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JOSÉ GUTIERREZY LOS HERMANOS ocHOA. La Bamba: Sones Jarochos from Veracruz; Los Camperos de Valles, El ave de mi Soñar: Mexican Sones Huastecos; Arpex, ¡Tierra Caliente! Music from the Hotlands of Michoacán. Three individual compact discs. 2003, 2005, 2006. Smithsonian Folkway Recordings (United States). Descriptive notes, song lyrics, photos. (Available from: Smithsonian Folkway Recordings, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, 750 gth Street, NW, Suite 4100, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0953)
Recently, three albums from the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings collection came to my attention that align with the Smithsonian efforts of "supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation, preservation, and dissemination of sound." In this light, these recordings feature the three regional manifestations of arguably the most prolific genre in Mexican folk music: the son. However, all three examples also stand, to some extent, in contrast with the Smithsonian mission statement. Unlike other recordings devoted to the son, these albums do not provide the listener with a sampler of songs performed by different artists, which could give an idea of musical practices within a given region. Here we have instead the rendition of regional sones ( jarocho, huasteco, and from the Tierra Caliente region, which encompasses the states of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacan, and Guerrero) by three distinct ensembles who have consolidated a name as professional performers devoted to specific regional repertories.
In the case of La Bamba: Sones Jarochos from Veracruz, featuring the ensemble...