‘THE MUSIC OF MEXICO’ : Trends (Such as <i> Banda</i> ) Come and Go, but Mariachi Is Forever

So, banda music is big, along with its accompanying dance, the quebraditas.

The border-music dance sensation, a mix of German oom-pah-pah and Mexican folk music influences, has swept Orange County’s Latino dance clubs and dominates Spanish-language radio in Southern California. But Samuel Nolasco isn’t worried.

Nolasco is music director and trumpet player for the 10-piece Mariachi Nochistlan--and part owner of El Mariachi, the restaurant where it plays--and has seen mariachi weather musical trends that have come along before.

“Other kinds of music come and go, but mariachi stays,” said Nolasco, in an interview at the restaurant. “The mariachi music has been around for years. Maybe because you could say it’s the music of Mexico.”

Tlaquepaque Restaurant in Placentia has been presenting live mariachi music since 1972.

“We have our ups and downs, our slow periods,” said Raul Davis, one of the owners, “but overall, it’s always remained popular.”

And, he added, “Cinco de Mayo is the biggest time of the year.”

Indeed, mariachi music can be heard at points all over the county today through Sunday, presented along with other expressions of traditional Mexican culture, including ballet folklorico.

In addition to regular performances at Tlaquepaque and El Mariachi, places to hear the string-driven music of Mexico include Cal State Fullerton (Mariachi Jalisco, today on the quad), UC Irvine (Mariachi Juvenil Sol de Mexico, tonight at 8 in the Anthill Pub and Grill), San Juan Capistrano Library (Mariachi Olympico, Saturday at 5:30 p.m.), Max Berg Park in San Clemente (Los Michoacanos, Saturday at 1 p.m.).

The musical theme will be extended with a screening of the 1993 film “El Mariachi,” Friday at 7 p.m. at Saddleback College. The film follows the misadventures of a young man who dreams of becoming a mariachi, like his father and grandfather before him.

The annual Santa Ana Mariachi Festival, planned for May 22 with a series of activities leading up to it, was canceled this week in the wake of violence at a Cinco de Mayo celebration last week in Los Angeles. It is the second time the festival has been canceled because of violence--two years ago, the cause was the riots in Los Angeles.

Mariachi string orchestras evolved as an accompaniment to folk music on the streets of Mexico, and today’s groups play both traditional and recently composed popular music. Some historians believe the name derives from a Spanish variation of the French word for marriage, because of the ensembles’ early use at weddings.

According to Davis, mariachi music hit a mid-’70s peak before leveling off. But the late-’80s mariachi recordings of Linda Ronstadt helped fuel a new boom that continues to hold strong, leading to an array of festivals (including a recent one at the Pond at Anaheim, and the annual Mariachi USA Festival at the Hollywood Bowl).

In fact, Davis said, mariachi music is in some ways stronger in Southern California than it is in Mexico--even in Guadalajara, where it was born.

“I was just in Guadalajara a couple of weeks ago, and they don’t have it at the same level as here,” Davis said. Here, “the crowds will really sit down and listen to the music. It’s a different ambiente .”

Several bands have been based at Tlaquepaque since the restaurant started offering mariachi at lunch on Fridays in 1972. Three years ago, the restaurant established its own band, Mariachi Tlaquepaque, and the group has started to build a solid reputation since recording an album last year. The group will participate in a festival in Oxnard on May 14, will play the Hollywood Bowl in June as part of Mariachi USA and may even travel to Guadalajara for a first-ever festival there.

The band plays at the restaurant each Friday at noon, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and at Sunday brunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. The lineup comprises five violins, two trumpets, two guitars and a bass. The folks who come to the restaurant are true aficionados, he said: “The people that listen to mariachi are a lot different than the banda dance crowd,” Davis said. “Mariachi people come to hear the music.”

Nolasco, music director of Mariachi Nochistlan, stressed the traditional aspects of mariachi music as one reason the music has endured and prospered. Nolasco grew up in the town of Nochistlan, in the state of Zacatecas, in north-central Mexico. It’s a town rich in musical tradition, he said--his father was a saxophonist in a swing band, and all the children learned to play instruments.

Nolasco came to the United States for the first time with a touring mariachi group in 1972 and about a year later returned for good. He eventually hooked up with Mark Fogelquist, an ethnomusicologist from UCLA, and Mariachi Uclatlan was born. Fogelquist, Nolasco and others in the band opened El Mariachi in 1981.

Fogelquist was a leading local supporter of mariachi music and organizer of the Santa Ana festival since its inception but moved out of state last year to resume his teaching career. Florinda Mintz, an event organizer in Santa Ana, said Fogelquist’s departure was a “big, big loss.”

Mariachi isn’t the only expression of traditional Mexican culture that will get a spotlight at Cinco de Mayo observations this week--ballet folklorico is another. Volunteer Jose Hernandez teaches a student group in San Clemente that will perform at this weekend’s festival there.

“It helps them learn about their culture and about their roots,” said Hernandez. “We don’t just tell them about dance, but also about painting and other arts.”

Hernandez started learning various dances at age 15. Now 27, he teaches traditional dances from 10 regions of Mexico to about 40 students, both boys and girls. “I think it helps them to develop mentally, physically and socially,” he said.

Cinco de Mayo (May 5) marks the defeat of the French by outnumbered Mexican soldiers, at Puebla in 1862. The county’s biggest observance of the holiday was held last weekend at La Palma Park in Anaheim; the accompanying list gives details of some of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations planned in the days ahead, along with the entertainment schedules of El Mariachi and Tlaquepaque.

* MORE FESTIVALS & EVENTS, Page 24

Cinco de Mayo and Beyond

* As part of Mes de la Raza at UC Irvine: Today, Ballet Folklorico de UCI at noon at the flagpole, UCI Student Center, and Mariachi Juvenil Sol de Mexico at 8 p.m. at the Anthill Pub, Student Center. Both events free. (714) 725-2225.

* There will be a talk about the Battle of Puebla, the source of the Cinco de Mayo holiday, today at 11 a.m. at Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Mariachi Jalisco will play at noon, also on the quad. Admission to both events is free. Information: (714) 773-3211.

* A two-act comedy musical written by Louie Olivos Jr. of Santa Ana, “The Mecha Mural Play,” will be offered free today at noon in Phillips Hall, Rancho Santiago College, Santa Ana. The play will be repeated Saturday, May 7, at 2:30 and 5 p.m., with a $5 admission charge. (714) 543-5598.

* Tish Hinojosa sings classic country music in a Cinco de Mayo concert at 8 p.m. in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach, 6200 Atherton St., Long Beach. Tickets $10 to $15. (310) 985-7000.

* “El Mariachi” (1993), directed by Robert Rodriguez, in Spanish with subtitles, will be screened Friday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in the Science/Math building Room 313 at Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. Admission is free. (714) 582-4788.

* The San Juan Capistrano Cinco de Mayo Celebration, with ballet folklorico , Aztec dancers, mariachis and food booths, will take place Saturday, May 7, from 5 to 8:15 p.m. at the La Sala Auditorium, San Juan Capistrano Library, 31495 El Camino Real. Admission is free. Information: (714) 493-5911.

* Cinco de Mayo Fiesta on Saturday, May 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Max Berg Plaza Park, 1100 Calle Puente, San Clemente. Features mariachis, ballet folklorico , rodeo ropers, food, games, arts and crafts exhibits and a car show. Admission is free. There will also be a dance from 7 to 11 p.m. at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 Calle Seville, San Clemente. $10. (714) 361-8264.

* Downtown Santa Ana comes alive on Cinco de Mayo with music and festivities from noon to 7 p.m. The free event is geared to bring together city residents, neighbors, merchants and employees. (714) 836-7028.

* At Tlaquepaque Restaurant, 111 W. Santa Fe, Placentia, Mariachi Tlaquepaque plays each Friday from noon to 2 p.m. and again from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight, and at Sunday brunch from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. Also, for Cinco de Mayo, the band will take the stage today from noon to 3 p.m. and again from 7 to 11 p.m. Reservations are recommended. (714) 528-8515.

* Mariachi Nochistlan plays Wednesday through Sunday evenings beginning at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 12:30, at El Mariachi Restaurant, 650 N. Tustin Ave., Orange. Friday through Sunday evenings the mariachis alternate with a Latin dance combo. Information: (714) 532-4001.

Where to Catch Fiesta Fever

In addition to Tlaquepaque Restaurant in Placentia and El Mariachi Restaurant in Orange, many other restaurants and nightclubs in the area will be offering Cinco de Mayo specials and events. A few of the highlights:

* Avila’s El Ranchito (25322 Cabot Road, Laguna Hills, (714) 586-1200). Mariachi Zacatecas will perform Mexican music from 6 to 8 p.m.; Relacion Musical and Banda Canelo will perform at 10 p.m., along with deejay Capistrano. A donkey and giveaways will also be featured. $10 cover after 10 p.m.

* Tortilla Flats (27792 Vista del Lago, Mission Viejo, (714) 830-9980). Mariachis will play from 5 to 10 p.m.

* El Torito (2020 E. Ball Road, Anaheim, (714) 956-4880). Mariachi music and dancing begin at 8 p.m.

* El Torito (15042 Golden West St., Westminster, (714) 898-6621). Fair featuring booths, beer and food specials, a deejay and live mariachi music begins at 4 p.m.

* El Torito (22699 Oakcrest Circle, Yorba Linda, (714) 921-2335). In the cantina: drink specials, Mexican barbecue, mariachis from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. In the dining room: food specials and pinata breaking for the kids at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 p.m.

* El Torito (2203 N. Orange Mall, Orange, (714) 939-6711). Mariachis, a Tijuana burro, food and beer specials and contests from 4 p.m. to midnight.

* Stage Stop (Coto Valley Country Club, 23331 Via Venado, Coto de Caza, (714) 589-5000). Mexican dancers, mariachis and taco bar on the patio from 4 to 10:30 p.m. $12.95 for adults, $3.95 for children.

* JC Fandango (1086 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 758-1057). Colombian orchestra La Sonora Dina Mita will perform on one side of the club at 8 p.m., $15, and Rockin’ Espanol (recorded music with a deejay) will be featured for dancing at 6 p.m., $10.

* Marbles (1160 N. Kraemer Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 630-0121). Insane Poetry performs hip-hop music. There will also be a pinata contest, drink and food specials, freestyle banda dance contest and giveaways. 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

* Via Maria Mexican Restaurant (9969 Walker St., Cypress, (714) 821-9300). Free buffet, drink specials and giveaways from 3 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

* NIGHTCLUB LISTINGS, Page 16