ANC 806  MELODIAS MEXICANAS 

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Anahuac Records was founded by Joaquin Aguilar Robles an extremely important figure in discovering and disclosing the narcotics underworld of the border region during the 1930's through the 1960's.  He was chief of police of Tijuana in 1945 and again in 1954; he was the founder, director and editor of  the publication "Detective Internacional" which was the first publication  to monitor and chronicle the international drug trade in the US/Mexico border region.  He also was a regular contributor of investigative stories and editorials to "El Mercurio", "La Voz de La Frontera", "El Heraldo de Baja California" and "El Diario de Baja California".  He was the   first to report on and reveal the Chinese opium production and trade originating in Sinaloa during the 1920s and 1930s; he traced the Cosa Nostra connection through Bugsy Siegel, Mickey Cohen,  and Virginia Hill's involvement in obtaining new sources of opium morphine and heroin from Baja California during and immediately after World War II, and he was instrumental in reporting on the San Diego based task force efforts  to shut down the border  in the late 1950's with the assistance of the military.  But these are not his greatest accomplishments.  He was also involved during World War II with ex President Lazaro Cardinas to deflect the intended occupation of Baja California by US forces; he was the officer who implemented the seizure and transfer of the Agua Caliente Race Track to the Arguello family in settlement of their claims to all the land comprising Tijuana; he investigated and reported on the rape committed by Juan Soldado and attempted to establish the truth of his guilt despite his enshrinement by popular hysteria.

 Joaquin Aguilar Robles was a dedicated public servant, author, journalist and investigator with a fascinating career and accomplishments.  At the same time, he was a composer of popular songs and a record producer and label owner.

The various recordings on this program date back to the early 1950's and were released on LP by Anahuac for the first time in the 1960's.  The series featured material from the 1940's and 1950's that had been recorded under the direction of Joaquin Aguilar Robles.   It was produced by Jaime de Aguinaga and Pete Korelich, probably with the assistance of Joaquin Aguilar Robles.  The primary focus was the work of various composers that were affiliated with Petko Music and Korelich Music, although some songs were included because of the arrangement rather than the composer.  We selected this title to release first among the recordings that date back to the founding of Anahuac because it contains several compositions by Joaquin Aguilar Robles.   A year after the original release of this LP, Joaquin Aguilar Robles transferred his entire interest in Anahuac to Jaime de Aguinaga and Pete Korelich.   The original order of the selections was in chronologically inverse order, featuring the more current artists and songs in the hopes of attracting more interest in the recordings.  This program follows the actual chronological order of the recordings, as they were originally  released on 78.  Most of the selections are rancheras, with a couple of corridos, although a reworked Cuban guajira is also included.  The album was actually subtitled "Canciones Rancheras con Mariachi", not entirely accurate, but generally descriptive.

The first two selections are from ANC 9015 which featured recordings by a trio entitled Los Tres Detectives, apparently bearing some relationship to Joaquin Aguilar Robles' primary career as police chief and editor of  "Dectective Internacional".  The first selection of this program and the B side of the record, "Al Vaiven de Mi Carreta" written by Cuban folk singer Nico Saquito and made popular by Guillermo Portabales is a guajira, originally performed as a trova, but better known and popularized in the guajira de salon style.  The version by Los Tres Detectives is something in between, clearly a night club version, but keeping the guitar prominent and played with an interesting arrangement using what sounds like a requinto guitar,  jarana or leona.  The second selection helps date this recording as having been made some time after September, 1951, when the establishment of Baja California as the 29th state of Mexico was announced by president Aleman.  The corrido "El Estado 29", Side A of Anahuac 9015, composed in part by Joaquin Aguilar Robles is one of the many regional patriotic works that he and Jaime de Aguinaga were very partial to. 

The next selection, side A of Anahuac 9016 is dedicated to Jorge Negrete, the famous movie actor and singer.  This would date the recording to some time after December 5, 1953 when Jorge Negrete passed away.  The interpretation is by Cirilo Soto with the Mariachi Popular de Jalisco.  Cirilo Soto appears to later have formed his own band, Mariachi Los Plateados.  The Mariachi Popular de Jalisco recorded also for Bram Records. "Corrido de Jorge Negrete" is composed in part by one of the original producers of this collection, Jaime de Aguinaga.

The next two selections by Alfredo Pineda and the Mariachi Perla del Occidente and were released under matrix number ANC 1014.  Alfredo Pineda  had an extensive recording career, appearing on releases by numerous labels, including Columbia, Victor, Musart, and Coast.  Here he is accompanied by Mariachi Perla del Occidente which was later known as the mariachi of Pedro Infante.  The first selection by Alfredo Pineda was the B side, "Los Espaldas Mojadas", composed again in part by Joaquin Aguilar Robles.  This is followed by another regional patriotic song, "Linda Baja California" extolling the virtues of the newly formed state.

The second side (B Side)  of Anahuac 9016 follows, "Entre Risas Tragos Y Cantos", is performed by the Mariachi Popular de Jalisco, providing the vocal chorus and instrumentation.  This ranchera was also composed by Jaime de Aguinaga.

The two selections that follow were originally released  as Anahuac 9017 and consist of two rancheras performed by Cresencio Hernandez and the Trio Los Faraones.  The B side appears first, "No Llores Mas", followed by Pedro Espino Ponce's composition, "El Rancho Chico".  Pedro Ponce composed many works that were recorded by Anahuac in later years.  Cresencio Hernandes had one other release on Anahuac but not backed by Trio Los Faraones.

The last two selections come from Anahuac 9018.  These are by Rafael Vazquez backed by Mariachi Los Plateados de Cirilo Soto. A Mariachi Los Plateados still exists in Los Angeles, and may be a descendant of this orchestra.   Rafael Vazquez recorded for various labels in the 1950's including Imperial, Globe, Musart, Gas and Anahuac.  He may also be the Rafael Vazquez who formed the famous duo of Carmela and Rafael, with actress Carmela Ray and who recorded in the 1960s and 1970s for RCA.  Both songs were composed by Pedro Ponce, whose compositions were primarily interpreted by Anahuac artists.  The first, "Porque" was the B side, and "Me Voy Lejos de Aqui" follows, completing the program. 

This album brings together the individuals who discovered and nurtured the artists who contributed to Anahuac and showcases a bit of their own musical creations.  They are not the first recordings made for or released by Anahuac, but they provide a fairly accurate insight into what Anahuac started out as.  For those who may learn about Joaquin Aguilar Robles in other contexts, it provides examples of his work both  as a producer and as a songwriter.  Anahuac continued to provide an outlet for authentic folk based music of Baja California and the border region and this short album offers a glimpse into the mariachi, rancheras, and trios that typified the frontera music scene in the early 1950s.  

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