<i>¡Llegaron Los Camperos! Concert Favorites of Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos</i> (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: ¡Llegaron Los Camperos! Concert Favorites of Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos Jesus A. Ramos-Kittrell Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos. ¡Llegaron Los Camperos! Concert Favorites of Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos. Compact disc. 2005. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings (United States). Descriptive notes, photos. (Available from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, 750 9th Street, NW, Suite 4100, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 20560-0953) The recording by Nati Cano’s Mariachi Los Camperos is an interesting example of the transformations and evolution of mariachi music since it first emerged in the early twentieth century. The mariachi first entered the musical scene during the 1930s, when the federal government in Mexico aimed to promote, among other examples of folk music, the son from the Tierra Caliente region (encompassing the states of Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, and Guerrero) as an emblem of Mexican nationalism through radio, television, and film. Stemming out of the performance practice of the conjunto de arpa, the mariachi emerged as an ensemble that featured a strong rhythmic guitar section, violins, trumpets, and harp. As the mariachi became more commercially disseminated, its image grew in importance and soon appropriated songs, either from the existing son repertory or arranged specifically for this ensemble, making them characteristic of “mariachi music.” Some examples of songs that are considered as quintessential mariachi tunes are “El son de la negra,” “Guadalajara,” “Ay Jalisco, no te rajes!” and “Mexico Lindo.” However, within the imagined national consciousness in Mexico, mariachi recordings usually provide consistent [End Page 110] versions of these and other tunes that are considered standard renditions of mariachi repertory. In Nati Cano’s recording, we hear a different approach in the performance of the mariachi “canon,” perhaps a consequence of the type of audience lately addressed by Cano’s ensemble. “We played in New York’s Lincoln Center, and I like to point out that we played inside, in a concert, not outside, like for a party,” says Cano in the liner notes. In this respect, this quote reveals a lot regarding the approach towards the arrangement and performance of each song. The recording begins with a tune bearing the album’s title, “Llegaron Los Camperos” (“The Countrymen Arrived”), which opens with a short introduction usually played by the ensemble at every presentation (this introduction is appropriately called “Llegaron Los Camperos”) followed by a medley of songs usually performed by mariachi groups at the opening of any celebration. An example of this is the immediate following by “El son de la negra,” a song that is played always as the mariachi enters a performance venue. What is really striking is the arrangement of some of the songs, which align with the album’s subtitle Concert Favorites. Therefore, tracks like “Llegaron Los Camperos,” “Jalisco,” “Jarocho I” and “II,” “José Alfredo Jiménez,” and “Michoacán” are rather musically complex arrangements of several songs alluding to the theme of the title. For example, “Jalisco” features excerpts from songs such as “El tren,” “Virgencita de Zapopan,” “Tlaquepaque,” “Ay, Jalisco no te rajes,” and “Guadalajara.” In the same way, “José Alfredo Jiménez” features fragments of different songs from the celebrated Mexican songwriter. Each track in the recording is an example of music that clearly has left the context of performance characteristic of social celebrations in Mexico. Indeed, this is music crafted for a different type of audience willing to listen to a reinterpretation of the traditional mariachi repertory by accomplished musicians. This is not only evident in the performance technique of highly studied singers and instrumentalists. Ultimately, these medleys incorporate complex harmonic and melodic arrangements not typical of traditional mariachi performance. Perhaps one of the most striking examples is found in the tune “Michoacán,” which not only uses dramatic color changes in the shifts of accompanied voices and the harmonic excursions by the violins and harp. In fact, the musical complexity of this tune goes as far as to incorporate a short two-part fugal section in the violins. Due to the particular approach towards musical arrangement, this recording most decidedly departs from any rendition in the realm of “folk music.” Taking into account the musical merit of this recording...