The entirety of
Ayala
's 1968 LP,
Viva Mi Desgracia
, and 1973 LP,
Adios Mama Carlota
, are combined onto this 2001 CD reissue, with the addition of three sides he did in 1948. It's a pretty standard mix of
conjunto
accordion tunes and styles, accenting the
polkas
and
waltzes
. Accompaniment is fairly sparse, except for the 1948 sides, which add an alto sax. When a little rhythmic irregularity is introduced in
"Silencio de la Noche"
or the
military cadences
of
"Salida de los Franceses Y Adios Mama Carlota,"
it's a real wake-up call. These are all instrumental, but one can detect an unusual (for
) inspiration for one song by the title,
"Memoria Al Senator Kennedy,"
recorded a few months after
Robert F. Kennedy
's assassination. ~ Richie Unterberger