Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
26
O.K. Corral,
and Paul Newman's
The Life
and Times of Judge Roy Bean.
New Mexico
landscapes have set the scene for Westerns
such as
The Cowboys,
Silverado,
Young
Guns,
City Slickers
, and
Wyatt Earp,
as well
as two miniseries based on popular Larry
McMurtry novels,
Lonesome Dove
and
Buffalo Girls.
The science fiction movies
Armageddon
and
Contact
were shot in New
Mexico as well.
In recent years, the Coen Brothers pro-
duced one of the most offbeat films to
have been shot in Arizona.
Raising Ari-
zona,
starring Nicholas Cage and Holly
Hunter, is a bizarre story of a childless
couple who kidnap a baby. Other contem-
porary films that have been shot in the
state include
Broken Arrow
(starring John
Travolta and Christian Slater),
Nurse Betty
(with Morgan Freeman, Renée Zellweger,
Chris Rock, and Greg Kinnear),
Days of
Thunder
(starring Tom Cruise, Nicole
Kidman, and Robert Duvall), and
Traffic
(with Michael Douglas and Catherine
Zeta-Jones).
MUSIC
The American Southwest has a sound-
track. You hear it in hotel lobbies and gift
shops, in restaurants and national park
visitor centers. It is the sound of Native
American flute music. The haunting mel-
odies are the perfect accompaniment to a
long drive across the wide-open spaces of
the region. R. Carlos Nakai, who was born
in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is of Navajo and
Ute heritage, is considered the preeminent
Native American flutist, and you'll find his
music for sale in gift shops all over the
region. Also listen for flute playing by
Robert Mirabal, which is informed by the
ceremonial music he grew up with at Taos
Pueblo in New Mexico. Check out his
2006 Grammy Award-winning album
Sacred Ground.
Tucson, home to April's annual Tucson
International Mariachi Conference, is
called the mariachi capital of America, and
year-round you can hear this lively south-
of-the-border music in Mexican restau-
rants. Also in Tucson, you can sometimes
catch a bit of indigenous
waila
music. This
is the music of southern Arizona's Tohono
O'odham tribe and is a mix of polka,
waltz, and various Mexican influences.
Such musical legends as Bo Diddley,
Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and the Fire-
balls basked in New Mexico's light for
parts of their careers. More recent musi-
cians whose music really reflects the region
include Mansanares, two brothers who
grew up in Abiquiu, New Mexico, and are
known for their Spanish guitar and soulful
vocals. Look for their album
Nuevo Latino.
Using New Mexico as his creative retreat
since the 1980s, Michael Martin Murphey
often plays live in the state, where fans
always cheer for his most notable song,
“Wildfire.”
The Best of Michael Martin
Murphey
offers a good taste of his music.
Country music superstar Randy Travis
calls Santa Fe home. His newest release,
Around the Bend,
is a treasure, as are his
classics. A favorite resident musician in
Santa Fe is Ottmar Liebert and his band
the Luna Negra. All of their flamenco-
inspired music is rich with the region's
tones. Check out their CD
Leaning into
the Night.
Utah's most notable music contribution
is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which
has released many albums since its found-
ing in 1910. Some of our favorite musi-
cians hailing from Colorado include the
late John Denver, who sang poignantly
about the Rocky Mountains in many
albums, including in his hit single “Rocky
Mountain High,” and Big Head Todd and
the Monsters, with their most notable
1993 album
Sister Sweetly.
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