ESTE ES MI MARIACHI - MARIACHI COBRA. This listing is for a new CD directly from the label: the project
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."
the artists
Mariachi Cobre has been performing since the late 1960s. The
band has been the featured attraction at the Mexican pavilion
at Walt Disney World's EPCOT Center since its opening in 1981;
and in 1992 recorded the first audiophile disc of mariachi
music, Mariachi Cobre .
The musicians' individual virtuosity allows for a variety
of textures, as solos, duos and trios show off each player's
talents during the course of the recording. Including special
guest artist Linda Ronstadt courtesy of Elektra
Entertainment. tracklist 1 La Madrugada 2'36" 2 Las Tres Huastecas 4'15" 3 La Negra Noche 4'34" 4 La Rafaelita 3'11" 5 El Súchil 2'21" 6 Los Mandados 2'32" 7 Tu Y Las Nubes 3'37" 8 El Pajara Cu 2'59" 9 El Silencio De La Noche 2'32" 10 Las Abajeñas 2'21" 11 El Herradero 2'44" 12 Estrellita 4'10" 13 Las Copetonas 2'54" 14 paloma Sin Nido 3'35" 15 El Burro 2'06" 16 Popurri Javier Solis 5'29" Total Time: 52'52"