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TRACK NOTES
1. Como mi suegra (Like My Mother-in-Law) milonga
Walter Roldán, button accordion; Chichí Vidiella, bandoneón; Ricardo Cunha, guitarrón; Bernardo Sanguinetti, guitar
The title, “Como mi suegra,” was given by Walter’s older
brother Félix to a maxixa melody that was played in the family.
Here it is cast as milonga to showcase that particular
rhythm, also very important in Uruguayan folklore. Milonga is
of late 19th-century Afro-Creole origin in the port cities of
Montevideo and Buenos Aires. It was assimilated into rural
Uruguay and further popularized as urban música típica,
spread via orchestras and recordings in the 20th century.
Before the spread of urban música típica, says Walter, only
maxixa, mazurca, habanera, and other rhythms were danced
in his area of rural northern Uruguay.
2. La embrujada (The Bewitched Polca) polca
Walter Roldán, button accordion; Chichí Vidiella, bandoneón; Ricardo
Cunha, guitarrón and vocals; Bernardo Sanguinetti, guitar
Félix Roldán
In rural northern Uruguay, dances were traditionally played
by just one accordion, or later, one bandoneón. Very seldom was the music played by two
instruments at once, as featured on this album. Walter’s older brother Félix Roldán (b. 1932)
remembers, “By chance it only happened in get-togethers among musicians . . . [but] playing
dances with accordion and bandoneón, no.” This reflects the strong individualism of rural
Uruguayan music, as well as the low population density of the rural north.
Walter recalls, “it was very common that rural musicians, in order to expand their repertoire,
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