Chávez Ravine: A Record by Ry Cooder is a concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

 and historical album

Historical album

A historical album is a collection of songs around a unified theme with a basis in the documented history of a person or place. This differs from a concept album, which may have a unified theme, but is usually composed of fictional stories not linked with actual historical facts even though the...

 by Ry Cooder

Ry Cooder

Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...

 which tells the story of Chávez Ravine

Chávez Ravine

Chavez Ravine is an area in Sulfir Canyon that is the current site of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California.It was named after Julian Chavez, a Los Angeles Councilman in the 19th century.-History:...

, a Mexican-American community demolished in the 1950s in order to build public housing. The housing was never built. Ultimately the Brooklyn Dodgers built a stadium on the site as part of their move to Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

.

Chávez Ravine received a Grammy

Grammy Award

A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

 nomination for "Best Contemporary Folk Album" in 2006.

Track listing

1. "Poor Man's Shangri-La" (Ry Cooder, William Garcia, Gene Aguilera) - 5:28
   • Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar, organ, tres
   • Juliette Commagere
     Juliette Commagere
     Juliette Commagere is a Los Angeles based singer/songwriter who previously worked with the band Hello Stranger and The Bird and the Bee. She has toured with Nick Lowe, Ry Cooder, Pete Yorn and played the Download Festival with Bat for Lashes as well as co-headlined the 2nd annual Manimal Festival...
     
      - vocal
   • Jim Keltner
     Jim Keltner
     James Lee "Jim" Keltner is an American drummer known primarily for his session work. He has contributed to the work of many well-known artists...
     
      - drums
   • Mike Elizondo
     Mike Elizondo
     Michael "Mike" Elizondo is a well-known songwriter, bassist, keyboardist, and hip hop music producer.-Musical career:Mike Elizondo is especially known for his collaborations with internationally successful producer Dr. Dre and rapper Eminem. He has played the bass for many of Dr...
     
      - bass
   • Joachim Cooder - timbales
     Timbales
     Timbales are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing, invented in Cuba. They are shallower in shape than single-headed tom-toms, and usually much higher tuned...
     
     
2. "Onda Callejera" (William Garcia, David Hidalgo
   David Hidalgo
   David Hidalgo is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. He is also a member of the supergroup Los Super Seven and of the Latin Playboys, a side project band made up of some of the members of Los Lobos...
   
   ) - 3:50
   • Little Willie G. - vocal
   • Juliette Commagere, Carla Commagere - vocal chorus
   • Ry Cooder - guitar, laud
   • Joachim Cooder - percussion
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
   • Joe Rotondi - piano
   • Gil Bernal - tenor saxophone
   • Mike Bolger - trumpet
   • Ledward Kaapana
     Ledward Kaapana
     Ledward Kaapana is a Hawaiian musician, best known for playing in the slack key guitar style. He also plays steel guitar, ukulele, autoharp and bass guitar, and is a renowned falsetto singer.-Early life:...
     
      - guitar
3. "Don't Call Me Red" (Ry Cooder) - 4:58
   • Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar
   • Juliette and Carla Commagere - vocal chorus
   • Jon Hassell
     Jon Hassell
     Jon Hassell is an American trumpet player and composer. He is known for his influence in the world music scene and his unusual electronic manipulation of the trumpet sound.-Life and career:...
     
      - trumpet
   • Jim Keltner - bongos
   • Joachim Cooder - timbales
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
4. "Corrido de Boxeo" (Lalo Guerrero) - 3:21
   • Lalo Guerrero
     Lalo Guerrero
     Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero , was a Mexican-American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on today's Latin musical artists.-Life Summary:...
     
      - vocal
   • Ry Cooder - bajo sexto, guitar
   • Joachim Cooder - drums
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
   • Joe Rotondi - piano
   • Flaco Jiménez
     Flaco Jiménez
     Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez is a Tejano music accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. Jiménez's father, Santiago Jiménez Sr. was a pioneer of conjunto music. He began performing with his father at age seven and recording at age fifteen, as a member of Los Caporales...
     
      - accordion
5. "Muy Fifí" (William Garcia, Joachim Cooder, Juliette Commagere) - 4:03
   • Ersi Arvizu - vocal (in 2008, Ry Cooder produced the album "Friend for Life" for Ersi Arvizu Anti)
   • Little Willie G., Jacob Garcia - vocal chorus
   • Ry Cooder - guitar
   • Joachim Cooder - drums, sampling
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
   • Chucho Valdés
     Chucho Valdés
     Chucho Valdés is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger. In 1972 he founded the group Irakere, one of Cuba's best-known Latin jazz bands. Together with pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Valdés is revered as one of Cuba's greatest jazz pianists...
     
      - piano
6. "Los Chucos Suaves" (Lalo Guerrero) - 3:08
   • Lalo Guerrero - vocal
   • Ry Cooder - guitar
   • Jim Keltner - drums
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
   • Joe Rotondi - piano
   • Gil Bernal - tenor sax
7. "Chinito Chinito" (Felguerez/Diaz) - 4:52
   • Juliette Commagere - vocal
   • Carla Commagere - vocal
   • Ry Cooder - guitar
   • Joachim Cooder - drums
   • Jared Smith - bass
   • Mike Bolger - organ, trumpet, valve trombone
   • Joe Rotondi - piano
8. "3 Cool Cats
   Three Cool Cats
   "Three Cool Cats" is a 1958 song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by The Coasters and released as the B-side of their hit single, "Charlie Brown"....
   
   " (Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller) - 2:57
   • Little Willie G. - vocal
   • Rudy Salas, Michael Guerra, Juliette Commagere, Carla Commagere - vocal chorus
   • Ry Cooder - guitar
   • Jim Keltner - drums
   • Joachim Cooder - timbales
   • Jared Smith
     Jared Smith
     Jared Smith is an American amateur singer specializing in Spanish. His singing career achieved some attention in the mid-1990s when his brothers Colin and Ian of Freeverse Software combined a recording of his singing with an animated smiley face...
     
      - bass
   • Joe Rotondi - piano
   • Gil Bernal - tenor sax
   • Mike Bolger - organ
9. "El U.F.O. Cayó" (Juliette Commagere, Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder, Jared Smith) - 8:22
   • Juliette Commagere - vocal
   • Don Tosti
     Don Tosti
     DonTosti was an American musician and composer.Born in El Paso, Texas, Tosti forged a career spanning several decades and styles, from classical to jazz and rhythm and blues. He was best remembered for his Pachuco-style compositions like the hit "Pachuco Boogie"...
     
      - vocal
   • Ry Cooder - tres
   • Mike Elizondo - bass
   • Joachim Cooder - Sampling
   • Jared Smith - keyboard
10. "It's Just Work for Me" (Ry Cooder) - 5:54
    • Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar
    • Joachim Cooder - drums
    • Mike Elizondo - bass
11. "In My Town" (Ry Cooder) - 5:40
    • Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar
    • Sunny D. Levine - drum programming
    • Jacky Terrasson
      Jacky Terrasson
      Jacques-Laurent Terrasson is a jazz pianist better known as Jacky Terrasson.He was born in Germany, but his mother was American and his father French. He studied at the Berklee College of Music before playing in Chicago and New York City clubs. He gained increased attention on winning the 1993...
      
       - piano
12. "Ejército Militar" (Rita Arvizu) - 3:16
    • Ersi Arvizu - vocal
    • Rosella Arvizu - vocal
    • Ry Cooder - bajo sexto, guitar
    • Joachim Cooder - drums
    • Mike Elizondo - bass
    • Flaco Jiménez - accordion
13. "Barrio Viejo" (Lalo Guerrero) - 4:42
    • Lalo Guerrero - vocal, guitar
    • Flaco Jiménez - accordion
    • Joachim Cooder - drums
    • Mike Elizondo - bass
    • Ledward Kaapana
      Ledward Kaapana
      Ledward Kaapana is a Hawaiian musician, best known for playing in the slack key guitar style. He also plays steel guitar, ukulele, autoharp and bass guitar, and is a renowned falsetto singer.-Early life:...
      
       - guitar
14. "3rd Base, Dodger Stadium
    Dodger Stadium
    Dodger Stadium, also sometimes called Chavez Ravine, is a stadium in Los Angeles. Located adjacent to Downtown Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium has been the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers team since 1962...
    
    " (Ry Cooder, William Garcia, Joe Kevany) - 5:45
    • Bla Pahinui - vocal, guitar, ukulele
    • Ry Cooder - guitar
    • Joachim Cooder - drums
    • Mike Elizondo - bass
    • Joe Rotondi - piano
    • Gil Bernal - tenor sax
    • Mike Bolger - trumpet, valve trombone
    • Ledward Kaapana - guitar
15. "Soy Luz y Sombra" (The Cloud Forest poem; music by William Garcia, Joachim Cooder, Ry Cooder) - 3:15
    • Ersi Arvizu - vocal
    • Little Willie G. - vocal
    • Juliette Commagere - vocal
    • Ry Cooder - guitar
    • Joachim Cooder - drums, sampling
    • Jared Smith - bass
    • David Hidalgo - guitar