Kathleen’s Epiphany

Tlacolula is a long way to go to play a pipe organ, at least if you live in Austin, Texas. It's in the heart of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a bustling market town with plenty of history, but it’s not the first stop on most tourist routes. But if you’re a musician and want to add real atmosphere to your recording, the 18th-century pipe organ in the Santa María de la Asunción church is worth the journey.

Kathleen Blackwell, her producer Ronan Chris Murphy, and their sound engineer Diego Lopez had come to Oaxaca at Diego’s recommendation. They began their visit recording local musicians in the beautiful Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, a glorious Beaux Arts confection in the heart of Oaxaca City's World Heritage sector.

Kathleen’s Project Eléctrico sessions took the trio worldwide, from the Faroe Islands to Istanbul, from Iceland to Cuba. They had considered Guatemala, but Diego persuaded them that his home state of Oaxaca would provide the musical talent and cultural influence to enhance the album. Diego studied music in Oaxaca and grew up in Tlacolula. He and Ronan checked it out together, and Ronan agreed.

In the Grande theater, they recorded some of the superb musicians Deigo’s music teacher knew, including tuba, saxophone, and drums. However, as a classical keyboardist by training, Kathleen was intrigued to hear that the ancient pipe organ had only recently been restored to its original state.

The organ was built by Manuel Neri y Carmona, an Oaxacan artisan, in 1791. It was tuned to 415Hz and gilded a year later. It is a beautiful and unusual instrument about 15 feet high and with eight registers on the left hand and seven on the right. The church is beautiful, too, and Kathleen was entranced by the location, the atmosphere, the instrument, and the mezcal Diego introduced her to after the recording session.

Had it not been for Kathleen’s recording there, she would not have met Cirino, the maestro mezcalero, or Isabel and Omar, Diego’s mother and brother. She may not have tried Cirino’s remarkable mezcal, either. Like Manuel Neri y Carmona, Manuel Antonio Cirino is an artisan who makes something beautiful and unusual. And thanks to the bond that day created between him, Kathleen, Diego, Ronan, and Omar, we can offer Eléctrico Mezcal to the world.