Borderlands: From Conjunto to Chicken Scratch

by MUSIC OF THE RIO GRANDE / VARI

Overview

Subtitled "Music of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Southern Arizona," this compilation of 18 tracks from the late 1940s through the early '90s illustrates several aspects of border music. Conjunto music is well-represented, as expected, along with other strains of the Tejano sound that aren't quite as reliant on the usual accordion-dominated arrangements. The great Lydia Mendoza is represented with one of her best recordings, the 1954 bolero "Aunque Me Odies," and Beto Villa Orquesta with Carmen y Laura do a bolero-mambo that's more pop-oriented (in a good way) than the usual Tejano harmony number. The last five tracks are by Native Americans from Southern Arizona, who play "chicken scratch" with casual similarities to the conjunto played by Tejanos, although the arrangements give greater prominence to fiddles and saxophones. This has more variety, and higher quality, than the usual Tex-Mex/conjunto/Tejano/border music compilation, and is recommended to those who want a good sampling of some of the better stuff. Comes with copious annotation. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	09/14/1993
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074041826
Rank:	148737

Tracks

1. La Cuquita  - Narciso Martinez
2. Gregorio Cortez  - Timoteo Cantu  - Jesus Maya  -  Public Domain
3. Aunque Me Odies  - Lydia Mendoza  - Jose Morante
4. Un Rato No Mas  -  Carmen y Laura  -  Villa
5. Un Adobe y Cuatro Velas  -  Donnenos
6. Mi Unico Camino
7. Angel de Mis Anhelos
8. Corrido de Gerardo Gonzales  - Ramon Ayala  - Reynaldo Martinez
9. El Saino de Donna Texas  -  Invasores de Nuevo Leon  - Reynaldo Martinez
10. Dados Cargados  -  Cachorros de Juan Villarreal
11. Caso Perdido  -  Dos Gilbertos
12. La Calle Flores  - Oscar Hernandez
13. Qu¿¿date  -  Pulido
14. San Javielpo Chu'kuy Kawi  - Francisco Molina
15. Ali Oidak Polka  -  Gu-Achi Fiddlers  -  Traditional
16. Old Man Rooster  -  Molinas
17. Madre Mia Chote  -  Southern Scratch
18. Uwaldina U Juan Gonzalez

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Molinas   Primary Artist
Beto Villa Y Su Orquesta   Primary Artist
Jesus Maya   Primary Artist
Timoteo Cantu   Primary Artist
Narciso Martinez   Primary Artist,Accordion
Gu-Achi Fiddlers   Primary Artist
Los Dos Gilbertos   Primary Artist
Lydia Mendoza   Primary Artist,Vocals
Francisco Molina   Primary Artist
Carmen y Laura   Primary Artist
Southern Scratch   Primary Artist
Los Cachorros de Juan Villarreal   Primary Artist
Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon   Primary Artist
Roberto Pulido Y Los Clasicos   Primary Artist
Los Donnenos   Primary Artist
Ramon Ayala   Primary Artist,Vocals,Accordion
Oscar Hernandez   Primary Artist,Accordion
Ruben Vela   Accordion
Gilberto Lopez   Accordion
Gilberto Garcia   Accordion

Technical Credits

Matt Walters   Supervisor
Molinas   Performer
Jesus Maya   Performer
Henk Kooistra   Mastering
Cathy Ragland   Producer,Introduction,Compilation Producer
Timoteo Cantu   Performer
Edmund O'Reilly   Editing Assistant
Roger Garcia   Artwork
Francisco Molina   Performer
Southern Scratch   Performer
Narciso Martinez   Composer
Reynaldo Martinez   Composer
Anthony Seeger   Supervisor
Gu-Achi Fiddlers   Performer
Los Dos Gilbertos   Performer
Carmen y Laura   Performer
Traditional   Composer
Los Invasores de Nuevo Leon   Performer
Roberto Pulido Y Los Clasicos   Performer
Los Donnenos   Performer
Jose Morante   Composer
Public Domain   Composer
Beto Villa Y Su Orquesta   Performer