Los Cenzontles Mexican Folk Ensemble

Los Cenzontles ("The Mockingbirds") celebrates the innovation and imagination of traditional Mexican music and dance, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with contemporary sounds. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this group presents authentic and gutsy interpretations of traditional, vernacular and original music in a uniquely personal manner. It has performed with Los Lobos, Los Tigres del Norte, and Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. Based at the Los Cenzontles Mexican Cultural Center in San Pablo, California, the group features four distinct styles of regional Mexican music and dance: Traditional Mariachi feature two violins, guitarron, vihuela, male and female vocal duets, and accompanying dancers (one couple) improvising on a tarima in the long-forgotten rural style. Son Jarocho of Veracruz features music played on the small eight-or 10-string guitar called the jarana and the little four-string requinto. Tex-Mex Conjunto features rancheras, gut-wrenching songs of lost love from the Mexican countryside performed by two female and one male vocalist and backed by saxophone, violin, string bass and drums. Pirecuas and Sones of Michoacan are lilting love songs of the indigenous Michoacan from Central Mexico which feature female vocals, string bass, violin, clarinet, and guitar.