jorge Negrete, Chavela Vargas, are some other names that come to mind. --- I believe that some of these are more current than those collected on the Arhoolie discs. Will Miner Denver, CO
Ranchera?
Anybody out there know anything about ranchera, or other styles of traditional Mexican music? Key figures? Recommended recordings? Take care Robin Laws
Re: Ranchera?
On Sun, 28 Mar 1999, Robin D. Laws wrote: Anybody out there know anything about ranchera, or other styles of traditional Mexican music? Key figures? Recommended recordings? Back in vinyl days, Arhoolie Records had done a lot of compilations of classic old ranchera music, as well as nortena and other around- and south-of-the-border styles. (I've got some of the nortena stuff.) I dont know how this stuff may have been repackaged for CD (if it's been reissued). That would be one alley I'd try. Will Miner Denver, CO
Re: Ranchera?
Will Miner wrote: Back in vinyl days, Arhoolie Records had done a lot of compilations of classic old ranchera music, as well as nortena and other around- and south-of-the-border styles. . . . I dont know how this stuff may have been repackaged for CD (if it's been reissued). It's on cd, sometimes combining former lps by the same artist. Arhoolie is still the single best source for this stuff, not necessarily because the music's any better (though it often is), but because of their attention to sound quality and the excellent notes, which put everything in historical perspective. Robin, if you're just starting to get into this stuff, it's absolutely worth spending the 3 bucks for their catalogue, which is illustrated and packed with written descriptions of the music that'll help you decide where you want to proceed. Have a look at this - http://arhoolie.com If you like this kind of music, you're going to end up there sooner of later anyway - might as well start there! Tom Smith
Re: Ranchera?
http://www.mariachi.org has a number of fine links to many Mexican music sites. Vincente Fernandez, Juan Gabriel, Lola Beltran and Lydia Mendoza are among the names that pop up frequently while searching the net for "musica ranchera". Also check out http://www.elmariachi.com for some further exploration. I would agree that Arhoolie (http://www.arhoolie.com) has the finest selection of Mexican music for non-Mexicans, particularly when it comes to historic recordings. Their budget priced CD series has a particularly good compilation of Mexican music that's well worth picking up.
Re: Ranchera?
"Robin D. Laws" wrote: Anybody out there know anything about ranchera, or other styles of traditional Mexican music? Key figures? Recommended recordings? Take care Robin Laws Look for Arhoolie releases. Los Tigres Del Norte. Flaco's dad, Santiago Sr. who almost singlehandedly defined the genre. Look for Les Blank's great film documentaries about the border scene. Alegres De Teran. Lydia Mendoza. -- Joe Gracey President-For-Life, Jackalope Records http://www.kimmierhodes.com
