El Pasajero
Traditional Mariachi Volume 2
Los Cenzontles with Julian Gonzalez
"In all of these sones, a fresh, zestful and "down-home" enthusiasm prevails, one that we seldom hear in garden-variety commercial mariachis. In sum, what we get in "Plan de la Villa" is a genuine old-style mariachi..."
-Review of Volume 1 by Dr. Manuel Pen~a, Fresno State University, for ACTA
EL PASAJERO is the second volume of rarely heard sones abajen~os and canciones rancheras of the traditional mariachi. Los Cenzontles, under the tutelage of Julian Gonzalez, have applied their artistry and scholarship to the little known roots of the mariachi. Distinct from the orchestral nature of the contemporary mariachi, EL PASAJERO brings to life the improvisatory spirit of the rural tradition. Its instrumentation is simple: 2 violins, vihuela, guitarron and vocal duet, male and female, and zapateado, percussive dancing.
Julian Gonzalez is one of very few remaining practitioners of the traditional mariachi. He was raised on a rural hacienda in Camichines, Municipality of Juchitlan, Jalisco. There, he learned to sing, dance, and play violin from his father and the other elders of the ranch during the parties that followed long harvests in the sugar cane fields. In 1997, he, along with other rural musicians, formed Mariachi Los Centenarios in order to compete in the fifth Encuentro Mundial de Mariachi in Guadalajara, Mexico. There they took second place in the category of traditional mariachi. In 2000, he began working with Los Cenzontles funding by the California Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, a project administered by the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA). Their creative collaboration has resulted in three unique compact discs to date.
loscenzontles.com
(510) 233-8015
Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center 13108 San Pablo Ave San Pablo, CA 94805
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.loscenzontles.comTrack List:
1. El Armadillo
2. El Pasajero
3. El Solito
4. La Mariquita
5. Llano Grande
6. Engañosa y Cobarde
7. Los Saucitos
8. El Corrido de Juan Guerrero
9. La Manzanita Tierna
10. Lo Mejor De Mi Vida
11. El Pedregal
12. Rifare Mi Suerte
13. El Torero
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