Buckley: Young talent prevails at TCC in mariachi show
by Daniel Buckley on Apr. 27, 2007, under Calendar, LocalWant to know what the payoff is for 25 years of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference?
It’s in the next generation. Little kids to college-age students proved it last night before a packed Tucson Convention Center Music Hall.
A slew of young mariachis from Arizona, Texas and California wowed the crowd with chops far beyond the years of the students at last night’s Participant Showcase.
Sadly, just one folklórico group was in attendance, but if there had to be but one, Tucson-based Ballet Folklórico Tapatio was the right choice. Blessed with a stable of strong, limber men and graceful, beautiful women in resplendent costumes, the group’s brief set was a riot of color and smoldering sensuality.
On the mariachi front, the hall brimmed with talent. By far the best was the University of Texas at Brownsville’s Mariachi Escorpión. With an ensemble and solo line of vocalists to rival Mariachi Cobre, the group’s potent trumpets and chiseled instrumental work drove every number home.
Close behind was Mariachi Chula Vista, a high school mariachi from the California city of the same name. The group packed a powerful punch straight out of the gate, with clouds of violin rosin billowing from the fiddles as its members dug in the bows. The group displayed bravura as it nearly perfectly executed every facet of the mariachi art.
Tucson’s own Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School likewise put on an impressive show, highlighted by outstanding vocals and a buoyant sense of showmanship.
Rounding out the top talent was Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando, a group whose too-short set boasted passionate lead vocals and vibrant ensemble precision.
If there was a directorial MVP for the evening, it was Tucsonan Alfredo Valenzuela, who had three great groups of young players demonstrating that the best is yet to come.
Don’t miss tonight’s Espectacular at 7 at the TCC Arena with mariachis Cobre, Vargas and Los Camperos. Tickets are $46 to $86. Call 838-3913 for information.
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MARIACHI 2007
Check the Citizen’s Mariachi 07 site for a complete resource on all things mariachi and ballet folklorico.
