El Monarca del Acordéon / El Monarca del Acordeon

The entirety of Ayala's 1968 LP, Viva Mi Desgracia, and 1973 LP, Adios Mama Carlota, are combined onto this 2001 CD reissue, with the addition of three sides he did in 1948. It's a pretty standard mix of conjunto accordion tunes and styles, accenting the polkas and waltzes. Accompaniment is fairly sparse, except for the 1948 sides, which add an alto sax. When a little rhythmic irregularity is introduced in "Silencio de la Noche" or the military cadences of "Salida de los Franceses Y Adios Mama Carlota," it's a real wake-up call. These are all instrumental, but one can detect an unusual (for conjunto) inspiration for one song by the title, "Memoria Al Senator Kennedy," recorded a few months after Robert F. Kennedy's assassination.