Los Cenzontles

Los Cenzontles

November, 2005

Los Cenzontles (whose name translates from the Aztec as "the mockingbirds") celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with the contemporary sounds of the world stage. Under the direction of Grammy-nominated producer Eugene Rodriguez, this group of young musicians presented authentic and gutsy interpretations of traditional, vernacular and original music. Los Cenzontles presented beautiful and emotional rancheras, Michoacan pirecuas, and sones jarochos (a type of traditional rural mariachi), as well as original compositions. The group performs with male and female vocalists and dancers and original instruments such a vihuela, jarana, guitarra de son, guitarron and tololoche. From its beginnings over a decade ago as a youth program in San Pablo, California, Los Cenzontles has grown into what has been called "one of the [San Francisco] region's cultural treasures."