Leave it to
Arhoolie
to unearth the great stuff. This double bill combines two living norteno/tejano legends delivering a program of conjunto standards. Accordionist/singer
Flaco Jimenez
and singer/songwriter
Tomas Ortiz
are backed by the latter's
Los Alegres de Teran
, including for this occasion
Arturo Jimenez
on drums and percussion. It's also worth mentioning that this band stars two of the greatest horn players in the genre in saxophonist
Panchito Villareal
and his brother
David
on trumpet. The album was originally issued in 2005 on
's private label, but sold out of its initial pressing quickly. The master languished until
came to the rescue. We are all the richer for it. This conjunto program is sung by the pair in the rural dueto style, but musically reflects both the more recent innovations made by
Flaco
and the "musica nortena" style pioneered by
Ortiz
and his late musical partner
Eugenio Abrego
. These ten songs total only 29 minutes, but they more than make up for that in their dance party quotient. Especially notable are
's polka "Tu Nuevo Carinito,"
Felipe Valdez Leal
's "Me Voy Lejos,"
Pedro Salazar
's tragic "Tierra Mala," and
Rosalio Loera
's romantic bounce "Cuarenta Cartas." But these songs are merely the best of the best. If conjunto is your thing, this set is all killer, no filler. ~ Thom Jurek