When I first started buying salsa CDs, I wasn't all that happy to come across the occasional bolero track. I think Cheo Feliciano was probably the first singer to win me over. As far as I know, boleros have been universally popular (at some point) throughout Latin America. Beny More, Celia Cruz, and La Lupe have all sung them, but so have dozens of other singers whose names are a lot less familiar.
*Bolero singer. Apparently the feminine ending remains regardless of the fact that the singer is male.
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 29 March 2004 13:47 (twenty years ago) link
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Monday, 29 March 2004 14:10 (twenty years ago) link
― Rocksit Scientist, Monday, 29 March 2004 14:13 (twenty years ago) link
A universal, sentimental ballad style, rooted in Spanish-derived African-infl. fusion from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, later Mexico; the Puerto Rican style more closely related to its Spanish root than syncopated Cuban. The visit of an Italian opera company to Cuba 1842 is still heard in the high, passionate voices of best exponents of bolero; Cuban middle classes exported it back to Europe in a slowed-down style which held sway in salons and dance halls for decades, infl. heard in songs by George Gershwin, Xavier Cugat; still traces in USA country music, especially in the work of Freddy Fender, Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur. (Marice Ravel's Bol‚ro '27 was an instrumental experiment in dynamics having little to do with the Latin style.) In the '50s Celia Cruz and Tito Rodriguez combined the smooth romantic qualities of bolero singing with the improvisational nature of mambos, rumbas etc; they remain among the foremost exponents on record.
Musicweb Encyclopedia
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 29 March 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link
I'd be interested to know which songs by Linda Ronstadt exhibit the clearest traces of Bolero elements.
― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Monday, 29 March 2004 15:04 (twenty years ago) link
Go buy.
― Jay Kid (Jay K), Monday, 29 March 2004 19:29 (twenty years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist (rockistscientist), Tuesday, 30 March 2004 02:32 (twenty years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 16 June 2004 17:39 (nineteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 18 September 2004 00:19 (nineteen years ago) link
The Lucho Gatica songs are very sentimental and the sound is undeniably dates, but I like him.
― Rockist_Scientist (rockist_scientist), Saturday, 18 September 2004 00:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― RS (Catalino) LaRue (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 23:27 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Thursday, 16 June 2005 01:50 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 10 October 2005 20:59 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Monday, 10 October 2005 21:03 (eighteen years ago) link
http://www.lafi.org/magazine/articles/bolero.html
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 01:12 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Thursday, 22 December 2005 00:08 (eighteen years ago) link
― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Friday, 23 December 2005 02:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― R_S (RSLaRue), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link
I don't say too much about this partly because what is there to say about a retro all-bolero album in 2016? Miramar nails a certain sound, with great attention to detail. All the boleros are either by Sylvia Rexach, a Puerto Rican bolero composer, or are in tribute to her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snvAteBqgeI
An original from Miramar (kind of reminds me of early 70s solo Bryan Ferry at the beginning):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mp3qRUqYzU
What can you say about bolero? It's an old genre, but it might be the ultimate specifically romantic genre ever.
― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 22 December 2016 14:55 (seven years ago) link
OK, well they aren't always romantic really. The description I copied earlier in the thread is better. Still makes the ultimate romantic genre, even if it isn't always romantic.
― _Rudipherous_, Thursday, 22 December 2016 15:01 (seven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEekkYCo7-M
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 December 2016 22:32 (seven years ago) link
I like how they list him as the composer though. Arranger maybe. Sylvia Rexach was the composer. He knows that but whoever put the credits up doesn't seem to.
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 December 2016 22:39 (seven years ago) link
And I might as well throw in this bolero written by iLe's grandmother, from another 2016 album which is at least somewhat bolero oriented:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkaXwEPfeE
― _Rudipherous_, Wednesday, 28 December 2016 22:42 (seven years ago) link
iLe, formerly PG-13 of Calle 13.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/obituaries/sylvia-rexach-overlooked.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR23k-l2KHCDLsWXuRvfgt_5hSgevioFNR5SkRr_kw7cPbgbvTWDURNi2AY
NY Times Overlooked series of obits on people they uh overlooked this week covers Puerto Rican bolero singer Sylvia Rexach who died at 39 in 1961
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 20 September 2022 02:54 (one year ago) link
I love Los Panchos with and without Eydie Gormé, but those records with Eydie Gormé are extra-special.
Agustin Lara. My mom's favorite and, if you're (a) romantic, unbeatable. Search any recordings of Lara voice+piano.
― Meet Me in the Z'Ha'Dum (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 25 November 2022 15:44 (one year ago) link
Most likely a co-write between the two of them. Seems to be from a film and he’s in it!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_%281948_film%29
― Meet Me in the Z'Ha'Dum (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 25 November 2022 17:27 (one year ago) link
Agustín Lara was also the second husband of María Félix.
― Meet Me in the Z'Ha'Dum (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 25 November 2022 17:38 (one year ago) link
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/arts/music/pablo-milanes-dead.html
RIP Cuban nuevo trovo and bolero singer Pablo Milanes
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 27 November 2022 05:45 (one year ago) link
*bump*
― Bringing Up Initials B.B. (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 March 2023 01:47 (one year ago) link
I don’t really have anything to add to what I posted before, still feel the same way if not more so.
― Bringing Up Initials B.B. (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 March 2023 01:49 (one year ago) link
i like this stones throw artist lo fi boleros albumhttps://stonesthrow.bandcamp.com/album/boleros-valses-y-mas-2
― corrs unplugged, Monday, 27 March 2023 07:41 (one year ago) link