September 2005
Cooder laments the loss of a vibrant city culture and invites a large cast of musicians to help him tell this story, including Little Willie G. of Thee Midnighters, legendary Chicano musician Lalo Guerrero, and Flaco Jimenez. The narrative of Chávez Ravine takes in the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 and the '50s Red Scare, but its emphasis is on the exciting, multifarious sounds and textures of this Latino neighborhood. Cooder uses the knowledge hes gained playing traditional Latin music over the last few years to create a rich musical tapestry, but he also employs sampling and other techniques to give the recording an almost cinematic impact. Not surprisingly, Chávez Ravine is well recorded in warm analog tones. A beautifully illustrated booklet that accompanies the disc helps bring various strands of the narrative into focus. Cooder shows that whatever progress resulted from the destruction of Chávez Ravine was purchased at the loss of something much greater. GO BACK TO: |