November 22, 1999
Fiesta Navidad: A merry mariachi celebration
By Barbara McKenna
Seen one too many performances of the Nutcracker? Feel like Marley's ghost is your
personal friend? This December 12, audiences are invited to enjoy something a little
out of the ordinary when the critically acclaimed Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano
performs "Fiesta Navidad" at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.
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| Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano performs "Fiesta Navidad" on December
12 at 3 p.m. at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12
for seniors and students, $8 for UCSC students, and $5 for children 12 and under. Call (831) 459-2159 for more information. Photo: Robert Blackman |
Considered the world's preeminent mariachi band, Mariachi Los Camperos is widely recognized for taking the art of mariachi to a new level--from the cantina to the concert hall.
For the past five years, the ensemble has toured its Christmas show to sold-out
audiences around the U.S. and Mexico. The show was a highlight of Santa Cruz's holiday
season three years ago, when the ensemble performed to a wildly enthusiastic audience
of adults and children.
Fiesta Navidad is a traditional holiday celebration in Mexico that incorporates music,
dancing, and theater. Some of its traditions are ancient, having evolved from the
winter feasts of indigenous Mexicans.
Mariachi Los Camperos creates a fully staged show for its version, with elaborate
sets, lighting, and sound. Along with the 12-member mariachi ensemble, "Fiesta
Navidad" features the 20-member dance ensemble Ballet Folklórico Ollin.
"The idea is to create the happiness of the fiesta and our traditions,"
explained Natividad "Nati" Cano, Mariachi Los Camperos's musical director
for nearly four decades. The happiness is not only evident, it's contagious, as the
stage overflows with the colorful costumes of Mexico, the exuberance of the folklórico
dancers, and the virtuosity of the mariachi musicians.
"Fiesta Navidad" opens with a re-creation of the traditional procession
of La Posada, which originated in Mexico in the 16th century. The piece recalls Joseph
and Mary's pilgrimage to Bethlehem--the couple travel from door to door asking for
lodging, after many rejections they are finally invited into someone's home, a piñata
is broken open, and the fiesta begins.
Along with the music of La Posada, the ensemble performs a range of other traditional
mariachi songs of regional Mexico and also turns its mariachi phrasing to such American
holiday classics as "Campanitas" ("Jingle Bells"), "Aqui
Viene (Here Comes) Santa Claus," and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
"Our performance is all mariachi," explained Cano. "I think audiences
like to experience the tradition of another country. But," he added, "we
want people to know there is more to mariachi than just 'La Bamba.' "
And, by all reports, Cano has succeeded in that mission. The 66-year-old musician
is widely credited for developing a broad multicultural audience for mariachi. It
helps, of course, that the ensemble boasts some of the world's most gifted mariachi
musicians, but it is Cano's passion and talent that have raised the art of mariachi
to a higher level.
His brilliant arrangements preserve traditional structures but add compelling
and engaging new angles. "We have improved many of the arrangements," he
said, "and added new rhythms and sounds, but in the end, this is true mariachi."
Mariachi--which refers to the musician, the ensemble, or the music itself--has been
in existence since at least the 1830s and originated in rural western Mexico.
A mariachi ensemble is typically string based, with guitars and violins, and a harp
or guitarrón (a large bass guitar) featured. The accordion, trumpets, and
other brass and woodwinds complete the ensemble.
Although "Fiesta Navidad" is an important focus for Mariachi Los Camperos,
the ensemble regularly performs mariachi in the Los Angeles area and on international
tours (a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., recently aired on
PBS).
The band has released five of their own recordings; the most recent, recorded
in 1993, is Canciones de Siempre. They were one of four mariachi bands
enlisted by Linda Ronstadt for her 1988 recording, Canciones de Mi Padre.
Cano holds Ronstadt in high regard. When it comes to the reverence of the art form,
she is a kindred spirit. "When I was recording with her, I tried to adapt the
music in a way that I thought matched her style," Cano recalled. "She said,
'No, no, no! I don't want that, I want your music.' She said, 'Hey, this music is
beautiful. Let's not take it apart.' "
For Cano, that is, perhaps, his ultimate mission--to preserve and enrich the music
he loves. "We have this wonderful tradition to preserve. That doesn't mean we
don't improve it, but we must keep it alive. This is the music of the people. Their
voices, their lives, and their stories are in this music. And I feel it's so important
to take this rich, beautiful music out and share it."
