Banda Jerez - Y Arriba Zacatecas: Homenaje A Don Antonio Aguilar (CD)

All Music Guide

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 Dukeunlike Aguilarwas not known for singing. But like Wayne, Aguilar was huge in his genreand Banda Jerez provides 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 mariachiit wasn't uncommon for Aguilar's characters to sing mariachi one minute and participate in a gunfight the nextbut there isn't a trace of mariachi to be found on this 39minute disc. Jerez' forte is banda, and their neobanda approach is as rowdy as it is exuberant. Jerez salutes 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 is hardly the first banda artist that has 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 oldschool in his outlook. Had Peña recorded a banda tribute to Aguilar, it would have sounded much different from this inyourface project. One could even go so far as to say that Jerez is the banda equivalent of a punk bandand just as the Ramones had no problem making ‘50s and early ‘60s tunes relevant to punk, Jerez never sounds the least bit dated on this fine homage to Aguilar. - Alex Henderson, All Music Guide Read more Less