Video Premiere: Banda de Los Muertos – “El Paso”

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Utne Reader is proud to premiere the music video for “El Paso” from Brooklyn-based Mexican brass band Banda de Los Muertos.

Banda de Los Muertos began when Brooklyn residents Oscar Noriega and Jacob Garchik became fascinated by the intricate arrangements of brass band music from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Noticing that there wasn’t a traditional Banda in Brooklyn, the two men enlisted their musician friends from the jazz world to help fill that void.

Their eponymous debut album, released last month via Barbès Records, is a tribute to the early years of the genre but also reinterprets that tradition. The songs on the album look back to some Mexican standards – such as Jose Alfredo Jimenez’ “Tu Recuerdo y Yo” or “Tragos Amargos,” made popular by Norteño star Ramon Ayala – as well as Banda classics such as “El Toro Viejo” or “El Sinaloense.”

“El Paso,” the song for which the new video below was made, is a cover of the Marty Robbins classic.


Every month, Utne Reader presents free, downloadable music gleaned from current and upcoming releases on independent music labels. Check out this month’s Music Sampler.

  • Published on Oct 14, 2015
Tagged with: Brass Band, Video Premiere
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