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Tejano Roots:
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Buy It Now!
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Isidro López - vocals & alto sax with various conjuntos, orquestas, and mariachis.
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Listen to some of the tracks!! (uses RealAudio®) 1. Tarde Pa' Arrepentirnos 2. Todo O Nada 3. Inconsolable - (with Conjunto Tony De La Rosa) 4. La Tripa 5. Tu Corazon Y El Mio - (with Tony De La Rosa) 6. Diganle 7. Desocupaste Mi Carino - (with Amadeo Flores) 8. Por Tu Carino - (with Amadeo Flores) 9. Comprende Carino 10. Quien Va A Pensar 11. A Ver Si Me Olvidas 12. La Calloza 13. Sufriendo Y Penando 14. Sabor A Mi 15. Marcho Rock & Roll 16. Eschame A Mi La Culpa 17. Mi Rosita 18. Amor Perdido 19. Nuevo Contrato 20. Cuatro Vidas 21. Al Ver Que Te Vas 22. Y 23. Tierra Sin Nombre 24. Mi Soldadita |
REVIEWS “While the Martínez and De La Rosa albums are crucial and wonderful historical documents, alto sax player and singer Isidro López's is also way, way cool. Called `El Indio' because of his full blood Mescalera Apache mother, López played with conjuntos, eight to fifteen piece orquestas and mariachis, everything from traditional rancheras to rock & roll earning himself the title of `The father of Tejano music.' Playing sax in a Weslaco orquesta, López was an IDEAL session player until 1954 when he filled in for a no show singer and Armando Marroquin told him, `forget the other singer, you record from now on.' A string of hits followed, such early ones as `Diganle,' with Juan Colorado's orquesta and `Por Tu Cariño,' with Conjunto Ideal, demonstrating López's popularity, which soon became national and, despite barriers that Mexico still places before Tejano musicians, international, whatever form he performed in. Too much of latter-day Tejano music is little more than Spanish-language pop (the haircuts are a dead give away), but in the bands of López, with his gorgeous sax sound and fine, emotional voice, it was vigorous, complex, immensely varied, innovative while rooted, and sounds terrific to this day."(John Conquest — Music City - Texas) |
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“Isidro López is an artist who believed in giving the people what they want, and judging from this collection, that seems to leave no style unsung: conjunto, jump jazz, bolero, rock, mariachi, plain old pop.
López started with the alto sax, and he always stuck with that, even when he became revered for his vocals. López sings with a much prettier-citier voice than you hear in conjunto, obviously influenced by the pop singers of the '30s and '40s. So even when he sings a duet with famous accordionist Tony de la Rosa, backed by a bajo sexto, the hillbilly edge is almost not there. When López is accompanied by mariachis, the tearful warble is far more controlled than heard in a singer with a full-time commitment to the style. My favorite stuff from this López collection is the more unusual. `La Tripa,' referring to the breakfast of champions, menudo (a tripe dish, thick soup or watery stew, reputed to be the only hangover cure), sounds like Louis Jordan meets Xavier Cugat, swinging and jumping and Latin all the way. Then the next cut breaks to pure conjunto, accordion and bajo, and the music is just as good. Another surprise is López' rendering of `I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover' as `Mi Rosita.' The Spanish lyrics are credited to López, the arrangement sounds to be heavily influenced by the Art Mooney hit on MGM and the classic Mummers hit that the Uptown String Band had with `Clover' in 1947. One of the most popular of the young orquestas tejanas today, Tierra Tejana has recorded a number of López' compositions. It is fascinating to hear how closely they stick to his original arrangement, filling in their smaller band's sound with judicious use of the synthesizer, paying an obvious complement to López' original work.” (Mary Armstrong — Sing Out!) |
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“This hour-plus collection and its notes show how singer/alto saxophonist/bandleader Isidro Lopez dragged skeins of Texan and Mexican music kicking and screaming across musical and class lines to create the fusion known as Tejano music. Like much pop music of the late 1950s, the sound of many of these cuts may now seem a little dated. It's utterly fascinating, however, to read and listen to how "El Indio" used the clout of his star appeal to incorporate not only formal "orquesta Tejana" music in his 15-piece band, but also mariachi, bolero, "low class" conjunto, and even rock `n' roll sounds that had seldom mixed on or off bandstands in the Chicano community.”
(Tom Smith — Record Roundup) |
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“El Indio: Isidro Lopez Con Orquesta, Conjunto Y Mariachi highlights the recordings, 1954-62, of the father of Tejano music. Lopez built on the foundations of Beto Villa who founded the first Tex-Mex orchestra, an 8-17 piece ensemble, the Orquesta Tejana. Taking his alto sax and the orquesta as foundations, Lopez added elements of conjunto and mariachi blended with a little country ala Eddy Arnold and `50s Elvis vocalizations to become the leading practioner of this unique fusion of diverse styles. The collection offers some informative sonic insights into this little known and under appreciated musical hybrid.”
(Kirk Robertson — Soundings) |
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