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Music Sin Frontera – Las Chorizeras

Las Chorizeras

Las Chorizeras: mariachi evolved, beautifully

Because I live in Jalisco, I am surrounded by mariachi music, Jalisco claims the honor of being the home of mariachi.  The history of mariachi may support that. The Spanish introduced violins, guitars, harps, brass instruments, and woodwinds to Mexico for use in Catholic mass, and eventually the church music expanded into the Mexican music form, son. The variety popular in the Jalisco area was called son jalisciense and many musicologists believe that modern mariachi music developed from this son stylè, with mariachi as an alternative name for son jalisciense.  In this history, mariachi evolved from son jalisciense sometime during the 19th century in the town of Cocula, Jalisco .

Regardless of which town, or even which state, mariachi evolved in it is an ever-changing form of music which has spread worldwide and incorporated other forms as it spread – rock, blues, rap, jazz, flamenco, even the Beatles, and other Mexican music forms. The International Mariachi and Charro Festival held every August in Guadalajara showcases as many as 100 bands from over a dozen countries and attracts 10,000 people.  And they play a range of music that is mind-bending.

A new mariachi that is, in my opinion, keeping the tradition and sound of mariachi, but adding other emotional and musical elements in unusual and very entertaining ways, is from a band based not in Mexico, but in Los Angeles, the Las Chorizeras, a Mariachi Fusion ensemble. Among all of the mariachis experimenting with new forms, blends, etc. to me they stand out for their authenticity, innovation and just plain fun to listen to.

Las Chorizeras was founded by my friend, the super talented Nancy Sanchez. Originally from Toluca Mexico – home of the best chorizo in Mexico, hence the name – Sanchez has music in blood from her musician father. She founded the band in 2022 with guitarrón player, Eunice Aparicio, violinist Anisettee Noperi, and vocalist and güiro  percussionist Darlene Perez. Nancy plays the vihuela and sings and writes.  The women in the band are all cross-cultural/bi-national.

The fact that Las Chorizeras is all female is, fortunately, no longer unusual. There are many all-female mariachis in Mexico and the US and the mariachi schools often have a slightly larger number of girls. Our own Escuela Mariachi de Pedro Reyes in Ajijic has a slight  female majority, and  the star singer  is  13-year old Amanda Enciso Jacbo, whose vocal range, power and maturity eclipses other. older  singers, male or female.

What is unusual is Las Chorizeras’s ability to blend  mariachi with ballads, Latin alternative, even a touch of American country,  using the instruments of the mariachi in a mix best called Alternative Regional Mexican. This is so evident in their song “Pecadora” (Sinners), which  blends Mexican elements with clap-like beats, church bells, smoking violins, fast moving rhythm guitar, and quick percussion changes in a song that is emotional, fascinating, irresistible, and fun. You could listen to it all day.

The same is true for their song, “Dispuesto a Amar” (Ready to Love), although the music is completely different -more of a ballad that sways along with a slow guitar strum and concert violins. The effect is a rich contrast that carries you within. The beautiful vocals are feminine and strong,  almost  urgent. You instinctively close your eyes and follow the words like a rolling Mexican landscape.

Las Chorizeras have two songs on Spotify and are working on a self-titled EP. But they have been busy in the public eye. Las Chorizeras made their debut at the 2022 Los Angeles County Fair. They were also  on the last chapter of season two of the Netflix series Lincoln Lawyer , and they perform in Los Angeles. 

Their timing is good. Regional Mexican music is becoming Mexican music, no longer a subgenre. Mexican and bi-lingual music from Mexico is rising quickly in the US market. That, combined with the inherent popularity and growth of mariachi, means that Las Chorizeras are creating the right music a the right time.  The are on the crest of a wave that is still building and they are building with it and pushing it forward.  Another era in the evolution of Mexico’s national music.

Patrick O’Heffernan, PhD., is a music journalist and radio broadcaster based in Los Angeles, California, with a global following. His two weekly radio programs, MusicFridayLive! and MusicaFusionLA are heard nationwide and in the UK. He focuses on two music specialties: emerging bands in all genres, and the growing LA-based ALM genre (American Latino Music) that combines rock and rap, blues and jazz and pop with music from Latin America like cumbia, banda, jarocho and mariachi. He also likes to watch his friend drag race.

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