Tonight at 6:00 on KRFY’s Treasure Chest ~ Los Reyes de Albuquerque y La Familia Martinez is a documentary project telling the story of one of the most long-lived and influential traditional New Mexican Hispanic musical groups in the state of New Mexico, Los Reyes de Albuquerque. The ensemble has been at the forefront of presenting, preserving and perpetuating traditional New Mexican and Mexican folk music since its formation in 1962 by Roberto Martinez and Ray Flores. For all those years, the group has performed public concerts in clubs, theaters and town squares; schools, senior centers and nursing homes. The Martinez family, the heart of the group, has experienced its share of highlights and heartaches over more than 45 years of performing. Two of the five performing children lost their hearing in their 20’s. Two also died of cancer in middle age. Still, the family has continued to present and preserve the music of the land, the music of the people.
Paul Ingles and photographer Genevieve Russell followed the group on several of its tour stops. Ingles, a veteran audio producer, recorded the music, interviewed the group’s members, and the concert-goers who have been touched and inspired by Los Reyes. Russell, a professional photographer and new media storyteller, photographed the musicians in performance as well as the Martinez family at home.
The project includes the broadcast of an hour-long documentary, development of a website (www.losreyesstory.org), the creation of a film for a public event and online, and the creation and distribution of CDs and DVDs to schools and libraries around the state of New Mexic.