Boleros and Boleristas: S/D

A universal, sentimental ballad style, rooted in Spanish-derived African-infl. fusion from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, later Mexico; the Puerto Rican style more closely related to its Spanish root than syncopated Cuban. The visit of an Italian opera company to Cuba 1842 is still heard in the high, passionate voices of best exponents of bolero; Cuban middle classes exported it back to Europe in a slowed-down style which held sway in salons and dance halls for decades, infl. heard in songs by George Gershwin, Xavier Cugat; still traces in USA country music, especially in the work of Freddy Fender, Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur. (Marice Ravel's Bol‚ro '27 was an instrumental experiment in dynamics having little to do with the Latin style.) In the '50s Celia Cruz and Tito Rodriguez combined the smooth romantic qualities of bolero singing with the improvisational nature of mambos, rumbas etc; they remain among the foremost exponents on record.

Musicweb Encyclopedia

I'd be interested to know which songs by Linda Ronstadt exhibit the clearest traces of Bolero elements.

Go buy.

The Lucho Gatica songs are very sentimental and the sound is undeniably dates, but I like him.

http://www.lafi.org/magazine/articles/bolero.html

I don't say too much about this partly because what is there to say about a retro all-bolero album in 2016? Miramar nails a certain sound, with great attention to detail. All the boleros are either by Sylvia Rexach, a Puerto Rican bolero composer, or are in tribute to her.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snvAteBqgeI

An original from Miramar (kind of reminds me of early 70s solo Bryan Ferry at the beginning):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mp3qRUqYzU

What can you say about bolero? It's an old genre, but it might be the ultimate specifically romantic genre ever.

OK, well they aren't always romantic really. The description I copied earlier in the thread is better. Still makes the ultimate romantic genre, even if it isn't always romantic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEekkYCo7-M

I like how they list him as the composer though. Arranger maybe. Sylvia Rexach was the composer. He knows that but whoever put the credits up doesn't seem to.

And I might as well throw in this bolero written by iLe's grandmother, from another 2016 album which is at least somewhat bolero oriented:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkaXwEPfeE

iLe, formerly PG-13 of Calle 13.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/obituaries/sylvia-rexach-overlooked.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR23k-l2KHCDLsWXuRvfgt_5hSgevioFNR5SkRr_kw7cPbgbvTWDURNi2AY

NY Times Overlooked series of obits on people they uh overlooked this week covers Puerto Rican bolero singer Sylvia Rexach who died at 39 in 1961

I love Los Panchos with and without Eydie Gormé, but those records with Eydie Gormé are extra-special.

Agustin Lara. My mom's favorite and, if you're (a) romantic, unbeatable. Search any recordings of Lara voice+piano.

Most likely a co-write between the two of them. Seems to be from a film and he’s in it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_%281948_film%29

Agustín Lara was also the second husband of María Félix.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/arts/music/pablo-milanes-dead.html

RIP Cuban nuevo trovo and bolero singer Pablo Milanes

*bump*

I don’t really have anything to add to what I posted before, still feel the same way if not more so.

i like this stones throw artist lo fi boleros album
https://stonesthrow.bandcamp.com/album/boleros-valses-y-mas-2