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1998 was a good year for Musica Latina. It was the year that Rock en Español invaded the United States. The Grammy Awards presented their first Spanish-language rock award. And a new politically conscious musical movement called Chicano Groove crossed over to mainstream alternative rock. San Francisco music critic Chuy Varela shares his picks of top recordings for 1998.

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The artistic and technological level of Latin music production in general zoomed to an all-time high in 1998. But you can't assess the progress made unless you go back to the beginning.

For the first time on compact disc, American folklorist Chris Strachwitz issued the earliest sound recordings of Mexican mariachi music. The raw fidelity of this 1908 Edison cylinder by el Cuarteto Coculense on this historic release showcases the innocence and spirit of a Euro-influenced music played by indigenous hands.

Ninety years later, it's a long way from the digitally textured folkloric layers of the all-star Chicano ensemble Los Super Seven.

With remarkable authenticity, this all-star band made up of David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos, with Tejano stars Flaco Jimenez, Freddy Fender, Ruben Ramos, Ric Treviño, and Joe Ely, captured the aura of a rural working class, making it one of the best traditional crossover recordings since Linda Ronstadt's "Canciones de mi Padre."

Yet while Raza Baby Boomers were feeling nostalgia and searching for roots, much of Musica Latina was obsessed with romance y amor.

This year, Alejandro Fernandez surpassed his father Vicente in popularity with a top-selling romantico album produced by Emilio Estefan titled "Me Estoy Enamorando." The expressive radiance of his voice over lush orchestral treatments with pseudo-mariachi flavors was a high work of art by both performer and producer.

But as the great Cuban diva Omara Portuondo reminded us on the all-star album "Havana Nights," the best romance happens when you add salsa.

But it was Latino pop that ruled the international charts this year as vibrant young artists rocked their world, creating new textures fusing dancehall beats with rock. Leading the pack was the pop goddess of the Onda-Max generation, Shakira, who on her new release asked, "Donde Están Los Ladrones?" Where are the Thieves?-The title of the CD.

But it was Maná, the superstar quartet from Guadalajara, who was the hottest thing going in Spanish-language pop rock, with their acclaimed "Sueños Liquidos" CD, being the biggest Rock En Español seller ever.

Their sold-out appearances in the Bay Area saw a loyal Latino following, but (it was) a large crossover audience drawn by their melodic sounds that made this album's Liquid Dreams a well-produced piece of pop art.

But the party band of the '90s, and the leading purveyors of Chicano groove, was Los Angeles-based Ozomatli, who fused a wide spectrum of global influences with motivated dance beats and conscious lyrics. These dance gods crossed onto the college charts in a big way with a fine self-titled debut.

Musically, 1998 didn't have a macarena, or a chupacabras. Instead, it had a wide spectrum of sounds that gave for a varied and diverse selection. It was a year that music had something to say about who we are as Latinos, and where we're going. Just put your computer search engine on Musica Latina, and you might be surprised where it leads you.

For LATINO USA, I'm Chuy Varela.

Bay Area music critic Chuy Varela writes for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Bay Guardian. He's also the music director for KPFA Radio in Berkeley.

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LANGUAGE ARTS: After hearing and/or reading Chuy’s report, ask students to summarize and discuss his music review aloud or in writing. Students can then write their own music reviews, based on their individual tastes. Get more ideas for lesson plans from Musicians United in Song and the Classroom (MUSIC).

For suggestions on writing music reviews and researching musical genres, see an example from the New York Times Learning Network.


SOCIAL STUDIES: Chuy suggests: "Use the Best of ‘98 to discuss how the production of Latin music has advanced from those early mariachi recordings to the sophisticated studio techniques of today’s rockeros." Working individually or in groups, students can research the history, culture, and production of popular music, and the lives and achievements of musicians. For specific classroom strategies, browse more than 50 lesson plans from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum.


MUSIC AND THE ARTS:
Many different genres of music are mentioned in Chuy's piece. Ask students to examine how music is classified, and to research the history of a specific genre, like salsa. What instruments and rhythms make up salsa? How do you recognize a particular genre when you hear it?

Ask students to research and construct an illustrated timeline, tracing the evolution of their own musical influences and tastes. To integrate more history into this activity, students can interview older relatives and/or friends about their musical influences, and incorporate their responses into the timelines.

Arts and Music Curriculum Resources from the ARTSEDGE project of the Kennedy Center. Contains lesson plans for Learning from Lyrics, Making Connections Between Art and Music, Music Criticism and Aesthetics, and Creating a Musical Radio Show.


MORE INTERNET RESOURCES:
Audio streams from the musicians in Chuy’s report
Los Super Seven
Shakira
Alejandro Fernandez
Ozomatli

Genres and Types of Music, from the Indiana University School of Music

Music in Latin America, from the University of Texas at Austin

Salsa Stories-project of the Music Heritage Network of the University of Michigan’s School of Information

Online Music Resources for Teachers

A History of Women in Mariachi Music

Hip Hop Site on-line magazine

National Standards for Arts Education


MUSIC FEATURED IN THIS SEGMENT
Cuarteto Coculense, Cuarteto Coculense, Arhoolie/CD 7036
Los Super Seven, Los Super Seven, RCA07863-67689-2
Alejandro Fernandez, Me Estoy Enamorando, Sony Latin/CDF82446/2-486138
Various Artists, Havana Nights, Max music/MXD-2102
Shakira, Donde Están los Ladrones, Sony/LAK-82746 2-485719
Mana, Sueños Liquidos, WEA/CX 20430 2
Ozomatli, Ozomatli, Almo Sounds/AMSD-80020


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