The Mexican romantic trio—three suave male voices backed by two, and sometimes three, guitars and singing romance-drenched lyrics in lush harmony—rocketed to pan-Latin popularity in 1948 with the pioneering group Trío Los Panchos. Los Tres Reyes (The Three Kings), known as “the last of the great trios,” epitomize the trio sound and continue to make it a mainstay of Mexican acoustic music. High-voice Cuban singer Bebo Cárdenas joins founding members, brothers Gilberto and Raúl Puente, to show us how, in Cárdenas’s words, “The trío romántico is synonymous with intimacy.” 69 minutes, 44 page book with bilingual notes.

This album is part of the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions Series of Latino music albums, produced with support by the Smithsonian Latino Center.