2014 Program Notes, Book 3 37
MARIACHI LOS CAMPEROS DE NATI CANO
was founded by Natividad
“Nati” Cano, a traditionalist and a visionary who has both mirrored and shaped
the history of mariachi music. He was born in 1933 into a family of mariachi
musicians in Jalisco, Mexico, one of the many communities in western Mexico
that gave life to the mariachi tradition. His career took him first to nearby
Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city, and then further away to Los Angeles,
where he and Los Camperos emerged as a major driving force of the mariachi
music tradition in the United States.
In December 2006, Cano’s contributions to the American music landscape
were recognized when he became one of the first artists nationwide to win a
USA Fellowship from United States Artists, which awarded fifty USA Fellowships
to a total of 54 artists and only five musicians in its inaugural year.
Los Camperos de Nati Cano has now existed for more than a half century and
is noted for the demanding musical arrangements that highlight the individual
skills and voices of the players. The ensemble employs the finest musicians from
Mexico and the United States and has performed for audiences worldwide.
Their current Musical Director is Jesus “Chuy” Guzman.
Mariachi Los Camperos was one of four mariachis that collaborated on
Linda Ronstadt’s Spanish-language album
Canciones de Mi Padre
(
Songs of
my Father
). In 1988-1989, the group worked on promoting the album, including
national television appearances on
The Tonight Show
with Johnny Carson and
the Grammy Awards Show. They also appear on Linda Ronstadt’s
Mas Canciones
(
More Songs
).
The 2011, the group toured with VIVA MEXICO! to commemorate the
bicentennial of Mexico and Mariachi Los Camperos’ 50th anniversary. Recent
engagements have included a return to the Dallas Symphony and debuts with
the Oregon and Austin Symphony Orchestras.
CARLOS KALMAR’s
biography can be found on page 16.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
