16 Early Hits

by Conjunto Bernal

Overview

Never heard Conjunto Bernal before? This is wonderful, in-the-pocket Tejano music, perfect for those who love Los Lobos' accordion/bano sexto, norteno workouts. The songs come from the same 1955-1965 time frame as Arhoolie's 24-track Tejano Roots: Mi Unico Camino, but there's no duplication, and these don't sound anything like second-rate leftovers. Far from it -- the tantalizingly brief 43 minutes of music here makes you eager to hear more. The two-paragraph liner notes adequately sketch the fundamental story down to the group breaking up in 1972, when accordion player Paulino Bernal became a born-again Christian and abandoned secular music (the devil's music must lurk in many forms). The group's big 1958 hit, "Mi Unico Camino," opened John Sales' Lone Star, and it's not a great stretch to suspect that Tejano-leaning rockers, like Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers, were hearing Conjunto Bernal right along with Flaco Jimenez when they were coming up. Now, Tejaon, or norteno, or Text-Mex, or con junto is a pretty by-the-book style, so the shock is how fresh and open this music sounds. It doesn't feel reined in or locked down by genre rules, as Paulino tosses off nice solo moves on "Voy Perdiendo," and "La Ultima Palabra" just rockets along nice and rangy and light. Part of it is an inventive accordion style, mixing unusual chord flavors with single note flurries -- broad notes playing against staccato bursts offer plenty of intriguing soloing possibilities, as Paulino demonstrates on his polka instrumentals, like "La Margarina," or the exuberant "La Coneja." There's another reason, but it's not Eloy Bernal capably holding down the bano sexto fort. Let's give the uncredited drummer on these tracks some credit, because he does more than just keep time and beat. It's active, but nothing fancy, based on rolling tom-toms, and it gives the music all sorts of snap and new dimensions, be it on another polka instrumental like "Melinda," the near-ballad "Pensamiento," or the rat-a-tat punctuations in "Dios De Mi Vida." The last song broadly hints at Paulino's future conversion, but "Castigame" returns to secular love, so there's a gospel/blues duality at play here. The bolero "Por La Misma Senda" is haunting and brooding, with staccato accordion interjections, and "Quiereme Un Poquito" is a rapid-fire, good time declaration of drunken love. "La Turicata" features soprano sax or clarinet intertwining with the accordion -- it's another distinct touch, lively and bright. What a great surprise and discovery 16 Early Hits is. The brothers' vocal harmony blend is really impressive, and this accomplished and vital band should rank right up there with Jimenez and wildman Steve Jordan for anyone starting to check out this side of Texas/Tejano music. For those already aware of this genre, Conjunto Bernal is certainly a band to become well-acquainted with. ~ Don Snowden

Product Details

Release Date:	10/21/1997
Label:	Arhoolie
UPC:	0096297901021
Rank:	85622

Tracks

1. Voy Perdiendo
2. La Ultima Palabra
3. Pensamiento
4. La Margarina
5. Dios de Mi Vida
6. Cast¿¿game
7. Melinda
8. Si Quieres Volver
9. Las Texanitas
10. La Coneja
11. Por la Misma Senda
12. La Turicata
13. Para Que Quiero un Amor
14. Quiereme un Poquito
15. Cosquillitas
16. Veinte A¿¿os

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Conjunto Bernal   Primary Artist
Paulino Bernal   Vocals,Accordion
Manuel Valdez   Bass,Drums
Eloy Bernal   Vocals,Organ (Hammond)
Ruben Perez   Bass,Drums

Technical Credits

Armando Marroquin   Producer,Engineer
Paulino Bernal   Composer
F. Gill   Composer
Felipe Valdes Leal   Composer
D.A.R.   Composer
Benjamin Sanchez Mota   Composer
M.S. Acuna   Composer
M. Valdez   Composer
Juan Colorado   Composer
Chris Strachwitz   Editing,Producer
Manuel Acuna   Composer
Elizabeth Weil   Cover Design
Adan Perez   Composer
Gaston Ponce Castellanos   Composer