Mexico's Pioneer Mariachis, Vol. 3: Their First Recordings 1937-47

, arguably, is the of Mexico -- it is Mexico's classic music, and was as seminal and vital to regional Mexican music as was to . Given 's importance to , it is most regrettable that they took so long to start recording; formed in 1898, Mexico's ultimate band went unrecorded until 1937. For their first 39 years, was strictly a live attraction -- and in an ideal world, they would have been recorded exhaustively from the beginning. Spanning 1937-1947, this 70-minute CD boasts 24 of ' early recordings -- material that has great historic value in addition to being incredibly rewarding. The 1937 and 1938 recordings are without trumpet, which is exactly how wanted it at the time; all he wanted in the '30s was strings and vocals. But trumpets became so popular in that, in 1941, he gave the public what it wanted and hired as ' first permanent trumpeter -- and 's trumpet is a big part of the band's sound on the 1945-1947 recordings, which include well-known Mexican like and the instrumental (also known as "Mexican Hat Dance"). Thanks to the art of digital remastering, these 78-era mono recordings are heard without a lot of noise -- and while this disc doesn't have the type of modern sound quality that an audiophile fantasizes about, it still captures the magic and vitality of early in their long recording career. This is a jewel of a CD that no serious enthusiast should be without. ~ Alex Henderson