Deep in the central highlands of Mexico, in the state of Guanajuato, lies the pueblo of Dolores Hidalgo. Known 200 years ago simply as Dolores, to the ecclesiastic powers that be it was the Middle of Nowhere, and so they sent there a particularly unruly and disliked priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo to tend a flock of uneducated indian peasants. This new station proved fortunate for the people of Mexico, as his "Cry of Dolores" on September 16th, 1810, is celebrated as the birth of Mexican Independence.

It was in this town, so re-christian Dolores Hidalgo, that on January 19th in the year 1926, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, the king of mariachi, was born. There were no reports of a star appearing that night, nor of three strangers with gifts arriving from unknown parts. In fact, there was no indications that the boy was anything other than a normal Mexican muchacho, sure to have a love for soccer and probably a penchant for tequila. Yet on this day, the stars had truly aligned in Dolores. From these humble beginnings, in this same city where 200 years ago a bohemian and anti-authoritarian priest told his flock that no man, however poor or ignorant or indian, was born into the dominion of a king, in this same city, a different sort of king arose.

Today, in every city, town, and pueblo in Mexico, you will find a statue paying homage to the legacy of Miguel Hidalgo. And not far from the shadow of this work, there will be a mariachi band playing the songs of Jose Alfredo. There is something intrinsically Mexican about the songs of Jose Alfredo Jiminez, and yet they contain the universal gems of truth that come with emotional vulnerability combined with the artistic brilliance of a natural songwriter. Because as Mexican as it is to hear Jose Alfredo sing of drinking tequila in a cantina, and crying as a mariachi band plays a sad song, one can hear the same pain listening to Hank Williams with his beers, bars, and jukeboxes. With this understanding in mind, I made a year long pilgrimage into the heart of Mexico, to taste the tequila, to hear the mariachi, and to pay homage at the great sombrero that is the grave of Jose Alfredo Jiminez.

Presented here is a collection of songs, selected out of the more than 300 published songs that this self-taught composer and poet wrote. I recorded them, in a folk-country style, in Portland, Oregon, and wrote culturally sensitive translations, call them cultural interpretations, of my favorite pieces. It is hoped that these translations will further the honor and legacy of one of America's most enduring songwriters, and to make his works better known to the english speaking world.
Thanks to the wonderful musicians who recorded with me on this album: Caleb Klauder, Kevin Healy, Jesse Emerson, and Paul Brainard.