Aztex Album Review:
Stretching out Tex-Mex at 2000-07-16
Accordionista Joel Guzman and his vocalist partner Sarah Fox take Tex-Mex folk traditions by the horns with their debut, and shake up the old ways by injecting modern jazz improvisational elements into the dance party like no one has before. Im particularly enamored with Why Dont You Love Me Like You Used To?, mainly for Foxs sultry bebop inflections and Guzmans squeezebox ride that puts him in same league as Steve Jordan and Flaco Jimenez at his most adventurous. Some of the lyrical content could use some toughening up, or at least a little more introspection, but this debut is exciting enough to start anticipating the next one, as long as Fox belts out her lines and Guzman gets to riff.
Aztex Album Review:
Music Coordinator Austin Bergstrom International Airport at 2000-07-06
Short Stories is my new favorite CD. Sarah Fox and Joel Guzman are a musical match made in Heaven. The mix of the Spanish and English lyrics immersed me in a cultural make-over, that made me sing along and try the Spanish. Joels mastery of the keyboard and accordian and Sarahs stirring vocals compelled me to listen to the CD over and over. It sits in the CD player, as we speak, next to Santana and the Buena Vista Social Club. This CD makes public a long held Austin secret, the talent of Joel Guzman and Sarah Fox.
Aztex Album Review:
Solid stuff at 2000-06-13
Los Aztex are a solid crew whose debut is an excellent voodoo fusion of tropical rhythms, roots music and bluesy tunes covering pretty much the same territory and more as Los Super Sevens folk roots outing last year. Like Los Super Sevens work, this 11-track collection of fresh and engaging bilingual tunes simply doesnt fit any preconceived radio formats. Luckily for Los Aztex , the singer/songwriter tradition in Texas has survived for years with artists like Don Walser, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Joe Ely, etc. They may not get much radio play but they sell CDs and they consistently draw crowds in dance halls and roadhouses.Music ultimately should move people, inspire sadness, reflection or elation, move them to tears or to the dance floor.Los Aztex do all that on Short Stories. The tracks can be called anything from blues-salsa and tropical funk to R and B merengue and Afro-Cuban-tinged boleros. Whatever the tag, it connects.
Aztex Album Review:
If you are looking for something interesting...this is it! at 1999-10-04
Wow! This CD will have you dancing in your kitchen. Those who like the cookie cutter commercial music that is being put out today will not be happy with this. The Latin/English mix is fascinating, and the music is intricate and perfectly executed. Sara Foxs vocals are dynamite, and Joel Guzman fans will hear him at his best. Buy this.....you wont be sorry


Aztex Album Editorial:
Aztex are co-led by the husband-and-wife team of accordionist Joel Guzman and vocalist Sarah Fox both respected veterans of Texass regional Tejano industry. The bands debut album was produced by Los Lobos Steve Berlin who worked with Guzman and Fox on 1998s Grammy-winning ILos Super Seven album. (That was Guzman playing all the accordion parts except for those songs featuring Flaco Jimenez.) IShort Stories eschews modern Tejano clichés in favor of deep folk roots and crossover dreams. Fox shines on a version of Lydia Mendozas 1947 classic La Jaibera while Guzmans solo on the traditional Pajarrillo Barranqueno solidifies his growing reputation as the best conjunto accordionist in Texas. Joe Ely trades harmony with Fox on a salsafied arrangement of his Maybe Maybe and Guzman shows off some jazzy piano licks on the mambo Why Dont You Love Me? The band stumbles slightly on a couple of rock originals but what Aztex do well no one does better. Rick Mitchell