Los Cenzontles
Mexican-American band blends culture with traditional, modern music
Kevin Gisi
Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: Currents
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The band, which was formed nearly 20 years ago, is a distinctive blend of traditional Mexican music and more modern elements added together to create a completely individualized sound. The players traveled from their home in the San Francisco Bay Area to kick off the 2009-2010 season of UW-Eau Claire's Artists Series.
Monday's show in the Council Fire Room opened with a melodic a cappella duet performed by the group's two talented female vocalists, Lucina Rodriguez and Fabiola Trujillo. Then, without even the slightest of pauses, the group erupted from the soft, haunting vocals into a lively, fast-paced piece that the entire six-member band was involved in. Each member of the group exhibited multi-faceted musical talents as they each played various instruments throughout the performance, including an accordion, a percussive instrument made from a donkey's jawbone, and modern essentials like the drums and the bass guitar.
In addition to the group's broad array of instruments, the players included an equally wide selection of musical styles throughout the night. Their songs varied from slower, story-telling "rancheras," or country songs, to spirited folk, jazz and even blues music.
"Being Mexican-American, it is very natural to play both Mexican and American music," leader and founder of Los Cenzontles, Eugene Rodriguez explained. "Playing traditional music in a modern world also makes it logical to play traditional music and contemporary music, or traditional music with a contemporary mind-set," he said.
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