As 2017 unravels, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona still relates stories of
musicians and musical events or experiences that made an impact on my musical career. And in this blog, there are many threads that can be hopefully pursued and developed so as to provide our readers a true sense of how it was then. As stated above, now it takes on a more international flavor as we share more episodes of musicians and musical events that enriched and broadened the knowledge and understanding of music, culture and human character in my earlier music career. And as always, educators are encouraged to utilize A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona for their classroom assignments, study groups or other research.
Music and Culture and the Common Man
The entire Southwestern United States border creates a unique setting of two cultures, a meshing of music and language that have defined the character of residents on both sides of the border, and for the residents of Bisbee it was and has been no different. These factors were the driving force that provided them with the fortitude and purpose that carried them through the best and worst of times.
In the following sections, I will begin to interject Spanish vocabulary to provide a more flavorful description of the musical experiences and in some cases that which might be known as border lingo to accurately describe the music and culture, at least for this blog.
As pointed out to me by a well-known poet, years ago at Central School in Bisbee where he was presenting his work at a seminar, he stated that it is important to know the difference between "La Luna" which is feminine as opposed to "El Sol which is masculine and then I asked him "Cuando va para tras"-- "when will you go back" referring to his post at the University and words often spoken by Spanish speakers on the border incorrectly. Whereupon the poet eloquently responded by stating that the words "para tras" meant going backwards and he walked backwards to emphasize his point. But he stated that the correct phrase should be "Cuando va a regresar" which means "When will you be returning". So once again, I was learning from a master teacher and whether it be in music, culture or language or another discipline, it is important to strive for excellence and correctness whether in language or music.
As mentioned in an earlier "A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona" blog, I mentioned the three senores, elderly musicians playing their musical instruments at the end of OK Street as they sat on the porch of an old house on a lazy Sunday summer afternoon. Sometimes, I can still remember the beautiful sounds of a string bass. a saxophone and a guitar as they played together harmoniously to what I would later learn to be waltzes, valses. Often times, these versatile musicians would change instruments and play a violin or a trombone depending on the music they were about to play, and amazingly, they played without sheet music but only from memory. Their music seemed to cling to the sides of upper Brewery Gulch as the sun slowly dropped lower over the mountains but their intensity for their performance never swayed and whoever desired to listen to them was their audience. For a pause in time, I was their audience although they were oblivious to my presence and if I recall correctly, I was almost mesmerized because of this musical uniqueness in the Gulch which always seemed to have distractions in some manner in those rough-and-tumble days of my youth. And the more I dwell on these gentlemen from my earlier childhood days, it seems now more and more apparent to me that they represented a generation that was grasping for classicism, formality, sensitivity, and a type of romanticism in the final segment of their lives through their musical performance from their past musical experiences. In my opinion, I strongly believe that these musicians were playing what I would call Music for the Ages or Musica para Siempre.
OK Street--Bisbee, Arizona
*Al Hirales is a retired underground miner who was born and raised in Bisbee and volunteers for the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum when possible.
Pythian Castle
Bisbee Arizona
Bisbee-Naco Connection
I can always remember, during my childhood days, when my parents listened to the radio, and more specifically, the Naco, Sonora radio station, XETM and also one in Cananea and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. This was cheap entertainment because most people conducted their household chores while listening to one of these stations and when I walked up the Gulch on many a day, I could hear the music loud and clear from many Mexican homes. Now, I said music but not Mexican music because some of it was Mexican music and other was not but popular music of famous bands or groups that played popular music from that time period--50's and 60's.
The radio station XETM in Naco, Sonora, MX was owned and operated by Manuel Franco, a local businessman in Naco. Manuel also owned and operated La Voz del Pueblo, a favorite and popular curios store that was frequented by residents from both sides of the border. It was a common and daily occurence for individuals from the Bisbee-Naco area to do their business and shopping in an informal and laid-back manner. And therefore, whenever I have a discussion about music on the border, I recall one of my favorite college professors, Dr. Guy Bensusan (mentioned before in an earlier blog) who taught classes on culture and music crossing borders.
So, when I started my formal music education with Mr. Quill, I had no other contact or exposure to another type of music except what I heard on the radio. I did,however, listen to other types of music at times through either the Sacred Heart church and later St Pat's church or going to the movies at the Lyric Theatre. The Lyric always had some movies that had different music themes or featured certain notable and famous music personalities at that time. And then, there was the Lowell Theatre where they showed Mexican movies, and my mother and I went to the show there many times. We always caught a ride with someone because my father never owned a car and that's the way it was. Bisbee also had its own radio station--KSUN--and it was more of a comprehensive music and news station which was an integral part of the community at that time.
In short, in my world, at this time, my world was the Gulch, and seldom did I venture outside of this area unless a family friend or other person took us somewhere. It even felt strange going up Tombstone Canyon and to Warren where you sensed you were stepping into a different kind of residential environment, a place that had houses that didn't look like yours--some of them even had grass like in the movies. Wow, what an amazing place. And the only reason I went to Warren was because I had friends from Band who lived there and had invited me to their homes. And if someone said they were going to Tucson, that was: Wow!
So, when the new high school opened its doors, it became a lot easier to explore other nearby areas that were unknown to me, and although, I might have visited Naco Sonora as a small child, it was also a mystery to me although I had gone there as a child.
Once in high school, that world of live performance opened up more as I was asked to play with several "garage band" groups from Bisbee and Naco. These young bands were made of kids who were starting to play music that imitated some of the name groups from that time period. As a matter of fact, one of the very first rock groups that I experienced was at the Lyric Theater in a movie called Rock Around The Clock. The group's name was Bill Haley and the Comets. And this became very popular for young aspiring musicians to form a group similar to this. So, one of the first "garage bands" I played with was a Bisbee group made up of high school kids called "Johnny and the Valiants", and the first gig---their first paid job was at a place called "Polleras"s Pizza Place" in the Don Luis area. "Polleras Pizza Place" was located where the present "Jimmy's Hot Dogs" is located although it is now a smaller building, and when you enter Jimmy's, you can still see the foundation from the larger building. In our only performance at Polleras one night, the Band was paid from a "kitty"---a glass jar in front of the band for tips so that people at the bar who like the music could drop money in the jar. That night each band member made 35 cents and a slice of pizza as payment for their musical services. Actually, that was not bad for a bunch of high school kids and I never forgot one of my first paid "gig"s.
The radio station XETM in Naco, Sonora, MX was owned and operated by Manuel Franco, a local businessman in Naco. Manuel also owned and operated La Voz del Pueblo, a favorite and popular curios store that was frequented by residents from both sides of the border. It was a common and daily occurence for individuals from the Bisbee-Naco area to do their business and shopping in an informal and laid-back manner. And therefore, whenever I have a discussion about music on the border, I recall one of my favorite college professors, Dr. Guy Bensusan (mentioned before in an earlier blog) who taught classes on culture and music crossing borders.
So, when I started my formal music education with Mr. Quill, I had no other contact or exposure to another type of music except what I heard on the radio. I did,however, listen to other types of music at times through either the Sacred Heart church and later St Pat's church or going to the movies at the Lyric Theatre. The Lyric always had some movies that had different music themes or featured certain notable and famous music personalities at that time. And then, there was the Lowell Theatre where they showed Mexican movies, and my mother and I went to the show there many times. We always caught a ride with someone because my father never owned a car and that's the way it was. Bisbee also had its own radio station--KSUN--and it was more of a comprehensive music and news station which was an integral part of the community at that time.
In short, in my world, at this time, my world was the Gulch, and seldom did I venture outside of this area unless a family friend or other person took us somewhere. It even felt strange going up Tombstone Canyon and to Warren where you sensed you were stepping into a different kind of residential environment, a place that had houses that didn't look like yours--some of them even had grass like in the movies. Wow, what an amazing place. And the only reason I went to Warren was because I had friends from Band who lived there and had invited me to their homes. And if someone said they were going to Tucson, that was: Wow!
So, when the new high school opened its doors, it became a lot easier to explore other nearby areas that were unknown to me, and although, I might have visited Naco Sonora as a small child, it was also a mystery to me although I had gone there as a child.
Once in high school, that world of live performance opened up more as I was asked to play with several "garage band" groups from Bisbee and Naco. These young bands were made of kids who were starting to play music that imitated some of the name groups from that time period. As a matter of fact, one of the very first rock groups that I experienced was at the Lyric Theater in a movie called Rock Around The Clock. The group's name was Bill Haley and the Comets. And this became very popular for young aspiring musicians to form a group similar to this. So, one of the first "garage bands" I played with was a Bisbee group made up of high school kids called "Johnny and the Valiants", and the first gig---their first paid job was at a place called "Polleras"s Pizza Place" in the Don Luis area. "Polleras Pizza Place" was located where the present "Jimmy's Hot Dogs" is located although it is now a smaller building, and when you enter Jimmy's, you can still see the foundation from the larger building. In our only performance at Polleras one night, the Band was paid from a "kitty"---a glass jar in front of the band for tips so that people at the bar who like the music could drop money in the jar. That night each band member made 35 cents and a slice of pizza as payment for their musical services. Actually, that was not bad for a bunch of high school kids and I never forgot one of my first paid "gig"s.
San Jose Mountain and Naco, Sonora in Foreground
The small town of Naco, Sonora which is located just a few miles from Bisbee is another border town is rich in history especially during the Mexican Revolution.
Anyone desiring more information about this episode would well be served by logging onto the Bisbee Mining Historical Museum website. Naco has always had a connection to Bisbee in some manner but primarily known to many as an after-hours entertainment that provided relief from work especially miners and others who needed to go after the bars closed in the Bisbee area. One other point that should be noted is that Naco, Arizona on the U.S. side also had at least 2 or 3 places that provided venues for celebration but after hours or about 1:00 am, everyone who wanted to continue to dance or maybe have a late-night meal would go to Naco, Sonora, MX.
In the late 50's and early 60's, Bisbee and the border areas were alive with music and dancing, and there were all types of musical activities in the schools and the community. At Bisbee High School, the annual Cuprite Follies which was held in the Spring with shows not only in the evening for several days but also matinees for the area schools, and sometimes, the Follies would go on the road to places like the VA in Tucson and Old Tucson to entertain folks up there. In the Follies, music was international with groups from the high school that provided their talent for the show.
Someone was always getting married every weekend of the year, and if there was a wedding, there were receptions, and if there was a reception, there was music and a dance for the newlyweds and their invited guests. Usually, the wedding receptions were held at St. Pats Hall below the church or at the Gay 90s or the Papagayo Club in Naco,Arizona and later, many weddings were held at the Elks Club at Bisbee Junction until the closure of the mines curtailed functions there.
While at Bisbee High School, it was time to learn and embrace music from major composers and Broadway musicals like Bernstein, Rodgers and Hammerstein and marches from band leaders like Sousa and Big Band leaders like Glenn Miller and Ray Coniff, and jazz styles from Dave Brubeck, Louie Armstrong, and the dixieland styles from The Dukes of Dixieland and clarinet player Pete Fountain. In addition, I had come to listen and learn the music of Richie Valens, Chuck Berry, and the originality of Buddy Holly and Motown sounds, and then there was Elvis, but the Beatles had not arrived nor the rest of the British invasion.
At this point in this storyline, it must be mentioned that my own personal knowledge and musical experience was about to be expanded to include boleros, corridas, cha-cha-chas, cumbias, danzones, valses, rancheras, sambas, and other styles of Latin American music that later I fould out to be similar in musical style to American music in many ways. To illustrate this point, I can remember playing what high school kids called (at least in Bisbee) the John Paul Jones dance which was like a 2-step dance, and later I fould out that in Naco these were the corridas with the same beat so the language did not matter. It was all the same.
Now, I started to listen to the music of Los Panchos, a popular Mexican trio who later become even more popular when they recorded a classic recording with Edye Gorme. There was Javier Solis, a Mexican mariachi vocalist and Lucha Villa, another Mexican female performer who was backed up by mariachis t the time. I also started to listen to Perez Prado, a famous Cuban band leader whose music was prevalent in dance clubs like the Monterrey Club in Naco, Sonora, MX, one of the most popular after-hours club on the Arizona-Mexican border. Besides Perez Prado, there was music from La Sonora Santanera and other composers like Agustin Lara and others who wrote beautiful love music that was performed in the bolero style. The list of these vocalists and musicians and band leaders goes on and on and there were young vocalists like Juan Gabriel who were starting to make a mark in the musical world. Later, we will look at his contributions, many of which are well worth mentioning in a later blog. In short, there are too numerous to mention at this time because as said earlier, there was a lot of musical activity and we will leave some of this discussion for later blogs.
At this point in this storyline, it must be mentioned that my own personal knowledge and musical experience was about to be expanded to include boleros, corridas, cha-cha-chas, cumbias, danzones, valses, rancheras, sambas, and other styles of Latin American music that later I fould out to be similar in musical style to American music in many ways. To illustrate this point, I can remember playing what high school kids called (at least in Bisbee) the John Paul Jones dance which was like a 2-step dance, and later I fould out that in Naco these were the corridas with the same beat so the language did not matter. It was all the same.
Now, I started to listen to the music of Los Panchos, a popular Mexican trio who later become even more popular when they recorded a classic recording with Edye Gorme. There was Javier Solis, a Mexican mariachi vocalist and Lucha Villa, another Mexican female performer who was backed up by mariachis t the time. I also started to listen to Perez Prado, a famous Cuban band leader whose music was prevalent in dance clubs like the Monterrey Club in Naco, Sonora, MX, one of the most popular after-hours club on the Arizona-Mexican border. Besides Perez Prado, there was music from La Sonora Santanera and other composers like Agustin Lara and others who wrote beautiful love music that was performed in the bolero style. The list of these vocalists and musicians and band leaders goes on and on and there were young vocalists like Juan Gabriel who were starting to make a mark in the musical world. Later, we will look at his contributions, many of which are well worth mentioning in a later blog. In short, there are too numerous to mention at this time because as said earlier, there was a lot of musical activity and we will leave some of this discussion for later blogs.
Monterrey Night Club
Naco, Sonora, MX
Monterrey Night Club
Patio Monterrey Dance Floor
Naco, Sonora, MX
photos courtesy of Border Post Cards Daniel Arreola
published by University of Arizona Press
The Monterrey Night Club during the 50's and 60's was the premier club to go to for dancing and dining in the Bisbee area after hours and everyone would go to this club for a late-night meal and dance to the early morning hours on Fridays and Saturdays. In addition to the patio dance floor as shown above, it had an inside dance area, a bar, and a restaurant. The Monterrey Club had its own big band orchestra which played not only Perez Prado arrangements but other big band Latin music, and also, music from the popular Glenn Miller bands from the 1940's. You could walk into the club on any given night that the Monterrey Orchestra was playing, and they would probably be playing the ever-popular In The Mood enjoyed by patrons from both sides of the border.
Monterrey Orchestra
Patio Monterrey
Naco, Sonora, MX
(Earlier)
Although some of the musicians in this picture have been identified, and also knowing some of them myself, and playing with them, we are still waiting for further identification of the entire group at which time we will publish the picture again with correct names. For readers of this blog and to educate people who are not familiar with the group and the times, it is a very nostalgic memory for those who can still remember the music these gentlemen provided at the Monterrey Club which no longer exists. So, if you would have attended a dance at this Club with this group at this time, the couples would have been in semi-formal attire. Men would probably have worn a tie and shirt, ladies in full semi-formal dress--or the best attire you could have worn if you didn't have lots of money. You would have been waited upon by male waiters who wore a white long-sleeve shirt and tie, and you would have been provided with excellent personal service that is not seen very often these days. The music for the dance would have been broken up into a 40 or 45-minute set with about a 20-minute break known as a tanda and at the break, the gentleman would have probably ordered refreshments. After the 3rd set which would have been about 11 or 12 midnight, chances are the gentleman and other friends would have gone to the full-service bar on the other side of the club and there would have been a trio of guitar players or maybe a mariachi group--but probably not in mariachi regalia like we see today. With a sound of a saxophone warming up or the sound of a few notes from the piano, it would be the signal for the gentlemen to go back to his lady to continue the dancing. About 1 am, chances are, the couple would probably become hungry and then they would go into the dining room area, and order probably un empanizado (breaded veal cutlet) or maybe some tacos or other mexican food. At about 2 or 3, it would be time to go home if the lady had permission to stay out that late. If not it could be earlier but the Orchestra would continue playing probably until 3 in the morning. If it was Friday night, the Orchestra would do it again on Saturday night. And more often than not, the Club would have tardeadas or tea dances on Sunday afternoon which would start earlier in the afternoon and terminate in the early evening hours so people would have time to get ready for work on Mondays.
**Note: Something well mentioning about this earlier version of the Monterrey Orchestra--no bass and the piano was an old upright that sat in the Club for years--nothing electric or amplified.
For our Spanish-speaking readers of A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona:
Para nuestros amigos de idioma Espanol, queremos conpartir estos recuerdos de esa epoca desde los anos 50s en el blog Una Trompeta Toca Sobre Arizona para reconocer esos individos que dejaron su labor artistico para siempre y tambien para ensenar a la juventud como la comunidad desfrutaban en un ambiente sano y de respeto. Envitamos a personas que nos manden fotos y informacion tocante individos que han trabajada en este mismo tema de musica para reconcerlos y documentar para la juventud de estos momentos importantes. Esperamos que pueda dar a la juventud ejemplos de como llegar a ganar sus metas en la vida.
Maestros pueden usar informacion de Una Trompeta Toca Sobre Arizona-A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona-en sus clases.
Phillip A. Hirales aka Felipe Antonio Hirales
Email: hiralesp@gmail.com
phone: 520-227-9368
Trumpet Call
As Trumpet Plays Over Arizona reaches out to recognize and honor musicians, band teachers, band leaders, and other musical organizations from other parts of Arizona and beyond, we hope that our readers will provide names and information for those individuals who should be recognized for their musical contributions that might be included in this blog sometime in the future as an example for our youth and future generations.
And as always, like my favorite piano tuner once said, stay tuned.
Phillip A. Hirales
For our Spanish-speaking readers of A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona:
Para nuestros amigos de idioma Espanol, queremos conpartir estos recuerdos de esa epoca desde los anos 50s en el blog Una Trompeta Toca Sobre Arizona para reconocer esos individos que dejaron su labor artistico para siempre y tambien para ensenar a la juventud como la comunidad desfrutaban en un ambiente sano y de respeto. Envitamos a personas que nos manden fotos y informacion tocante individos que han trabajada en este mismo tema de musica para reconcerlos y documentar para la juventud de estos momentos importantes. Esperamos que pueda dar a la juventud ejemplos de como llegar a ganar sus metas en la vida.
Maestros pueden usar informacion de Una Trompeta Toca Sobre Arizona-A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona-en sus clases.
Phillip A. Hirales aka Felipe Antonio Hirales
Email: hiralesp@gmail.com
phone: 520-227-9368
Trumpet Call
As Trumpet Plays Over Arizona reaches out to recognize and honor musicians, band teachers, band leaders, and other musical organizations from other parts of Arizona and beyond, we hope that our readers will provide names and information for those individuals who should be recognized for their musical contributions that might be included in this blog sometime in the future as an example for our youth and future generations.
And as always, like my favorite piano tuner once said, stay tuned.
Phillip A. Hirales
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