Music » Mariachi Latin Music

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Warner Bros / Wea

Mariachi Cobre may force you to rethink your idea of mariachi music. Forget the strolling guitar bands in Mexican restaurants-Este Es Mi Mariachi Cobre will introduce you to one of the most highly developed folk traditions in the Western Hemisphere. Like the legendary dance bands of Cuba, Mexico's mariachi tradition has roots in the chamber orchestras of Baroque Europe, the indigenous music of the Native Americans, the rhythmic drive of West African music, and the passion of Spanish folk and flamenco music. On this second release by Mariachi Cobre, the group is joined by Linda Ronstadt, who celebrates her own Hispanic heritage in a pair of duets with bandleader, Steve Carrillo, and by producer/arranger Brian Keane, the noted composer and multi-instrumentalist. Much of the album is devoted to traditional mariachi music, but both Carrillo and Keane contribute several deft and contemporary arrangements of older songs; and a well-known piece from the classical guitar tradition, Manuel Ponce's Estrellita, gets a traditional mariachi treatment. The sound of Mariachi Cobre is as tightly-knit as the finest orchestras. With a complement of six to eight violins, two trumpets, and three different members of the guitar family, Mariachi Cobre is close to orchestral size itself! But as strong as the group is instrumentally, it is the voices that take center stage. Those voices sing with fire and tenderness, and even listeners who do not understand a word of Spanish will have little trouble grasping the message of mariachi songs; joyous songs about being in love, tender lullabies to a loved one, remorse at having lost love. And the group varies the textures within each song: solos, duos, and trios will appear. Este Es Mi Mariachi Cobre is a lively, accessible introduction to a type of music that Americans-to their surprise-do not really know. Mariachi Cobre explodes the stereotypes of this music; after all, as the group's album title says, "this is my mariachi."

At the end of the last century, while the representative music of Mexico was emerging in the state of Jalisco, Mexican-Americans in the United States continued to cultivate their own traditions. Among the most valued aspects of their heritage was music.

In 1964, an Irish-Catholic priest organized the first young Mariachi group of Mexican-Americans in the United States. Later, in 1971, after having collaborated almost from the birth of this group, Randy Carrillo, a student, organized Mariachi Cobre with the participation of his younger brother Steve and his friend Mack Ruiz.

1996 marks a quarter century during which this extremely professional group of young Mexican-American men (nearly all from Tucson) have sung and played the music of Mexico, not only in the United States but as ambassadors in other countries and via international television.

In 1981, Mariachi Cobre planted the seed from which the Tucson International Mariachi Conference would grow. This celebration is a concept that has spread to other U.S. cities where similar events are held. These cultural events have not only increased the exposure of Mariachi music but have caused an emergence of dozens of young groups and have heightened the level of study related to Mariachi music.

The XXV anniversary celebration is a source of pride for the renowned Mariachi Cobre who, with their strong sense of tradition, promotes the music of Mexico to the entire world.

Release Date: 1996-03-19, Audio CD, EMI Latin

Release Date: 1993-07-13, Audio CD, Sony International

Release Date: 1996-04-16, Audio CD, Sony International

Array

In the '90s singer Juan Gabriel emerged as Mexico's finest living songwriter of the folkloric genre, specifically, the ranchera. The ultimate master is still the late José Alfredo Jimenez. Here Gabriel delivers another two-CD set of his live performances, very similar to his 1990 En el Palacio de Bellas Artes. The differences: six fewer songs and fewer of his earlier hits like "Hasta Que Te Conoci." Still Gabriel manages to connect with his irrepressible charm and a great cast that includes top string and horn players. Repeat-button faves include his classic "Costumbres" and, of course, his "Amor Eterno," perhaps the most eloquent ode to a lost love. "Amor Eterno" has been covered handsomely by the likes of Rocio Durcal and Vicente Fernandez, and in Gabriel's hands here, it is transformed into a solemn prayer. --Ramiro Burr

Release Date: 1996-11-26, Audio CD, Sony International

Release Date: 1996-05-28, Audio CD, Sony International