''Chávez Ravine: A Record by Ry Cooder'' is the twelfth studio album by Ry Cooder. It is the first concept album and historical album by Ry Cooder which tells the story of Chávez Ravine, 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 ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. ''Chávez Ravine'' was nominated for "

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1991 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording. In 2007, this category was renamed Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. As ...

" in 2006.

Track listing

# "Poor Man's Shangri-La" (Ry Cooder, William Garcia, Gene Aguilera) - 5:28 #* Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar, organ, tres #*

Juliette Commagere Juliette Commagere is a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter who was formerly the lead singer and keytar player of the band Hello Stranger. In 2008 she began a solo career with the release of ''Queens Die Proudly''. Commagere has also performe ...

- vocal #*

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

- drums #*

Mike Elizondo Mike Elizondo (born October 22, 1972) is an American producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. A protege of Dr. Dre, Elizondo has worked with 50 Cent, Eminem, Carrie Underwood, Fiona Apple, Mastodon, Ry Cooder, Skylar Grey, Twenty ...

- bass #*

Joachim Cooder Joachim Herbert Cooder (born August 23, 1978) is a drummer, percussionist, composer, and keyboardist best known for his collaborations with his father, Ry Cooder. Early life Cooder began to play drums at the age of 5, inspired by Jim Keltner. C ...

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfico ...

# "Onda Callejera" (

David Hidalgo David Kent Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954, in Los Angeles.) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requ ...

, William Garcia) - 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 (born August 25, 1948) 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 baritone and falsetto vocalist. Early life Born on August ...

- guitar # "Don't Call Me Red" (Ry Cooder) - 4:58 ''This song is about Frank Wilkinson'' #* Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar #* Juliette and Carla Commagere - vocal chorus #*

Jon Hassell Jon Hassell (March 22, 1937 – June 26, 2021) was an American trumpet player and composer. He was best known for developing the concept of "Fourth World" music, which describes a "unified primitive/futurist sound" combining elements of various ...

- trumpet #* Jim Keltner - bongos #* Joachim Cooder - timbales #* Mike Elizondo - bass # "Corrido de Boxeo" (Lalo Guerrero) - 3:21 #*

Lalo Guerrero Eduardo "Lalo" Guerrero (December 24, 1916 – March 17, 2005) was an American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist best known for his strong influence on later Latin musical artists. Early life Guerrero was born in Tucson, Arizona, one o ...

- vocal #* Ry Cooder - bajo sexto, guitar #* Joachim Cooder - drums #* Mike Elizondo - bass #* Joe Rotondi - piano #*

Flaco Jiménez Leonardo "Flaco" Jiménez (born March 11, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and accordionist from San Antonio, Texas. He is known for playing Norteño, Tex Mex and Tejano music. Jiménez has been a solo performer and session musician, as ...

- accordion # "Muy Fifí" (William Garcia, Joachim Cooder, Juliette Commagere) - 4:03 #* Ersi Arvizu - vocal #* Little Willie G., Jacob Garcia - vocal chorus #* Ry Cooder - guitar #* Joachim Cooder - drums, sampling #* Mike Elizondo - bass #*

Chucho Valdés Jesús Valdés Rodríguez, better known as Chucho Valdés (born October 9, 1941), is a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger whose career spans over 50 years. An original member of the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, in 1973 he fo ...

- piano # "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 # "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 # " 3 Cool Cats" ( Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 2:57 #* Little Willie G. - vocal #*

Rudy Salas Rudy Salas (born March 12, 1977) is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is a Democrat representing the 32nd Assembly district, which encompasses Kings County and parts of northwestern Kern County. Pri ...

, Michael Guerra, Juliette Commagere, Carla Commagere - vocal chorus #* Ry Cooder - guitar #* Jim Keltner - drums #* Joachim Cooder - timbales #*

Jared Smith Jared Smith (born March 20, 1990) is a former American football Guard (gridiron football), guard. He played college football at New Hampshire Wildcats football, New Hampshire. He was invited to the 2013 NFL Combine as a defensive lineman. He was ...

- bass #* Joe Rotondi - piano #* Gil Bernal - tenor sax #* Mike Bolger - organ # "El U.F.O. Cayó" (Juliette Commagere, Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder, Jared Smith) - 8:22 #* Juliette Commagere - vocal #*

Don Tosti Don Tosti (given name: Edmundo Martínez Tostado) (March 27, 1923 – August 2, 2004) was an American musician and composer. Tosti forged a career spanning several decades and styles, from classical to jazz and rhythm and blues. He was best rem ...

- vocal #* Ry Cooder - tres #* Mike Elizondo - bass #* Joachim Cooder - Sampling #* Jared Smith - keyboard # "It's Just Work for Me" (Ry Cooder) - 5:54 #* Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar #* Joachim Cooder - drums #* Mike Elizondo - bass # "In My Town" (Ry Cooder) - 5:40 #* Ry Cooder - vocal, guitar #* Sunny D. Levine - drum programming #*

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

- piano # "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 # "Barrio Viejo" (Lalo Guerrero) - 4:42 #* Lalo Guerrero - vocal, guitar #*

- accordion #* Joachim Cooder - drums #* Mike Elizondo - bass #*

- guitar # "3rd Base,

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

" (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 # "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

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez Ravine (Album) 2005 albums Concept albums Ry Cooder albums Nonesuch Records albums Albums produced by Ry Cooder Albums recorded at Sound City Studios