Mariachi Herencia de México, an ensemble of students from Chicago's immigrant barrios, has scored a Latin GRAMMY nomination for their debut album of traditional Mexican music. Nominated in the "Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album" category, Nuestra Herencia (Our Heritage) ranked No. 2 in its first week on iTunes' Latin chart when it was released by the Chicago-based Mariachi Heritage Foundation, pointing to a revival in recorded mariachi music.
The album, released on May 17, is believed to be the first major mariachi recording released in the U.S. by a student ensemble, with members ranging in age from 11 to 18. It was produced and arranged by L.A.'s mariachi master, Jose Hernández, who calls the project "one of those labor of love things." Much of that love and labor came from César Maldonado, an investment banker whose most important startup was a non-profit foundation that promoted mariachi music instruction in
Chicago public schools, creating a classroom incubator for the talent on this album.
"I'm overjoyed with this nomination and extremely proud of our students, "says Maldonado. "Their passion for the culture and love for mariachi music is an inspiration. This is a tremendous moment for mariachi music education in the U.S."
In a historic collaboration, the album features guest musicians from some of the most respected mariachi groups from both sides of the border. It includes vocal contributions, recorded in Mexico, by members of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, a revered institution in the genre. In addition, members of three top Los
Angeles ensembles - Los Camperos, Sol de México, and the all-female group Reyna de los Ángeles - recorded guest vocals on the CD.
Nuestra Herencia also features tribute medleys to two of the mariachi music's greatest stars:
Juan Gabriel and José Alfredo Jiménez.
For the creators and members of Mariachi Herencia de México, the passion for mariachi music has never faltered. The group's success represents the strength of the colorful folk style as a grassroots movement, very much alive in regional festivals and especially in the schools.
"I tell people that mariachi is a sleeping giant in this country," says Hernández. "This album might open people's eyes to what's happening to mariachi education in this country. It's really growing."
In Chicago, Mariachi Herencia de México was purely a barrio creation.
The band emerged from a plucky non-profit, the Mariachi Heritage Foundation, that pushed a cultural agenda in the schools. It was started in 2013 by a determined investment banker whose entrepreneurial spirit was aimed at doing good for his old neighborhood. César Maldonado, 33, was born and raised in the blue-collar, predominantly Latino community of Brighton Park on the south side of Chicago. At the time, he recalls, the public schools he attended had no formal arts or music instruction.
"I believe in the impact of the arts, especially when the art form is relevant. And this art form is completely relevant to Chicago's growing Mexican and Mexican American communities," says Maldonado.
Maldonado, who still lives in his old neighborhood, decided to make good on his convictions. With the blessing of Chicago's arts-focused leader, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and support from a network of local businesses, a program of mariachi music instruction was launched, initially in five public schools. These were among the schools identified by a city study as most lacking in arts resources. And that included Maldonado's alma mater, Davis Elementary.
The program, part of the regular school curriculum, has now expanded to eight schools and enrolls 2,100 students, who learn music theory and performance in the mariachi style. The ensemble Mariachi Herencia de México was created for students who showed the most talent and promise, and enrollment for the group was opened citywide.
The ensemble recently signed with IMG Artists, the New York agency that also represents international Latin stars Aida Cuevas, Eddie Palmieri, and Diego El Cigala.
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