El Mariachi? No. Los Mariachis.

Technically when he's by himself he's not a mariachi.
 But he also has a gun so...

Oh Jalisco, birthplace of some of the great aspects of Mexican culture like tequila, barbacoa and pozole, Guadalajara (as well as the Lady thereof), and of course, mariachi music. Everyone knows mariachi music. It is a staple of Mexican cultural stereotypes but more than that it is some awesome music and an extremely revelatory and important aspect of a rich and wonderful history.

I’ve heard of mariachi music described as Mexican country music but that is not an accurate assessment. American country music (originally called “hillbilly music” – yeah, I’m not kidding; go look it up, I’ll wait) started in the south and much like mariachi music, it was made up of folk songs, ballads, and dance songs. It was composed with relatively simple and common instruments like guitars and maybe some brass but where country music eventually turned into musical atrocities like Lady Antebellum or Rascal Flats, mariachi music has remained pretty true to its roots and any great deviation from those roots it is no longer called mariachi music but something like ranchera, banda, or any other name to make ensure that it is distinct and not tainting the traditional sound and style.

Rascal Flatts - a country "band"

Here in New York there isn’t a great deal of exposure to Mariachi music. Most New Yorker’s only experience with the genre comes from the uninvited, eye-roll inducing, ear bud tightening performances on the subway. I like to imagine a bus in Mexico where an American dude with a guitar climbs aboard and starts singing Devil Went Down to Georgia and I understand why the average New Yorker has less than a great affinity for the music. On the West Coast however, well just to give an example, we had a mariachi trio playing at my grandfather’s funeral. It was pretty awesome and Abuelo would have been satisfied. Beyond that, as I’ve mentioned before in previous posts, New York has a greater Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Cuban population than it does Mexican. For the record I am not a fan of Reggeaton music. It hurts me in my soul.

Chente

So here is your history lesson for the day: Mariachi music originated in Jalisco a few hundred years ago, probably in the 1700s during the colonial period. It lived on through the post-colonial period and gained prominence during a period of nationalism through which the genre became a symbol of the great Mexican landscape and came to be associated internationally as a representation of all things Mexican. The name itself, mariachi, is indigenous to Mexico and not an appropriated or some sort of malapropism. By definition mariachi music is always performed by an ensemble, always a group. A guy playing guitar and singing by himself- he is not a mariachi all alone. Some of you may be thinking, “Hey but what about Vicente Fernandez?” or “How about Javier Solis?” or “This site still gets updated?” Solis and Fernandez do look like mariachis. They wear outfits so stunning and shiny that Liberace would blush- however make no mistake, these are the suits, a traje de charro as they’re called, that are representative of the noble cowboy history that accompany this rich genre. But as for the men in the suits, when it’s just one man it is a ranchera singer. And again, make no mistake, when it’s Vicente Fernandez it is El rey de la cancion ranchera. Though one might hear groups playing similar music, if they are not dressed or playing in the style of Jalisco, they are not mariachis.

Mariachi ensembles now generally consist of instruments ranging from guitars and brass to larger groups including harps, percussion, and woodwinds. Of course one cannot leave out the grito, the yell that often comes at the song’s interlude often performed by either the singer or the audience. This is not unlike the yeehaw of an American hoedown. The songs can be either for listening or for dancing and the meter varies quite a bit. From 2/4 beat to 6/8 beat, waltzes and everything in between, there is a cancion to suit all of your mariachi needs. Mariachis are often hired to perform at weddings and birthdays, holidays, or really just about any occasion, they always fit the mood.

"Tambien hacemos bar mitvahs!"

There are many great songs performed by mariachis to suit a wide range of tastes. I’m a big fan of El Rey but some other greats are Son de la Negra, Guadalajara, and Camino de Guanajuato. But if you only have the faintest familiarity with mariachi music the one song that everyone seems to be familiar with is Cielito Lindo”. Go ahead and pull it up on iTunes, you’ll know which one it is.

Finding a mariachi band isn’t cheap, at least not if you want a good one. They can range from $120 per hour to several hundred dollars per hour depending on how good they are. I recommend them highly for birthday celebrations or even a trio to play ballads at a smaller, more intimate gathering. Maybe even at your next funeral. The songs range from the solitary musings of a cowboy out on the range, to the heart that beats only for the woman who left the singer. They romanticize the Mexican frontier and relate musings on love, patriotism, and nature. For whatever reason I can’t stand most American country music, but I will always have a place in my digital library for some mariachi music.