Corridos y Tragedias de la Frontera – Various Artists / Arhoolie CD-7019/20

Description

CD 7019

This historic double CD collection from “The Golden Era of the Recorded Corrido: 1928-1937” presents twenty seven examples of the Mexican Border Ballad tradition. These commercially recorded story songs document and chronicle celebrated heroes and events as well as minor fictional characters and folk tales. The Corrido or ballad tradition has evolved over the past 150 years to become one of the most vital components of Mexican and Mexican-American popular culture and literature and continues to thrive to this day on both sides of the border. The versions presented here are in most cases the first recordings ever made of these Corridos and are sung mostly by regional male duets with guitar accompaniment who lived and worked along the border. The accompanying 164-page illustrated book with notes by folklorist Phillip Sonnichsen details the history and circumstances surrounding most of these classic stories.
The enclosed book also includes complete transcriptions and translations of all the corridos along with short biographies of some of the singers. Sound restoration of the original 78 discs was performed by George Morrow using the NoNoise system to remove extraneous noises inherent in the old pressings. Great care however has been taken to preserve the original ambience of these historic discs.

Disc 1:
1. Gregorio Cortez (Parts 1 & 2) – Pedro Rocha/Lupe Martinez
2. Joaquin Murrieta (Parts 1 & 2) – Los Madrugadores
3. El Deportado (Parts 1 & 2) – Hermanos Banuelos
4. La Elena (Parts 1 & 2) – Hernandez & Sifuentes
5. La Ciudad De Jauja (Parts 1 & 2) – Ramos & Trevino
6. El Corrido De Texas – Silvano Ramos/Daniel Ramirez
7. Corrido Pensilvanio – Pedro Rocha/Lupe Martinez
8. Corrido De Los Hermanos Hernandez (Parts 1 & 2) – Los Madrugadores
9. Jesus Cadena (Parts 1 & 2) – Pedro Rocha/ Lupe Martinez
10. El Huerfano (Parts 1 & 2) – Trio Matamoros
11. La Crisis – Duo Latino
12. La Crisis Actual (Parts 1 & 2) – Los Cancioneros Alegres
13. Corrido De Juan Reyna (Parts 1 & 2) – Hermanos Banuelos
14. Suicidio De Juan Reyna (Parts 1 & 2) – Nacho & Justino
Disc 2:
1. El Contrabando Del Paso (Parts 1 & 2) – Duo El Arte Mexicano
2. Contrabandistas Tequileros (Parts 1 & 2) – Pedro Rocha/Lupe Martinez
3. Corrido De Los Bootleggers (Parts 1 & 2) – Francisco Montalvo/Andres Berlanga
4. Capitan Charles Stevens (Parts 1 & 2) – Pedro Rocha/Lupe Martinez
5. La Tragedia De Oklahoma (Parts 1 & 2) – Silvano Ramos & Ortega
6. Corrido De La Nina June Robles (Parts 1 & 2) – Trinidad & Maria Lopez
7. Inundacion De Nogales (Parts 1 & 2) – Sifuentes & Guzman
8. Corrido De Bonifacio Torres (Parts 1 & 2) – Hermanos Banuelos
9. Luz Arcos (Parts 1 & 2) – Hermanos Chavarria
10. Nuevo Corrido De Laredo (Parts 1 & 2) – Salas & Mendoza
11. El Mosco Americano – Cancioneros Picarescos
12. Zenaida (Parts 1 & 2) – Los Madrugadores
13. Las Quejas De Zenaida (Parts 1 & 2) – Antonio Flores/Manuel Valdez

Reviews

“. . . evokes the traditions of the Mexican border ballad which celebrated folk heroes and actual events. The versions presented here-of great songs like ‘Gregorio Cortez’ ‘Contrabando Del Paso’ ‘Corrido De Joaquin Murrieta’ and ‘La Zenaida’ are in most cases the first recordings ever made of corridos and are sung mostly by regional male duos with guitar acompaniment. The CD comes with a 168-page illustrated book with notes about the history and circumstances of these classic stories. The book also includes translations of the corridos and biographies of some of the singers.”

(Hispanic Magazine)

“This is a brilliant collection of the pioneers historic recordings of 27 corridos and tragedias from the Tex-Mex border dating from the Golden Era 1928-1937 some as long as six minutes. There’s the first recording of ‘Gregorio Cortez’ who in 1901 defended himself against a bunch of ‘rinches cobardes’ (cowardly rangers) the song for beloved Robin Hood legend Joaquin Murrieta and more.
You can hear the fabulous three Madrugadores (The ‘Early Risers’) but duets are the norm doubling or in close harmony with guitars introducing helping them along ending them finely. The classic corrido composition focuses on the story so many share tunes.
Brilliant mini-booklet with history and text of each corrido pics broadsheets to read as you listen-another Dick Spottswood labour of love elegantly facilitated by Chris Strachwitz.”

(Folk Roots)