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Wenatchee World: Article Date: 04/01/07 Mariachi fest adds a twist: A marriage proposal A marriage proposal. It was just after 9 p.m. The intermission had ended, and headline group Mariachi La Voz de México was into its second number on the Wenatchee High School stage. Dressed in full, charro regalia, Juan Manuel Cortez, festival director and the group's conductor, approached the microphone to call Gaby Rodriguez to the stage. The 27-year-old Wenatchee woman, herself a talented singer, was one of the first graduates of Wenatchee High School's Mariachi Huenachi. As she stood there, the mariachis serenaded her with soft romantic favorites that provoked whoops of approval from the audience. Then Cande Amante, 25, walked on the stage. When Rodriguez saw him, her surprise turned to happy puzzlement. She began to reach out as if for a hug, but stopped. Amante held out a ring box, opened it, got down on one knee and proposed marriage, right there on stage, as a nearly packed house roared its approval and tears streamed down her face. Rodriguez said "yes." The couple's good friend -- and orchestrator of the mariachi-style proposal -- Laura Mendoza, walked onstage with a big bouquet of flowers for the bowled-over newly betrothed. "I thought they were going to ask me to sing," Rodriguez said behind stage, her cheeks still wet with tears, and still clearly surprised. "She loves this music," Amante said. None of this should really have been a surprise. After all, Amante's last name means "lover" in Spanish. And this is music that makes Latino hearts race one minute, and ache the next. Wenatchee's festival is on the radar screens of mariachi aficionados worldwide. Cortez directed the Wenatchee School District's mariachi program and taught here for a year before returning to California and a career as a record producer. He knows the top names in the business and succeeds in attracting them to Wenatchee to be part of the festival's final four-hour performances. This year, the ultra-famous Mercedes Castro was the headline soloist. With a gold record and 45 albums to her credit, Castro roused the crowd with favorites that they sang along with her. Seattle dance troupe Bailadores de Bronce pounded the stage with forceful zapateado or stomping footwork and created a human kaleidoscope of whirling, whooping color. Seasoned pros, like Castro and the ensemble artists of La Voz de México, add spice and experience to a show where students and young, emerging local musicians take center stage. Days of music workshops preceded Saturday's performances. "The program has been a success, and an alternative for young Latinos," Cortez said. "Here, aficionados of mariachi music stay in their seats listening for four hours -- and we keep them in their seats with the quality of the show. This motivates young people to work hard and aspire to these (professional groups)." Mariachi Huenachi, and local professional groups Mariachi Estrellas del Norte and Mariachi Reyes de Oro shared the stage during much of the show's first two hours. Some members of these local groups are, themselves, alums of the high school group. And their moms are proud of them. Famous local mariachi Osbaldo Chávez, 21, and his sisters Adriana, 24, Gaby, 20, and Maria, 14, performed Saturday night as their mom Elvira Chávez and aunt Guadalupe Gálvez whooped their support from backstage. "We've cooked for all the instructors," Elvira Chávez said of a lunch the artists consumed between the 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. shows. "Now, here we are, getting rid of the stress."
Article Date: 03/30/07 Fame, fans and a guitarrón "It was like walking into a dream," Chávez said. "I couldn't believe it. When I walked out there, I thought all the work I've done, this is the result." Chávez plays guitarrón -- a bass guitar and heartbeat of a mariachi band -- for one of the world's most renowned mariachi groups, Mariachi Sol De México. The group invited the calm, quiet musician to join them on a three-month tour of Mexico last year with Latin music heartthrob Luis Miguel headlining. The tour played 30 sold-out concerts in Mexico City and traveled throughout Mexico, playing for crowds as large as 40,000 people, Chávez said. He'll take off again with Sol De México on April 21 for Luis Miguel's European tour. He'll play 11 cities in Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona until May 14. "When they called me, I couldn't believe it," Chávez, now 21, said. "It was crazy how far I went from being a student to professional like that." Chávez was a student when he first met up with Sol de México. The group has headlined Wenatchee's Northwest Mariachi Festival. The event includes three days of classes and lectures for student musicians and dancers and a Saturday concert finale featuring local talent, as well as professional musicians and dancers. Chávez taught guitarrón classes at the festival earlier this week. He performs Friday and Saturday with Mariachi del Noroeste. Any other week, Chávez helps Ramon Rivera teach mariachi at Wenatchee High School, in the same band room he was trained. "When I see those kids, it reminds me of myself," Chávez said. "I started exactly like them. I don't know if I just got lucky or what." Chávez described himself as "a trouble-maker kid" in sixth grade. "My parents didn't know what to do with me so they stuck me in mariachi," Chávez said. "The first year was kind of rough, and then I just started liking it." Chávez was one of the youngest students enrolled in the high school mariachi program, established in 1994 by seasoned mariachi Mark Fogelquist. Wenatchee's mariachi program and its elite performing group Mariachi Huenachi began earning respect as one of the nation's top student programs at mariachi festivals in 1998, Chávez said. Juan Manuel Cortez took over in 2001. Cortez said the program lacked curriculum materials when he arrived, so he wrote his own. "I teach by sharing my experience," Cortez said. "When jazz was first taught in schools, they hired night club musicians to teach. It's happening the same way in mariachi." Chávez said he struggled with style before Cortez became his mentor. The American-born student rarely visited Mexico. Although Mexican folk music was "in his blood," he needed Cortez's guidance to find its essence, Chávez said. "Juan helped me a lot in wanting to become a professional," Chávez said. "I fell in love with mariachi. Sometimes when it's a really good song, I still get butterflies." Cortez said he persuaded Chávez to go to college before becoming a full-time mariachi. The unstable existence of a traveling musician is hard -- Cortez knows from personal experience. "If they have that piece of paper, it counts for a lot," Cortez said. Chávez plans to transfer from Wenatchee Valley College to Central Washington University to pursue degrees in teaching and music. Chávez still plays with the first generation of Mariachi Huenachi students and his three sisters, in one of Wenatchee's only non-school mariachi groups, Estrella del Norte. Ignacio Chávez, Osbaldo's father, coordinates the group's weekend gigs. Each player earns $40 an hour on average, he said. It allows the young musicians focus on school without having to juggle full-time classes and a job. "As a parent, I want my kids to have options in life," Ignacio Chávez said. He knew college tuition for four was too much, so he handed them guitars and violins instead. "I told them, 'This instrument will take you to a university,' " Ignacio Chávez said. The mariachi program continues to grow from its roots. The first generations of mariachi students inspire younger students, Ignacio Chávez said. "The opportunity is open for everybody," Ignacio Chávez said. "But the purpose of mariachi is not to make international professionals. The mariachi program gives them (students) language, culture and something to belong to. It's been incredible for my family." Rachel Schleif: 664-7139 schleif@wenworld.co Editorial: Viva! mariachi in Wenatchee The festival that began in the middle of last week is the ninth annual, in itself an accomplishment. Few such efforts have that much staying power, which attests to its powerful attraction. Students of mariachi come from as far away as California to be in Wenatchee, to learn from master musicians, to absorb their technique and find new directions for themselves. And then they share the pleasure of watching these musicians perform. It is those performances that draw packed audiences from across North Central Washington. The whole event exudes pride, in culture, family, school and community. The event culminates in a gala concert Saturday at 7 pm. in the Wenatchee High School Auditorium. Performing will be recording artist Mercedes Castro; Mariachi La Voz de Mexico, directed by Juan Manuel Cortez, also the director of the Northwest Mariachi Festival and former mariachi program coordinator for the Wenatchee Schools; Bailadores de Bronce, the folkloric dance troupe from Seattle; and of course Mariachi Huenachi, the celebrated elite group from Wenatchee High School, sometimes referred to justly as the pride of Wenatchee. Mariachi Huenachi was the original, but now is just one of 10 mariachi classes in the district -- elementary, intermediate, and multiple classes at the high school. There are more planned. For hundreds of students each year the mariachi programs provide an entry point into music and the arts. Like all music programs, they provide students valuable lessons in concentration, practice and perseverance. They also teach cultural pride and connect students and their parents to their school, said Wenatchee's mariachi program director and instructor Ramón Rivera. For some this will be a life-changing experience, as we discovered Friday reading the story of Osbaldo Chávez, by The World's Rachel Schleif. Chávez once was a typical Wenatchee middle schooler, put in mariachi class by insistent parents. Then something clicked, a passion grew. Chávez, now 21, tours the world with one of the best-known professional mariachi groups. This shows what can happen. Music has transformational powers, especially combined with education and pride.
Article Date: 03/29/07 Listen to the sounds of Mexico's musical history in Mariachi Ramón Rivera thinks so. "We're on the cutting edge of mariachi music," says the Wenatchee School District mariachi program director and instructor. The Northwest Mariachi Festival, organized by the school district and directed by former mariachi programs director Juan Manuel Cortez is part workshop, part concert. Mariachi students come from schools in the Northwest and even California to participate in workshops taught by professional maraiachis and perform at the end of the week. The professionals then demonstrate mariachi music and Mexican folkloric dance in a separate set of concerts. Cortez also performs on Saturday with the group Mariachi La Voz de Mexico, which he directs. "The mariachi music brings a lot of pride, especially from my students. They're not only learning music, they're learning self-esteem, pride and leadership; they are also feeling connected to the school," says Rivera. He adds that students who are having trouble with classes like English and math or who are struggling with the WASL can feel successful and connected to the school through the mariachi program. Ten mariachi classes are offered in the Wenatchee School District this year for kids in elementary through high school, and more are planned for next year. "The traditional bands and choir didn't attract very many Latino and Hispanic students," says Rivera. "Now with the mariachi program, they are involved with music education. "What's cool is one minute they're playing mariachi music and then next they're playing something from KW3 or 50 Cent," says Rivera. "It's something the whole family can enjoy including grandma and elementary kids." Dance origins Music and dance styles vary from state to state within Mexico. Below are the states that will be represented by Los Bailadores de Bronce, a Seattle-based Mexican folkloric dance troupe during the gala performance on Saturday. Jalisco: Probably the most recognizable mariachi sounds and Mexican folkloric dance comes from Jalisco. Folkloric music and dance in Jalisco began with the Aztecs, and has since been heavily influenced by the Spanish from the time of the conquest of Mexico in the 16th century. Some French style has also influenced the dancing. Ribbons in a rainbow of colors grace the bright dresses worn by women, while men wear large sombreros. Source: Secretary of Culture of Jalisco, cultura.jalisco.gob.mx Nuevo León: The Central European influence on traditional music and dance from the northern Mexico state of Nuevo León is unmistakable. With heavy accordion sounds, polka and waltz beats, you might think you're in Leavenworth. (Rivera says he often hears songs while in our local Bavarian village that have the same tune, but are sung in German, not Spanish.) Specifically, Polish and Czechoslovakian influences are heard in the rhythms of the music. Instrumentation is German-influenced with the use of the accordion. Source: Nuevo León state government, nl.gob.mx Guerrero: Music and dance from this state is heavily influenced by African dance and culture, brought by escaped and former slaves who migrated to the western coastal state. While the Spanish and native Mexican tribes influenced dance and music throughout Mexico, influences here also come from Chilean and Peruvian fisherman. Source: Guerrero state government, guerrero.gob.mx Common styles of mariachi music Son (Son de Mariachi or Son Jalisciense): "The quintessential maraichi genre," according to Mark Fogelquist, former director of Wenatchee School District mariachi programs. Expresses joy and includes fast tempos, sharp articulation and exuberant singing. Ranchera: Most popular style, expressing personal hardships with polka and waltz rhythms. Banda: Ranchera music with brass instrumentation Norteño: Ranchera music with electric instrumentation. Corridos: Storytelling songs, northern Mexico's specialty. Subjects include personal experiences, history and struggle, particularly tales of outlaws. Bolero: Love and romantic songs, good for different occasions. One of the most popular is the serenade. Ramón Rivera says, "In Hollywood they show people singing to people in balconies." Polka: German and central European influence. "Sometimes I go to Leavenworth and ask to hear music and it's the same, just in German. A lot of mariachi is influenced with polka, we just use different instrumentation," says Rivera. Cumbia: More modern, very popular, good for dancing and parties. Based on Colombian dance music. "El Mariachi Loco" is the most famous cumbia song. Source: "Mariachi Song Types" by Mark Fogelquist; and Ramón Rivera
Article Date: 03/20/06 Heritage on the stage Heritage on the stage -- At the eighth annual Northwest Mariachi Festival, that tradition was clear, though there were plenty of ways to define family. Most mariachis, "they grew up with it," Joaquin Rodriquez said. Rodriguez is a violinist with Mariachi Internacional de México, one of the groups that traveled to Wenatchee to perform at two concerts Saturday. Rodriquez said he was a fourth-generation mariachi, and that his daughter is studying piano. The group played a set of their own and also served as the backing band for headliner Alicia Juarez, widow of the late mariachi composer José Alfredo Jiménez. But Bianca Navarro, a Wenatchee High School junior who plays the violin and sings for the high school-based Mariachi Huenachi, said none of her classmates in the group had parents who were mariachis. Still, she talked about how the group was like a family, and said that more important than cultural heritage, playing mariachi "just has to do with the passion you have for the music." Ramon Rivera has both heritage and passion. He was born into a mariachi family, Mariachi Camarillo. Now director of the mariachi program at Wenatchee High School, he sees himself as a surrogate parent, of sorts. "There's not a lot of mariachis that live in the Northwest," said Rivera, who moved here last year from Southern California. Rivera co-directed the festival with Juan Manual Cortez, former Mariachi Huenachi director who himself is a third-generation violin player. For Rivera, it's easy to see the importance of introducing the mariachi tradition to Wenatchee students. "I work with a lot of kids, if they didn't have mariachi in school, I think they would drop out," Rivera said. So he will recruit, telling kids, "You look like a trumpet player," for example, just to get students interested. While Navarro credited parents of students in the group with being very supportive, Rivera said only one or two have a musical background. "Some of these have us being sort of like the parents ... saying, 'we would like you to play the trumpet' ... 'we would like you to play the guitar,' " Rivera said. The family-themed acts at the concert included Los Hermanos Escamilla, a trick roping group that spanned two generations. Also performing during the afternoon concert were Bailadores de Bronce, a dance group based in Seattle, and singer David Corpus. About 200 people attended that performance, which stretched over three hours. About 900 people attended the evening concert, Rivera said. Jaime Adame can be reached Song and study -- Ramón Rivera became the Wenatchee School District's coordinator of mariachi programs last summer, just before the start of the current school year. He replaced Juan Manuel Cortez, who'd guided the district programs for the better part of five years before resigning to pursue recording and composition work in his home city of Santa Ana, Calif. But before his departure, the Wenatchee schools recruited Cortez to return in time to act as director of the annual festival -- this year scheduled a month ahead of usual, March 15-18. "They wanted me to coach (music workshops) and learn how to do the festival from him this year," says Rivera. "... He came three times this year to make sure the transition was smooth." To that end, Cortez managed the booking of guest performers -- including Alicia Juarez, widow of the revered mariachi composer José Alfredo Jiménez -- managed schedules and composed original music for this festival, as he did each year while in Wenatchee. More than 200 students from California, Arizona, the Tri-Cities and elsewhere join their Wenatchee Valley peers in studying under Rivera, Cortez and other masters of the form. Essentially the classical music of Mexico, mariachi (the term can apply to either the style of music or its practitioners) was born in the western part of the country -- primarily in Jalisco, Michoacán and neighboring states. Colonizing Spaniards introduced the instruments of European classical music to the native populace, and later generations forged the new style with those tools. The first mariachi orchestras included harp, guitar and two or more violins. Later on, the large-bodied bass guitarrón replaced the harp; the small-bodied guitar called the vihuela provided the rhythm; and in the 1930s the trumpet arrived to round out the modern mariachi sound. The public gets to see the fruits of the festival in three concerts -- a student showcase March 17 and two full-blown shows by their instructors March 18 at Wenatchee High School. But it's behind the scenes, in workshop classes that begin Wednesday, that the students really learn to bring their instruments into proper mariachi tune. Among the player/instructors is Rivera's own family band, Mariachi Camarillo, in which he's played since his youth in Oxnard, Calif. "We have beginning, intermediate and advanced workshops, and we have different classes the size of 15 or 20 students, you really get to work four to five hours with a professional mariachi," says Rivera. "I just think that's a whole lesson in itself. Then when they see them perform on Saturday, the kids are really motivated, because they think, 'Maybe that could be me someday.' " Jefferson Robbins can be reached at 664-7123 or by e-mail at robbins@wenworld.com. ___________ Los mariachis * Alicia Juarez A singer and former wife of José Alfredo Jiménez (1926-1973), the mariachi who wrote some of Mexico's most enduring musical compositions. His break-through came with the song "Yo" in 1950, and from there on Jiménez was a constant on the nation's music charts, with classic mariachi songs including "Cuatro Caminos," "Sucedio En La Barranca," "El Cobarde" and "Ella." He was both a recording and film star in Mexico, and many of his works were performed by singers including Lola Beltrán, Lucas Villa and Paul Anka. Juarez was purportedly the subject of many of his later love songs, and the pair recorded a 1971 album together. * Mariachi Internacional de México Based in Fontana, Calif., Mariachi Internacional de México is the house band of Pancho Villa's restaurant in that city, and performs in both Spanish and English. Highly regarded as a touring band and as music instructors, they'll be key teachers at next week's Northwest Mariachi Festival. * Los Hermanos Escamilla Masters of floreadores de reata -- trick roping -- the Escamillas have roots in Juarez, Mexico and have performed for presidents and international royalty. * Bailadores de Bronce The folkloric music and dance ensemble was formed at the University of Washington in 1972. Established as a volunteer teaching and entertaining cooperative, the group has performed at cultural festivals in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, and is a frequent guest at Northwest Mariachi festivals in Wenatchee. * Mariachi Huenachi The Wenatchee High School performance group created in 1994 has earned national acclaim, winning the grand championship at the Mariachi Spectacular in Albuquerque, N.M., in 1997 and 1999. __________ If you go What: Northwest Mariachi Festival 2006 Where: Wenatchee High School auditorium, 1101 Millerdale St. When: Student showcase, 7 p.m. March 17; festival concerts, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. March 18 Cost: Student showcase, $5; festival concerts $15-$20; tickets at Apple Blossom Festival office, 2 S. Chelan Ave., Suite A Tickets and information: 662-3616 On the Web: northwest
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