Juan Reynoso and the Music of Tierra Caliente

Tierra Caliente had a number of exceptionally talented composers. Juan Bartolo Tavira was one. Bardomiano Flores, nicknamed "El Bravito," was another. One man who was truly in a class by himself, however, was the legendary Isaías Salmerón. Don Isaías contributed literally hundreds of sones, gustos and other musical works to the fabric of Tierra Caliente. To the best of our knowledge he never recorded, and was little-known outside of the region. A fondness for señoritas and mezcal undoubtedly shortened his lifespan, as he died at the age of 52 in 1942, but while the fire of his life still burned he took on a young discípulo. That kid, whose father called him a "crazy child" when he first asked for a violin, was Juan Reynoso.

Fifty years later, the boy who was once known as "Juan el guachi," (guachi meaning 'little' in the local indigenous language) is anything but little in the musical world. A true giant and the undisputed master of the devilishly difficult Calentana style, don Juan has recently seen his fame spread far beyond the confines of Tierra Caliente. His performances at the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, have been met with tumultuous applause, and there he finds dozens of eager students willing to try to tackle his difficult repertoire. Increasing fame has come to him at home as well, with the Mexican government awarding him the 1997 National Prize for Science and the Arts.

The Swing Cat says, "one listen and you'll fall in love."

Don Juan Reynoso
has arrived!

Juan Reynoso and sons
...live at The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes!

Words cannot express how proud we at Swing Cat are to be able to offer recordings of the phenomenal fiddling of the great Juan Reynoso, known as the "Paganini of Tierra Caliente." Señor Reynoso's virtuoso performances in Port Townsend, Washington, in 1996 and '97 set the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes on its collective ear.

Once virtually unknown outside of Mexico's Tierra Caliente - the "Hot Lands" - don Juan's style of fiddling is a blending of age-old traditional tunes with the powerful works of composers such as Isaías Salmerón (Reynoso's teacher), Juan Bartolo Tavira and don Juan himself. From fiery showpieces filled with trumpet-like fanfares to achingly beautiful waltzes, this music must be heard to be believed.

Legend has it that Isaías Salmerón possessed powers of sorcery that could make non-musicians to whom he handed a fiddle magically able to play, and even cause a fiddle resting in a chair to play by itself. Don Juan does not believe in sorcery, but those of us who have heard his wizardry on the instrument are convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that he makes incredibly powerful magic happen with each bow stroke. Hear for yourself!

Volume One: On Fire and In Concert. Compact Disc: Swing Cat CD 1507
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	The maestro and his sons were on fire for this impassioned performance. From the opening bars of their theme song, "Viva Tlapehuala," the audience was transported to another world, a world startling in its directness and honesty. The Reynosos' vocal sones and instrumental gustos burned with the fire of a Spanish bullfight and dripped with passion like a dead-ripe mango. Don Juan's improvisations grew hotter with each song, his sons challenged to toss the master a set of chords that he couldn't dispatch in a dizzying flurry of sixteenth notes. The enraptured audience hung on their every note, exploding in wild applause at each numbers' conclusion. At last it was time for the final cadenza, and the last note - the saddest note - died away. The sadness, however, did not extend to all who were in the hall. A certain Swing Cat digitally captured the whole event, and now we offer you the chance to take this wild ride into the heart of Tierra Caliente as often as you like. Volumes Two, Three and Four are distilled from four days of workshops presented by don Juan and his sons. These workshops were in actuality mini-concerts, as all concerned knew that we could gain the most from don Juan's time by simply allowing the maestro to play freely from his vast repertoire.
Volume Two: Hot as Habanero Compact Disc: Swing Cat CD 1508
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	Volume Two features don Juan playing three powerfully emotional waltzes, including Juventino Rosas' justly famous "Sobre las Olas", known to those of us on the otro lado (the other side of the border) as "Over the Waves." We in America have generally only heard the first of this suite of waltzes, but on this recording don Juan and sons present their version of this piece in its entirety. In addition we hear fourteen tunes in various other styles from Tierra Caliente, including don Juan's own composition "El Toro sin Caporal" ("The Bull without a Leader"), several sones, both vocal and instrumental, a few gustos, a march and a beautiful danzon composed by don Juan's teacher Isaías Salmerón to honor one of his grandmothers. This is a superb collection guaranteed to make you fall in love with the hauntingly beautiful music of Mexico's Hot Lands.
Volume Three: Viva Tierra Caliente Compact Disc: Swing Cat CD 1509
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	Volume Three showcases a magnificent performance of don Juan's theme song, "Viva Tlapehuala." While short versions of this composition by Isaías Salmerón - a tribute to the village where Calentana music was born - are found on all four volumes of this set, this collection alone features all four sections of the complete version. In addition you'll hear two danzon-rumbas, including "Costa Chica," a very old piece that don Juan remembers playing in the early part of the twentieth century "with Isaías and all the old guys." Neyo, Javier and don Juan give the full Reynoso treatment to several sones, gustos, and two gorgeous waltzes as well. Some of don Juan's most heartfelt playing is to be found in this extremely varied volume. One minute you'll hear music you'd swear was the soundtrack for a bullfight, and the next you'd think you'd mistakenly wandered into a Gypsy encampment in Transylvania. A fantastic musical journey!
Volume Four: With Passion Compact Disc: Swing Cat CD 1510
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	Volume Four contains our trump card - Isaías Salmerón's finest, most staggeringly creative work. When I was studying with don Juan in Mexico he told me of an incredible five day fiesta that took place in the early part of the twentieth century. The soiree featured the playing of don Isaías himself. The attendees were dressed to the nines and the music flowed day and night, but each afternoon precisely at five everything stopped for a performance of don Isaías' masterpiece, the seven-minute overture El Célebre. The nine sections of this piece take you through every emotion possible. Don Juan calls the work "capricious" and observes, "you never know where it's going to go." Where El Célebre goes is most assuredly where you will want to go, and as if that ride weren't enough we also offer over a dozen other great works, including don Juan's white-hot improvisations on La Malagueña. If there was ever any doubt why don Juan was crowned "El Paganini de la Tierra Caliente," this collection offers more than adequate sonic explanation.

We at Swing Cat hope that you will decide to let the Reynoso family come and live in your CD collection. The Reynosos are paid a generous royalty for each CD sold. If you love their music as much as we do, rather than taping copies for your friends we ask you to support the Reynosos by ordering additional CDs directly from Swing Cat. This will also help make it possible for us to issue additional volumes featuring the beautiful music of don Juan and his family in the future.