11
Steve Vargas takin´
a ride
is at hismost seductive.
YaNo Ilores
is a traditional Mexican song in a fast tempo that gives
Jimenez just the right jump off point for his Muhammad Ali-like flutterings across the
accordion keys.
“Yeah, Flaco really played his ass off on that number. I can still see it for myself, how he
danced around the studio.”
Two masterly cover versions also belong to the high points. The tango
La Paloma
, by this
time just over one hundred years old, was recorded as a special request fromWexler.
“He
said it was one of his favorite songs.”
And Louie sings it in a way that must have broken
Wexler’s heart when he heard it. Almost as beautiful is the interpretation of Marty Robbins’
dramatic wild-west ballad
El Paso
with warbling steel guitars, rumbling marimbas, and
mariachi trumpets in the background.
