Arhoolie Presents American Masters, Vol. 4: 15 Tex-Mex Conjunto Classics (1996)

About this title: One of Arhoolie's specialities has always been Tejano (or Tex-Mex or conjunto if you prefer). Here, the best 15 representatives of the genre from the Arhoolie release archives are presented as Vol. 4 of the Arhoolie American Masters series. As would be expected, the Jimenez family takes up over a quarter of the album, but that's a good thing here. Flaco opens the album with the title track from his Ay Te Dejo album, and Conjunto Bernal follows with a bit of a polka. Lydia Mendoza stands in as the queen of Tejano (surprisingly instead of Eva Ybarra), and Flaco's brother Santiago takes a turn ... read more

Tracks:

1. Ay Te Dejo en San Antonio [Jimenez]
2. Connie [Bernal]
3. Cuando Se Pierde la Madre [Ortiz]
4. Cada Vez Que Cae la Tarde [Jimenez]
5. Zulema [Jimenez]
6. Alejamiento y Regreso [Morante]
7. Atotonilco [Espinosa]
8. El Canoero [Public Domain]
9. Corrido de César Chávez [Fuentes]
10. Pasos Cortos [Lopez]
11. No Me Estorbes [Traditional]
12. Luzita [Martinez]
13. El Mexicano-Americano [Gutierrez/Rodriguez]
14. Hazme Caso [Jordan]
15. Negra Traición [Zimmerle]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.