Josefina

Jose Guerrero Perez

Beth Syverson plays Josefina & other compositions by J. G. Perez

J. G. Perez was born in 1900 in the city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco. At the age of 16, he left to join the Mexican revolution. Shortly thereafter he migrated to the United States. The loss of his leg in a train accident (and thus the loss of the opportunity for long-term employment) combined with a certain wanderlust to keep him and his family constantly on the move. They did seasonal farm work in the Midwest and the West. From 1939 to 1943 he took his wife Josefina and their children to Jalisco where they lived next to the singer Lolita Navarro. Throughout his life he worked as a musician and arranged music. Sifting through a box of his arrangements in 2001, at least 30 original compositions were discovered. Here are 13 of them.

.1 Josefina, vocal: Mark Waters

.2 Cielo Azteca, one step, 1928

.3 Raquel, waltz

.4 Lolita, tango, 1940

.6 Emma, paso doble flamenco, 1944

.7 Lirio Azul, fox trot

.8 Flores de Jalisco, one step

.10 Soñando, bolero, 1951

.11 Noche Alegre, polka

.12 Laura, waltz, 1977

.13 Noches de Jalisco, serenata

.14 Josefina, waltz

Total Time: 39:37