|
"Los Patrulleros" |
|
Fiddle, mandolin and accordion dance music from the south Texas Valley 
|
|
Biography: Don Jose' was born on March 20, 1930 near the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila, Mexico and has been an active musician since the age of ten. By the time Jose' was eight he had already demonstrated the ability to play the violin, not a new or used vioin, but one fabricated from pieces lying around his home. When he was ten years old his mother had saved 75 pesos for a used violin. In order to pay back the money his mother invested, Jose' took a gig playing for a group of religious devotional dancers known as "matachines." These dancers pay homage to the gods through music and dance. The performance for which he was contracted lasted 24 hours and included his brothers on guitar and bass. They soon began perfroming for weddings, baptisms and other social functions in the area. They became quite popular and gained a considereble following despite thier young age. After several years the brothers disbanded and Jose' worked his way toward la Frontera, eventually reaching the city of Reynoso, just across the Rio Bravo from McAllen, TX. Mr. Moreno would spend the next forty-plus years in this area honing his craft and establishing himself as a master musician. Under the name of Los Patrulleros del Norte, "Fidlero" Moreno began to make recordinging in the 1970's with his singing partner Hermina on mandolin. His recordings from this time feture the unconvential sound of fiddle and mandolin instead of the by-then standard accordion conjunto. Well versed in the three row diatonic accordion, Jose has released several recordings of instrumentals, the latest on Santiago Jimenez, Jr's Chief Records imprint. Since 1995 Mr. Moreno has
been an instructor at the Narcisco Martinez Cultural Arts Center in San
Benito TX where he teaches violin, guitar, mandolin and accordion.
He is highly reguarded along the border and has been recognized as one
of the true interperters of traditional Texas-Mexican music from the Valley.
In 1996 he was been a featured perfomer at Wolf Trap in Vienna VA, and
most recently a staff instructor and perfomer at Centrum's Festival of
American Fiddle Tunes Festival and Seminar in Pt. Townsend WA. In recent
years, he has been accompanied by his student Rigo Garza on bajo sexto
and second voice under the name "Los Patrulleros" (The Patrollers,
) dedicated to preserving Don Jose's distinct Valley style . He wants only
to be remembered simply for "mi musica."
|
|
Discography: El
Fidelero del Valle (Arhoolie 9014, 1999)
(All CD's $15 each, add $2 S+H, make checks payble to Rigo Garza)
|
|
Los Patrulleros
|