Saturday, December 24, 2005

Go To WWW.TALKINGTACO.COM GO TO WWW.TALKINGTACO.COM   For some reason none of the links to these blogs are working.  If you're interested in anything you read in the subsequent blogs at this site go to www.talkingtaco.com.  Or just click on the the Talking Taco logo on the side of the blog for Native American, Mariachi and Latino compact discs and Native American flutes and drums. 10:13:56 AM    comment []

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Scroll Down For Blogs on These Subjects Scroll Down For Blogs on These Subjects: Due to some unknown reason the first blog on Mariachi & Cowboy guitar have been repeated five times in a row.  I don't know why. Here are the other blogs and their subjects as they appear on this blog page.  We apologize for the inconvenience. Blog 6:  Mariachi By The Book -- A blog about the new book by Laura Sobrino on how to play mariachi guitar -- "Mariachi Favorite for Solo Guitar."www.talkingtaco.com/mariachi.html Blog 7:   Ruben Romero's Uniquely Santa Fe Sound:  The life of Santa Fe flamenco guitarist Ruben Romero.www.talkingtaco.com/flamencoguitar.html Blog 8:  Tips on Buying A Native American Flute:  What to look for when buying your first Native American flute.www.talkingtaco.com/nativeamericaninstruments.html Blog 9:  Digging Mariachi Roots:  A look at several recently released CDs that reveal the roots of mariachi music in Mexicowww.talkingtaco.com/mariachi.html Blog 10:  When Men Loved Their Horses:  A look at legendary Mexican guitarist Frank Corrales and his legacy of unique CDs.  Also a look at Mexican music from the '30s, '40s and '50s. www.talkingtaco.com/mexicanguitar.html Contact us at www.talkingtaco.com or talktaco@stic.net   5:24:33 PM    comment []

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar It's time for world music fans to take a reality check. World music was originally fun and cool because it was music from other parts of the world that you'd never heard of before.  Often it featured some neat instruments that were new to your ears - like sitars and African djembe drums. And then the record industry figured out there were bucks to be made "creating" world music. That means going into a studio and splicing and dicing different elements of various types of ethnic music.  A good example is the theme music you hear at the beginning of the "reality" show "Survivor."  There's a little Australian didgeridoo mixed in with congas, keyboards and exotic vocals. It conjures up the idea that something exotic is going on and it does have what is basically a "disco beat," so you can "shake it" while you vege on the sofa.  Unfotunately, what you have here is another example of something that started out being authentic transformed into a vehicle for selling an image. Can anyone explain why they have the didgeridoo honking away this season when the show was filmed in Guatemala? It's quite a leap geographically from the Outback, but that's what the current trend in "world music" is all about. It's become a mix and match game where various styles of music are put together no matter how unlikely the mating might be.  For instance, NPR was recently giving thumbs up to a new world music disc combining Punjabi vocals and rhythms with Scottish fiddling. Huh? While it's true there have been some seemingly disparate music combinations in the past, historically, the good ones have come about because the cultures came in contact with each other for a "real life" reason - not because some guy in a studio thought it would be cool to put some "beats" with this or that. This brings us, as usual, back to the Southwest for a real musical mix that's been brewing for more than 100 years. It all has to do with beef and the men and women who raise it.  In Spanish they're known as vaqueros.  In English they're called cowboys.  In South Texas the two groups have mixed and matched music, DNA and a long list of recipes for nearly two centuries. Musically, the result is a holistic mix of music called Tejano.  Nowadays Tejano is in a different place from where it started - Mexican and Anglo cowboys sitting around picking guitars.  Now it's more of a big band, synth and horn sound - its' best know artist is Selena Quintanilla. But Back in the day Tejano was all about a Mexican musician with a mariachi background learning a few country licks from a cowboy with an Appalachian guitar style.   Here are three CDs we have on hand at www.talkingtaco.com that give you an idea what this mix is all about: FANDANGO by The Sons of Cicsco www.talkingtaco.com/cowboyguitar.html : The "sons" in this case are three guitarists, led by guitar legend Frank Corrales, intent on re-creating the original Tejano/cowboy sound of yesteryear.  The result is a selection of instrumental guitar songs that range from cowboy chestnuts like :Red River Valley" and "Streets of Laredo" to vaquero favorites like "Maria Elena" and a Cuban song that somehow found its way to the Rio Grande Valley -- "Flores Negras" or "Dark Flowers." But "Fandango" doesn't stop with Mexican and American cowboy -- it probably the only "world cowboy" CD around since it includes Hawaiian slack-key tunes from the Big Island cowboy traditions as well as cowboy rags from the African-American cowboy tradition. But the really neat part is that is comes with a mini-cookbook that tells you how to fix cowboy grub.  The recipes are from Melissa Guerra.  You've probably seen her cooking series on PBS.  Check out the cyber version of her store in McAllen, Tx. for serious Southwestern cooks - www.melissaguerra.com.  Melissa's approach is inventive and traditional.  She recently returned from Alpine, TX where she "kept it real" for the PBS crew doing an upcoming reality show on life on a Texas ranch during the 1860s - "Texas Ranch House."   A TEX-MEX GROOVE by Los Tex-Maniacs www.talkingtaco.com/saintsandsinners.html :  This group updates the on-going cross cultural exchange between Texas and Mexico by turning country classics like "Hey Baby" and "Hey Good Lookin' " into Tejano/conjunto hits with a liberal dose of Tex-Mex accordion by Micahel Guerra.  For another cultural tip of the hat, this fast-rising group adds a tune by the late San Antonio rock legend Doug Sahm - "She's About A Mover." RODEO ROMANCE: by the Sons of Cisco www.talkingtaco.com/saintsandsinners.html :  On their latest CD, the Sons of Cisco add more cross cultural influences in a CD dedicated to romance in The Old West.  Check out "La Paloma," a song originally written by a homesick Spaniard in Havana that has a swingin' country feel.  You can get a test of it on I-tunes by typing in "Guitarra Mexicana" which is a featured new release under Latin releases www.Itunes.com  The release has something for everybody interested in this unique guitar style.      6:01:37 PM    comment []

Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar   2:23:18 PM    comment []

Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar   2:23:17 PM    comment []

Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar   2:23:16 PM    comment []

Mariachi & Cowboy = Tejano Guitar   2:23:16 PM    comment []

Friday, August 05, 2005

Mariachi - By The Book? Mariachi - By The Book? Is mariachi music a little less authentic, if you learn it out of a book rather than at the knee of a tequila-swigging uncle?  If you romanticize and stereotype everything, including music, then you probably wouldn't have any interest in Laura Sobrino's new book about how to play mariachi-style guitar, "Mariachi Favorites - For Solo Guitar." www.talkingtaco.com/mariachi.html or www.talkingtaco.com But if you're looking to get a handle on this exciting guitar style the $8.95 price for "Mariachi Favorites" makes it an extraordinary bargain.  And if you're worrying about authenticity - don't. Sobrino's credentials are impeccable.   Something of a violin prodigy, Sobrino started playing classical violin by the age of eight. But while studying at the University of California the mariachi bug got into Laura's ear and she dumped Bach and Paganini for an equally classic repertoire of tunes with names like "Guadalajara," "El Jarabe Tapatio" and "La Culebra." Laura headed to Los Angeles and did what everyone said was impossible - her chops were so good she was taken seriously by the fraternity of male mariachi musicians who make up L.A's active mariachi scene. Talk about having what it takes to make it regardless of gender - Laura made mariachi history by joining the ranks of Mariachi Los Galleros de Pedro Rey and Mariachi Sol de Mexico.  I don't know much about either of these groups, but it's easy to imagine some of the old timers raising an eyebrow or two when Laura joined the lineup.  Later Laura stepped out on her own with another mariachi innovation - one of the first all-female groups - Mariachi Mujer 2000. But Laura had even more mariachi mountains to climb.  Ever since the first mariachi groups came out of southern Jalisco during the early 1900s, mariachi music was learned by the time-tested apprentice system. The aspiring guitarists, violinists or whatever would hang around with a mariachi group watching the guys' finger and trying to figure out how they were making those incredible sounds.  If the mariachi-in-training stuck with it, one of the musicians would eventually take him under his wing and give him some one-on-one face time. The next step was for the aspirant musician to fill in when someone couldn't make a gig - a fairly regular occurrence in groups where musicians have day jobs.  And from there the student mariachi might  be asked to join the group or form his own mariachi. But during the 1960s and '70s in the United States learning mariachi music took on a new twist when junior and high schools throughout the Southwest and California started teaching mariachi music just like a traditional school band or orchestra course. That changed the whole learning process as more mariachi music was written down.  Laura was in the forefront of this movement with books on mariachi violin and guitar. In "Mariachi Favorites For Solo Guitar" Laura takes apart several of the classic mariachi tunes and put them back together so they can either be played as solo guitar pieces or with several guitarists playing chords and melody. Laura has taken pains to focus on the well-known tunes that any aspiring mariachi musician needs to know, if they hope to play anywhere from a restaurant or a wedding to The Hollywood Bowl. Consequently, the aspiring mariachi only needs to get a hold of a CD like "Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan" www.talkingtaco.com/mariachi.html and they are on the road to learning some great music. Many of the tunes in the book are on this CD:  "El Jarabe Tapatio," "El Riflero" and "El Zopilote Mojado."  Another good source to hear some of the classics that are in the book are Frank Corrales's version of  "La Marcha Zacatecas" on his "Guitarras & Tequilas" CD www.talkingtaco.com/mexicanguitar.html or you can download  some of the tunes in the book from "La Guitarra Mexicana" on I-Tunes www.Itunes.com To make this great music as accesible as possible Laura presents the songs in tablature as well as in notated music.  For the uninitiated, tablature is a system of guitar music that tells you where to put your fingers on the guitar neck and requires no prior music background. So when you combine the tunes on the CDs and downloads with "Mariachi Favorites," it's the next best thing to having that uncle show you where to put your fingers on the guitar to play a tune like "El Llano Grande."                                                   * * * Check out an offering of classic mariachi CDs and Laura Sobrino's book at www.talkingtaco.com.   Here are the tunes in the book: " El Llano Grande," "El Riflero," "El Zopilote Mojado," "La Marcha Zacatecas," "Lindas Pachuquenas," "El Jarabe Tapatio," "Flor de Mexico," "Florectias Mexicanas," "Jarabe La Botella," and "La Culebra."                  5:56:50 PM    comment []

Friday, July 22, 2005

Ruben Romero 's Uniquely 'Santa Fe Sound' Ruben Romero's Uniquely 'Santa Fe Sound' It used to be you hadn't been to Hawaii unless you'd heard Don Ho sing "Tiny Bubbles." Same thing for New Orleans.  Conventional Wisdom was you haven't experienced the Crescent City unless you'd heard the Preservation Hall Jazz Band run through "When The Saints Go Marching In." When it comes to Santa Fe, N.M. - the musician you "had to hear" for the past several years has been flamenco guitarist Ruben Romero at El Dorado Hotel. Tourists and locals crowd into the hotel weekend nights to get an aural equivalent of what they've been seeing during the day - a breathtaking  collection of art galleries, adobe architecture and awe-inspiring landscapes.  Taken all together the combination has won Santa Fe the designation of "One of America's Four Unique Cities."  What makes Ruben's performances special are that they are the "real thing."  His music isn't a "tourist trap" amalgamation of tunes and tricks designed to keep the folks ordering margaritas. Ruben's family has been in New Mexico almost since the first Spaniards went north from old Mexico looking for the Seven Cities of Cibola -- consequently he's got the "Roots" side of the "Santa Fe sound" more than covered. What's neat about Ruben's music is that it takes the various cultures of the Southwest, mixes them together and comes up with a tasty gumbo that's all his own.  As early as the '70s he was mixing flamenco guitar, which he studied intently in Spain, with a variety of other musical styles. Those early recordings featured Ruben's flamenco guitar backed up by none other than the legendary Muscle Shoals horn section -- the result was some very pleasing "funky flamenco." More recently on "Flamenco Southwest" www.talkingtaco.com or    www.talkingtaco.com/flamencoguitar.html Ruben went in the "nouveau flamenco" direction.  "Flamenco Southwest" is an intriguing album that gives an impressionistic feel to the flamenco guitar.  For instance, on "Cathedral Bells," it's easy to imagine yourself in Santa Fe's main plaza listening to the bells from the San Francisco Cahtedral ringing in the background. On "La Gloria" he switches to a very up-beat tune complete with congas.  And the whole album is like that - a variety of moods and lush arrangements.  But don't take my word for it. At www.emusic.com the download mavens of indie music have voted "Flamenco Southwest" a "top pick." And earlier this week www.Itunes.com began featuring Ruben's new solo guitar album "Romanza," where he shows off the depth of his talent by adding a flamenco touch to Vivaldi and Bach along with tunes by the Spanish masters like Tarrega and Albeniz. "Romanza" fits in with a unique anthology album, "Las Guitarras de Carmen," http://www.talkingtaco.com which Ruben contributed to a few years ago.  The album takes the well-known tunes from Bizet's "Carmen" and gives them the flamenco feel the composer was thinking of when he wrotes the opera about a fiery gypsy girl in Seville. But Ruben is more than just a guitar player.  As an entrepeneur he's been instrumental in exposing the "Santa Fe Mix" of Native American and Latino music to the millions of tourists who visit the city annually.  He does it through his unique record store on the Santa Fe Plaza, The World Music Gallery www.RubenRomero.com .   It has to be one of the most unique "record stores" in the U.S.  While it's not big in terms of square footage, it's packed with an extensive collection of guitar, Native American and Latino CDs.   And unlike most of today's record stores that chase after the latest trend, every title in the store has been handpicked by Ruben.   The World Gallery's offering's definitely match the mental image of what you'd  expect to hear in "One of America's Unique Cities."  And if for some reason you can't make it to the El Dorado Hotel you might get lucky and stumble across Ruben minding the store and practicing the guitar -- getting ready for his next gig - whether it's a local wedding reception or one of his frequent concert tours.                                        * * * (The other "Four Unique American Cities" according to Will Rogers and countless tourist brochures are:  New Orleans, San Francisco and San Antonio.)   5:43:38 PM    comment []

Friday, July 08, 2005

Tips on Buying Native American Flutes Tips on Buying Native American Flutes (Free Offer at the bottom of the blog) Chances are good you're coming to this blog after "googling" Native American flutes. Wow. Who'd have thought that there would be 100s of Native Flute makers, CDs and instruction books just a few decades after the premiere Native American flute player Carlos Nakai started playing at art galleries in Tucson?  A seemingly simple folk instrument has become a hot cottage industry? Ironically, when I asked Carlos about the "magic of the Native American flute" several years ago, he said, members of his own Navajo tribe gave him grief about playing the flute because it wasn't part of their tribal heritage. At the time of our conversation we were sitting backstage at one of his concerts before going on - Carlos had asked me to back him up on guitar for a few numbers. He thought 75 or so minutes of just solo flute music was too much for most people to sit through -- but you'd never know it by the audience's rapt attention. There's something about the Native flute that latches onto people's souls and makes a lifelong connection.  The music is so beautiful a lot of people want to get a hold of a flute and make their own "sonic magic." Unfortunately, it isn't easy to separate good sounding flutes from works of art that happen to be flutes and others that rate simply as tourist trap crap. Here's some basic tips: A.  If a Native flute is made out of anything but wood, you're paying less, but you're not getting anything approaching the real thing in terms of sound. B.  To get a nice sound be sure a flute is made out of cedar, though pine will do and cost you a little less. C.  Ask about the flute's tuning.  Be sure it's tuned to a certain key - this will make it a lot easier to play with other instruments like the guitar. D.  Find out if the flute's five holes are arranged in the "pentatonic" scale - you could write a chapter in a music theory book about the pentatonic scale, but all you need to know is  traditional flute music is in the pentatonic scale.  The result is that if you cover all five holes and start blowing, you will get music that sounds "Native" when you lift your figers off the holes.  . E.  Are you buying a piece of art or an instrument?  Make the choice before getting out your credit card.  Many flutes are truly pieces of art reflective of the Native American culture, but they may be hard to play for a variety of reasons. Over the years at Talking Taco Music http://www.talkingtaco.com , which specializes in both Native American and Latino music of the Southwest, customers have consistently asked us for a good beginner's flute. About a year ago I came across the wonderful flutes made by Vance Morrill of Utah.  His Flying Eagle Flute fills the bill for a perfect beginner's flute www.talkingtaco.com/nativeamericaninstruments.html  They only cost $50. 1.  They're made out of a single piece of cedar and have a nice warm tone.  If you want to hear one in action go to I-Tunes www.Itunes.com and type in "The Healing Flute."  It's the new CD by Alice Gomez.  Then preview the tune "Hot Stones."  You'll hear what we're talking about since Alice is playing a Flying Eagle Flute.  If you want to buy "The Healing Flute" CD click on www.talkingtaco.com/alicegomez.html or www.talkingtaco.com 2.  Vance's "Flying Eagle Flutes" are tuned to the pentatonic key of A.  Consequently all you have to do is cover all the holes and start composing melodies by lifting you fingers and blowing.  It's almost impossible to hit a bad note. 3.  Vance has devised a flute where there are no moving parts.  Many flute makers still like to tie on the top part of the flute with rawhide.  It looks nice, but the top part usually becomes dislodged and the novice player will get awfully frustrated trying to find the "sweet spot" where the part goes - before they can get the first decent sound out of the flute. As a result of Vance's design the beginner gets a great looking flute, for only $50, that he can start to play five minutes after opening the box.  Vance includes a little booklet of well-known tunes to get your fingers accustomed to the flute. If you'd like more information, write a comment to the blog or check out the flutes at www.talkingtaco.com  As you'll see they look as good as they sound.                           **** FREE OFFER! *** If you send us a "comment" that you read this blog and place an order at www.talkingtaco.com or on the flute page www.talkingtaco.com/nativeamericaninstruments.html for a flute we'll toss in a free copy of Alice Gomez's new "The Healing Flute" CD as well as our "Ritual Mesa" CD. If you order two or more CDs and send us a comment letting us know about it, we'll toss in a free "Gathering of Shamen" CD with your order.       6:13:39 PM    comment []

Sunday, July 03, 2005

Digging Those Mariachi 'Roots' Digging Mariachi 'Roots' Mention Mexican music and most people, Mexican and non-Mexican alike, will think "mariachi."  Of course what actually constitutes mariachi music varies from the "real thing" to a kind of a made-for-TV image of some guy with a big hat, guitar and a pair of tight black slacks complete with luminescent designs that would have made them appropriate for Elvis during the "Vegas years."  But recently the Arhoolie Record Label, www.arhoolie.com , has succeeded in digging up the roots of mariachi music and released several CDs tracing mariachi from its earliest roots to the present.  We've been so impressed with these recordings that we've added a new "mariachi page" to our website at www.talkingtaco.com along with some of our personal favorites and an instructional book. What the Arhoolie collection does first and foremost is the kill the traditional story about mariachi music being brought to Mexico by the French in the 1860s during the infamous reign of Max and Carolota.  The traditional stories describe costumed mariachis playing at French "marriage" parties because mariachi sounds kind of like the French word for marriage.  What's the French word for B.S.? It turns out the first real mariachis began popping up around the southern part of the Mexican state of Jalisco around 1900.  And they didn't come waltzing out of the hills duded up in colorful costumes.  It turns out they were country boys wearing white homespun trousers and shirts - peasant clothes.  They played at fiestas, pool halls, cockfights and anywhere else they could pick up tips. And guess what?  There weren't any trumpet players.  It was strictly string music - violins, vihuelas, tiny five-string guitars, and guitarrones, large six-string bass guitars.  This brings us to the first recording on our new "pick hit" page: MARIACHI CIRILO MARMOLEJO Vol. 1:  After a rough and tumble boyhood in the countryside of Jalisco, Cirilo Marmolego, the "father" of all mariachis, so-to-speak, put together the first all-pro mariachi group.  After getting some notice and high-profile gigs in Guadalajara, Cirilo's group was asked to play in Mexico City because government officials deemed them to have a "truly authentic Mexican sound."  This has to be the first documented case where bureacrats turned out to be right!  Cirilo went on to become the toast of the town and recorded the cuts on this CD, which represent the truly "pure" Mariachi sound with wonderful tunes like "Blanca Palomita" and "El Toro."  The sound is straight-from-the heart.  The cover alone is worth the price -- Cirilo is seated in front of the group as the prototypical Mariachi. And don't forget the bonus tracks!  There are are a real find for any mariachi aficionado  -- there are four tracks by the first mariachi group that was ever recorded - El Cuarteto Coculense in 1909.  It's a rare treat to hear the first recorded version of "La Malaguena" --  you know, the one that starts "Que bonito ojos tienes." MARIACH VARGAS de TECALITLAN:  Still very active today, Mariachi Vargas can pin its early success on the fact its founder Silvestre Vargas didn't fit the usual "Mariachi stereotype."  As the exhaustive liner notes point out":  "A non drinker himself, he insisted on sobriety, punctuality and discipline from his group. However, this "discipline" doesn't damper Mariachi Vargas' inherent "fire and soul."  This CD collects the group's first recordings from 1937 to 1947 and puts them all on one CD.  It gives fans a chance to hear the original versions of such classics as "El Riflero," "El Zopilote Mojado" and "El Cuervo" along with 21 other classic cuts. CONJUNTO ALMA de APATZIGAN:  An integral element of mariachi music is the Mexican harp and the 6/8 sones rhythms.  Both elements have deep roots in Mexico's "hot lands" of Michoacan.  The Conjunto Alma specializes in keeping alive this lively, ear-friendly harp music.  Its history stretches back to the 1700s.  It's a mesmerizing sound where the harp weaves intricate melodies against a solid back beat provided by a wall of acoustic guitars. LOS CAMPESINOS DE MICHOACAN:  This CD proves the old maxim that says:  "The best Mexican music is played by homesick Mexicans living in the U.S."  Recorded in Northern California, Los Campesinos keep their countrymen in touch with Michoacan via a reperotire of sones and rancheras.  Occasionally, things get so authentic they'll bring someone out of the audience to play the rhythms on the base of the harp - a unique percussive sound usually only heard in Michoacan. MARIACHI FROM MEXICO:  Here's the modern sound of mariachi complete with trumpets.  This CD is something of a collector's item since it also features several vocals by members of Los Lobos.  The song line-up incudes all the must-have mariach favorites:  "Guadalajara,"  Tu y Las Nubes," "Cuando Vayas A Mi Tumba" and "Juan Colorado."                                        *** All of these releases, as well as an instructional book on playing mariachi guitar,are available at www.talkingtaco.com  along with  instrumental mariachi guitar  music by Frank Corrales.  For an exhaustive selection of roots Mexican and Tex-Mex music as well as all types of American roots music visit www.arhoolie.com   5:58:40 PM    comment []