This 1994 JVC World Sounds release has the note on the back tray that "this disc is perfect for novice Mexican music listeners" and that certainly applies to this one. The trio of principal vocalist Carlos Hernández Chávez, who was a founder of Los Trovadores in 1947 and died in November 2024, second vocalist Jesús de la Rosa, who joined in 1976, and third vocalist Luis Miranda, who became part of the group two years before that, are excellent musicians and made a remarkable record.
There are a few pieces with which we novices are generally familiar, including "Cielito Lindo," "La Malagueña," and "Besame Mucho," but the album is filled with great songs like "La Zandunga," "La Bikina," "Perfidia," the humorous "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás," and the combination of "El Reloj" and "Amor." It isn't just the great solo singing and harmonizing, but the acoustic guitar work is also excellent, beyond the very high quality of the songwriting.
The liner notes remark that "although the genre of the Mexican vocal trio enjoyed great popularity outside Mexico during the 1950s and 60s," but with rock becoming very popular, "it somewhat disappeared." Yet, it continued, "although these songs retreated into the background, there has never been any danger that such a vocal tradition nurtured over many long years would ever disappear."
Let us hope so, especially as in current circumstances with so much dehumanization of immigrants, a great many of them Mexican, taking place, because there is so much to admire and enjoy about Mexican culture, including its musical history and traditions. This first edition of the Songs of México may have been geared toward novices like this blogger, but it is also a potent reminder of the beauty and quality of this genre of the vocal trio.
No comments:
Post a Comment