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Topic: "Maria Elena": A6 Lap Steel |
Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 21 Jan 2011 11:45 pm |
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This tune has long been a favourite of mine. I play normal guitar (Martin custom X) and steel guitar (Steelocaster A6), in the key of B. Rhythm and bass guitar by Gary Taylor. This tune was instrumentalized by Los Indios Tabajaras, a guitar duo of two brothers from northern Brazil.
Playing in Rio de Janeiro, they found success as Natalicio and Antenor Lima - dressing in ceremonial Indian costumes. Using classical guitars and playing transcriptions of classical violin and piano works, they were soon playing all over South America.
RCA's Latin American arm signed them to a recording contract in 1943. In the early 1950s, they took a break from performing and went back to study the guitar. After returning to the stage later that same decade, they released an album in the United States on an RCA-owned label named Vox.
Throughout this period, they had a steady stream of releases on RCA in Mexico and "María Elena" (named after the wife of a Mexican president and recorded in 1958), became a steady seller, a success throughout Latin America and was finally re-released in the U.S. in 1962. It spent 14 weeks on the Hot 100 in the fall of 1963, four of which were in its top 10 in November 1963, and had similar success in the United Kingdom. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. Los Indios Tabajaras continued to tour throughout the Americas and Europe.
RCA released albums by Los Indios Tabajaras into the 1980s. Though Antenor retired from performing, Natalicio Lima continued to perform into the 1990s with his wife, Michiko. He died in November 2009.
http://www.4shared.com/account/audio/83zj-9qy/Maria_Elena.html
or
http://soundcloud.com/kay-das/maria-elena
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David Matzenik
From:
Cairns, on the Coral Sea
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 2:08 am
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Thanks Kay, that is one of my favourite tunes. It should have been the theme for a movie romance, black and white of course. Thanks for doing it in A6th also. I remember Los Indios back in the sixties. You must have a great record collection. 
_________________
Don't go in the water after lunch. You'll get a cramp and drown. - Mother. |
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Tom Keller
From:
Greeneville, TN, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 9:09 am
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| I love that song! Love your arrangement. I have wasted way to much time trying to learn that like the original record. Nato was one of my all time favorite guitar players. |
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Ron Simpson
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 11:41 am
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| Great job Kay. An excellent recording of a classic song. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 1:39 pm
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Nice job. The recording has nice vibe.
I've always loved Ry Cooder's version of this song. There's not much by him that I don't love, though.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Peter Lindelauf
From:
Penticton, BC
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 4:40 pm
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That was a good arrangement, Kay, and well-played. Thanks. Another song to learn. Especially enjoyed the A6 register.
_________________
...but you are the music / while the music lasts (TS Eliot) |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 5:09 pm
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| Wow, that was a breath of fresh air. Thanks for bringing so much beauty into my day. |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Don Kona Woods
From:
Hawaiian Kama'aina
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Posted 22 Jan 2011 5:35 pm
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I have always been fascinated by this song, Maria Elena.
Kay, you did a mighty fine job on it and it was enjoyable listening.
The following is some of the history I have found on the song:
"María Elena" was written in 1932 by Lorenzo Barcelata and and as Kay said it was dedicated to María Elena, the wife of Mexican President Emilio Portes Gil.
An instrumental version of the song was used for the background theme of the film Bordertown, starring Paul Muni and Bette Davis, in 1935.
In 1936, the words and music were used in the Mexican film María Elena.
Of all people, Lawrence Welk introduced a recording of the tune on his radio program in 1941 on the Okeh Records label.
However, the song became famous and well know when the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra recorded it with Bob Eberly doing the vocal.
This is the recording that I remember most in my association with this song. The recording made on March 19, 1941 by Decca Records. The flip side was "Green Eyes." This record first reached the Billboard magazine charts on May 16, 1941 and lasted 17 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1 on June 14, 1941. Since "Green Eyes" was also a #1 hit, this was a major double-sided hit recording. In the same year the Wayne King Orchestra also had a #2 hit with "Maria Elena".
As already mentioned Los Indios Tabajaras first recorded this song in 1958 and then released it in the United States in 1962. It hit No.6 in the Billboard pop chart and No.3 on the Billboard easy listening chart in the USA in late 1963.
Aloha, 
Don |
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Les Anderson
From:
The Great White North
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Posted 23 Jan 2011 12:07 am
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That was wonderfully done Kay. This is one of the songs, in my mind, that should not be supped up, jazzed up or cluttered with fancy picking in any manner. It is a classic guitar solo and one I have spent twenty years trying to learn to play without a flaw on my electric, classical and non-pedal steel guitars.
Of all the artists who I have heard play this tune, here is the one that is nothing but pure Maria Elena.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_N_dqVUsoY |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 23 Jan 2011 10:26 am
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Kay,
In my opinion that is your best work to date!
Your Guitar and the Steelocaster solos are
excellent.
You have your OWN sound on the Steelocaster. It would
be nice to hear you do an original composition on
that instrument. The tonal settings you had on it there and your touch set it aside from anything I
have heard on a steel guitar.
Best of luck to you.
Roy
_________________
Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 23 Jan 2011 4:13 pm
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Friends, I feel greatly humbled by your encouragements, greatly appreciated. In a hurry today, will respond at greater length another time....
Hats off to Lorenzo Barceleta for penning this tune. Right from that G#7 chord early in the tune (if in the key of B), your ears tell you that it is going to be a great one. Hats off to Natalicio Lima and his ability to play those demi-semi-quavers or hemi-semi-demi quavers....
Kay |
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Andrea Tazzini
From:
Massa, Italy
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Posted 24 Jan 2011 10:10 am
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bravo Kay! I knew this song in the version by Ry Cooder.
Ciao,
Andrea |
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Steinar Gregertsen
From:
Arendal, Norway, R.I.P.
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Posted 24 Jan 2011 11:34 am
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Very very nice, I really enjoyed this!
_________________
"Play to express, not to impress"
Website - YouTube |
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James Kerr
From:
Scotland, UK
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Posted 24 Jan 2011 5:04 pm
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Good stuff Kay, I really enjoyed that.
James. |
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Andy Barlo
From:
Schererville, Indiana, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 26 Jan 2011 3:24 am
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| First of all, let me tell you that was magnificient Kay. It's funny but I just asked someone the other day "how come you never see any music written in the key of B" and here it is. Why is that? JB's arrangement is in the key of Eb. In your opinion, in which key would it be easier to play, or doesn't it make any difference to you? At any rate, good job. You will now have to come to Winchester and play this for our convention. Andy |
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 26 Jan 2011 10:17 pm
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Grateful to all for the comments.. will work on an original tune for Roy, master of tone and touch himself..
To answer Andy's queries (yes, I would be absolutely delighted to play Maria Elena at Winchester this year, ...also hope to play and see you and Elaine in Waikiki this year?).
Regarding the choice of key of B, it was the original key that Natalicio Lima played Maria Elena in. Probably because on normal guitar, it is almost exactly half way up the neck if one uses the E formation in the CAGED chord formation system. I found that I could get conveniently long (fretted) glides on normal guitar without running out of neck or having to play open strings.
Regarding lap steel, it really does not matter to me which key I play in, some have said that I merely slide the guitar leftwards or rightwards under me. However, there is a preference with regard to tone. On all my steel guitars I find a particular "sweet spot" around the third fret, which on a C6 tuning (GACEGACE lo2hi) is the Eb barred chord on the 6th-5th-4th strings or the relative minor Cm on the 3rd-2nd-1st strings. This is probably why JB played it, and others, in Eb. A second reason is that the frets are wider down at the third fret giving the player more scope for micro-tones. A fourth reason is that you can get a good major, minor scale or pentatonic scale with nice fat tones without running out of neck or having to play open strings. Another good reason for the popularity of Eb may have been that many horn parts were written in this key in the 1920s to 40s, and followed by steel guitarists, according to what I read. Of course, you can get Eb in other fretboard positions too with bar slants, but that is another story..
The Eb key on the C6 tuning would have to be my favourite. On the downside, it can sometimes be a problem if your assisting rhythm guitarists are not too experienced; it is not a popular "beginners" key on normal guitar. |
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Kay Das
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 30 Jan 2011 3:58 pm
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A6 aficionados will doubtless have realised that the more popular key of C is played in the barred position at...that meaty 3rd fret..
Kay |
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