Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference 2002 Headliners

Mariachi Cobre

"Espectacular" as this year's headliners are, the return of Mariachi Cobre to its home turf for the first time since 1996 is generating the most excitement.
Founded in 1971 in Tucson, Arizona by Randy Carrillo, the group packed its bags and headed to Orlando, Florida in 1982 where it has introduced literally millions to mariachi music through its gig at EPCOT 's Mexico Pavilion at Walt Disney World. The 12-piece ensemble of violins, trumpets and guitars has about it the kind of polished showmanship and dedication to the tradition that has made it one of the most popular mariachis at conferences and workshops, and lately with symphony orchestras, throughout the world.
You can tell the quality of an ensemble by the company it keeps. Cobre's collaborative partners include Linda Ronstadt, Vikki Carr, Lola Beltrán, Lucha Villa, Julio Iglesias, Guadalupe Pineda, Angeles Ochoa, Aida Cuevas, Pedro Fernandez, Pepe Aguilar, Beatriz Adriana, Jose Luis Rodriguez "El Puma", Rocio Banquells, Carlos Santana, Beatriz Montes, Celia Cruz, Angela Carrasco, Herb Alpert, Nydia Rojas, Ana Gabriel and Alison Kraus.
The group's annual appearances on Univision's TV broadcasts "Premio Lo Nuestra a la Musica Latina" have broadened its fan base to international scope. It entered the European arena with a tour of the Netherlands, and was featured at the First and Third International "Encuentro de Mariachi" in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
Inspired by a mariachi conference in San Antonio, Texas in 1981, Cobre transplanted the idea to its native Tucson two years later, creating what is now the longest-running and one of the most highly revered and copied mariachi conferences in the world. Unhappy with the lack of structure of the workshops in the conference's early days, the group took the initiative to establish a curriculum of learning that has made it one of the most sought-after ensemble of clinicians around.
Since the early 1990s, Cobre has been performing with symphony orchestra, earning praise from critics and musicians alike for the sophistication and cross-idiomatic fit of its arrangements. In 2000 and 2001, the group was invited to perform, record and tour with conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra, and was featured on the orchestra's Grammy-nominated "Latin Album" on RCA Red Seal. It collaborated with Vikki Carr and the San Antonio and San Jose Symphony Orchestras, as well as famed trumpeter, Doc Severinsen and the Milwaukee, Phoenix and Minnesota Symphony Orchestras, the Evansville, Columbus, Jacksonville, Guadalajara, Orlando, Monterey, Tucson, Modesto, Buffalo and Long Beach Orchestras.
The group's own recordings include "Mariachi Cobre," "Este es Mi Mariachi," and "XV Anniversary." Its lineup includes Stephen Carrillo, trumpet, guitarrón, tenor; Miguel Molina, trumpet, tenor; Mario Trujillo, violin, tenor; Israel Molina, violin, tenor; Mack Ruiz, violin, baritone; Antonio Hernandez, violin; Pablo Hector Gama, violin, baritone; Christopher Figueroa, violin; Randy M. Carrillo, guitarrón, baritone; Francisco Grijalva, guitar; Roberto Martinez, vihuela and Javier Trujillo, guitarra de golpe.

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán

In his essay on mariachi music in the Latino Encyclopedia, researcher Jonathan D. Clark declares, "The most important group in the history of mariachi music is Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, founded in 1898 by Gaspar Vargas in Tecalitlán, Jalisco."
In 1932, Gaspar Vargas' son, Silvestre, took over the group and charted its climb to regal status. After a win in a mariachi contest in Guadalajara in late 1933, Vargas moved the group permanently to Mexico City, where it quickly took first place in another mariachi contest. That same year it became the official mariachi of the Mexico City Police Department - a job it held for the next two decades. In 1937 the group appeared in "Asi es Mi Tierra" - the first of over 200 film appearances - and made its first recordings.
From the 1940s-on, the Vargas was the mariachi of choice, backing nearly every luminary in the canción ranchera field from José Alfredo Jimenez to Pedro Infante, Lucha Reyes, Lola Beltrán, Vicente Fernández, Vikki Carr, Angeles Ochoa, Lucero, and Linda Ronstadt. The addition of composer/arranger Rubén Fuentes (`"La Bikina," `"La Mariquita," `"Por Un Beso," "Que Bonita es Mi Tierra"' `"La Barca de Guaymas," ``Hay Unos Ojos" etc.) in 1944 and trumpet player Miguel Martínez saw the group's meteoric ascendancy as it revolutionized the mariachi sound without ever losing touch with its rural roots. By the mid-1950s, RCA was billing Vargas as "El Mejor Mariachi del Mundo" (the world's greatest mariachi) - a marketing claim that was upheld by its playing decade after decade. Pepe Martínez succeeded Fuentes as the group's director and continues Vargas' tradition of innovation and excellence in its arrangements.
It was the inspiration of meeting and working with the Vargas in San Antonio that gave Tucson's Mariachi Cobre the idea to start what would become the Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference. In the early days it led the workshops at the conference, which were held by instrument without distinction to the level of the players. This will be the 13th year the group has been a headliner at the Tucson conference.

Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano

A perennial favorite at the conference since 1986, for four decades Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano has been one of America's foremost mariachi pioneers.

It's musical director, Nati Cano, is a native of Ahuisculco in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. He moved to Los Angeles in 1957 where he played and directed Mariachi Chapala for four years. In 1961, he created Los Camperos - one of the most internationally recognized mariachi groups and one of America's first real "show" mariachis, bringing world-class virtuosity and complex arrangements to the artform. It was with Cano and Los Camperos that Tucson's legendary Mariachi Cobre studied as kids, back in the 1960s when they were among the early members of Los Changuitos Feos (The Ugly Little Monkeys) - America's first youth mariachi.

Los Camperos backed singer Linda Ronstadt on her "Canciones de mi Padre" album and subsequent touring, including a recent Christmas tour in 2001. The group has been a fixture at the Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference for 17 of the event's 20 years, and since 1999, it has headed up the conference workshops.

"It's been a great experience," Cano said, speaking by phone from his La Fonda restaurant in Los Angeles. "The main thing for me there is to see all these kids growing up and learning and promoting the mariachi music. It makes me want to keep going. As long as the kids are trying to preserve this music, I'll be there. That's what Tucson means to me."

Cano has taught at the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology and Systematic Musicology, and in 1990 he became a National Heritage Award winner.

Currently Cano is organizing a national mariachi institute. In 2000, Cano was named one of the Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference's inaugural Hall of Fame members.

Mariachi Los Arrieros

This El Paso-based group has become a favorite on the mariachi circuit for its precision, spirit and versatility.
It made an impressive debut at the Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference last year, demonstrating crisp ensemble precision, all-around virtuosity and a stable of lead singers many of whom could have solo careers. From acrobatic mariachi standards from the son huasteca tradition to a bravura suite from Bizet's "Carmen" and an unlikely but thoroughly enjoyable Spanish-language version of "My way," the group's authoritative performance had Tucsonans anxious for Los Arrieros' return.
The dozen-member group was formed in 1996, and is directed by Juan Contreras. He and the ensemble members of teach mariachi in the Socorro Independent School District. The group has appeared in cities from Guadalajara, Mexico to Kansas City, Mo., and performed for former President Bill Clinton and Mexican President Zedillo. Everywhere, they are considered ambassadors of mariachi.

Angeles Ochoa

Beautiful ranchera singer Angeles Ochoa, who returns to the Bank One Tucson International Mariachi Conference for the second time after a 10-year absence, got her start at a church festival in Tijuana, Mexico. That little girl grew up to be a major soloist in the mariachi world.
Ochoa started at the top with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Thus far, he has produced eight albums, most recently ""Aydame a Pasar la Noche."
Ochoa has performed on Mexican and American television, and for world leaders and has received a numerous awards for her contributions to Mexican music.