Rating:
Genre:
Latin
Release Date: 05/16/2006
Anyone who is seriously into
ranchera films (Mexican westerns) of the '50s, '60s, and '70s knows the name
Antonio Aguilar; the actor/singer appeared in countless westerns in his day. Some connoisseurs of Mexican cinema have described
Aguilar as a Mexican equivalent of
John Wayne, which is an imperfect comparison because the Duke -- unlike
Aguilar -- was not known for singing. But like
Wayne,
Aguilar was huge in his genre -- and
Banda Jerez provide an enthusiastic tribute to him on
Y Arriba Zacatecas: Homenaje a Don Antonio Aguilar. For
Jerez, saluting
Aguilar does not mean going out of their way to emulate his musical performances. In westerns,
Aguilar was famous for
mariachi -- it wasn't uncommon for
Aguilar's characters to sing
mariachi one minute and participate in a gunfight the next -- but there isn't a trace of
mariachi to be found on this 39-minute disc.
Jerez' forte is
banda, and their neo-
banda approach is as rowdy as it is exuberant.
Jerez salute
Aguilar on their own terms, giving
"Animas Que No Amanezca," "El Caballo Blanco," "El Alazán y el Rocío," and other familiar songs a flavor that is modern (by 2006 standards) but certainly not oblivious to the past.
Jerez are hardly the first
banda artists who have embraced songs associated with
Aguilar; the charismatic
banda/
mariachi star
Ezequiel Peña, for example, has recorded excellent
banda arrangements of
"Animas Que No Amanezca" and
"El Alazán y el Rocío," but
Peña is more old-school in his outlook. Had
Peña recorded a
banda tribute to
Aguilar, it would have sounded much different from this in-your-face project. One could even go so far as to say that
Jerez are the
banda equivalent of a
punk band -- and just as
the Ramones had no problem making '50s and early-'60s tunes relevant to
punk,
Jerez never sound the least bit dated on this fine homage to
Aguilar.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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