A couple of weeks ago, the front man of a new conjunto asked me to do some recording sessions for his album. The invitation was very appealing, especially since it’s been a while since the last time I laid bass lines for a record. The excitement, however, lasted very little. After rehearsing with the band a few times, only one of which was with a drummer, the bandleader decided it was time to hit the studio. I was unnerved by the singer’s anything-goes attitude and his belief that mastering a record will turn off-key passes and out-of-tempo tunes and turn them into Grammy material. I guess what bothered me more was the realization that this is the approach many bands are taking when it comes recording new material. It is that “it’s-good-enough” notion that has turned off most major record labels when it comes to dealing with some Tejano and Conjunto artists. Where did our sense of pride go? Mediocrity hurts the music we love so much. It wouldn’t hurt if some of these up-and-coming acts realized that.
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