How We Took Guadalajara’s Crown : ‘Mariachi USA’ has sold out the Hollywood Bowl for four years and helped push L.A. to the top of the mariachi world. But this wasn’t the way it started when Rodri Rodriguez came up with the idea. At that point, it was a very tough sell

When promoter Rodri Rodriguez first approached the Hollywood Bowl in early 1990 to stage an unprecedented all-day mariachi festival, she was met with skepticism. What was a Cuban woman doing with mariachis? And how could she single-handedly achieve what Mexicans themselves hadn’t?

All she wanted to do was stage a huge showcase of mariachi orchestras, back them with heavy publicity and charge an accessible price to a public that can see them for free in Mexican restaurants throughout the city.

On top of that, she wanted the prestigious Hollywood Bowl, not just any venue, and intended to start a mariachi revival that, in her mind, was destined to become an L.A. tradition comparable to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras. Not even in Guadalajara, the birthplace of mariachi, had anybody thought of such a thing.

The Bowl’s board, said Rodriguez, didn’t consider it great business and declined a partnership in the venture, even though it is staged there.

But “Mariachi USA” became such a hit that now, in its fifth year, it expands to two nights with shows on Saturday and next Sunday.

“The tickets are selling great, and a lot of people are going to attend both days,” said the cheerful, outgoing Rodriguez, 36. “For them, we have a T-shirt that says, ‘I did it for two days.’ ”

After four sold-out annual festivals at the 18,000-seat Bowl, Rodriguez--who has been producing concerts since 1977 and was a Los Angeles cultural affairs commissioner from 1984 to 1990--no longer has anything to prove for herself as a promoter and producer, or for mariachi as a marketable music.

Mariachi, perhaps Mexico’s most distinctive musical expression, was transformed by the festival from a popular but lifeless symbol into a commercial force in the United States.

The success of “Mariachi USA” also underscores Los Angeles’ new preeminence in the field. With more than 50 quality mariachis based in Los Angeles, the city has replaced Guadalajara as the world’s mariachi capital.

Like the previous editions, the ’94 festival will feature mariachis from both the United States and Mexico and Mexican folkloric dancers.

Jose Hernandez, musical director of the festival and leader of the Mariachi Sol de Mexico, said that this year he prepared several new numbers, including a tribute to the unforgettable Mexican trios of the ‘40s and ‘50s.

“It’s going to be a night of mariachi and boleros ,” said Hernandez, a major mariachi innovator and a key force in the revitalization of the music, which is now more highly regarded in the United States than in its country of origin. Mariachi music in Mexico is still a source of pride, but it’s not presented with the ambition and care that it is in the United States.

“Even (Raul) Velasco was surprised,” said Rodriguez, referring to the host of the Televisa network’s weekly variety show “Siempre en Domingo,” one of the most widely viewed television shows in the world.

“(Mariachi singer) Aida Cuevas asked him, ‘How come in Los Angeles 18,000 people give me a standing ovation while in Mexico mariachis are never invited to a TV show?’ ”

Mariachi--said to be derived from ancient Aztec rhythms and Spanish instrumentation--was born in the highlands of the Jalisco state around the 1870s and spread to rural areas of neighboring states. Originally, mariachis wore simple canvas shirts and pants, charro hats and belts, and a typical three-man lineup would include a violin, Jalisco harp and guitar.

It evolved after the turn of the century, and during the ‘40s trumpets became a key part of the mariachi sound. The musicians also adopted the famous charro costume inspired by the style commonly worn by the landowners.

Although Mexican President Porfirio Diaz is credited with first taking mariachi to Mexico City at the turn of the century, it was mainly Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan--still active and considered the world’s finest mariachi group--that was responsible for exporting mariachi to the capital in the 1930s, where it influenced the music for the next 60 years. The genre didn’t experience any dramatic changes until the pop music explosion of the late ‘80s took over the Mexican airwaves and an increasing number of mariachis began to emigrate to the United States.

Except in the cases of legendary popular icons such as singers-composers Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Miguel Aceves Mejias and Vicente Fernandez, mariachi was traditionally viewed as merely accompaniment. “Mariachi USA” changed that, putting the mariachis themselves at center stage. The results have been felt not only commercially but also creatively.

“Mariachis here know that in order to compete they have to study a lot, because competition is fierce and now there is room for improvement and innovation,” Rodriguez said. “Mariachi music is no longer a dead folkloric tradition.”

The traditional melodic, lyric and visual impact of the music is now enhanced by challenging arrangements and even new tunes by some of the groups, who realized that the tradition must be kept alive as opposed to relying on old classics forever.

That innovative spirit has met some opposition from purists who claim pure mariachi should not mix with other styles--one of Hernandez’s favorite pastimes.

“What’s wrong with occasionally experimenting?” said Hernandez, who last year dared to even include a brief segment of “mariachi-rap,” as part of his Mariachi USA set. “If the harmony and arrangements are properly done and the essence is there, I see no problem whatsoever. Besides, if a symphony can play traditional ranchera music, why can’t we play American pop music?” With more and more mariachis arriving in Los Angeles, Rodriguez says, it was only a matter of time before the music became a strong force. And she wanted to be sure it was done properly.

“I never liked the fact that mariachis weren’t treated as any other musician. I knew mariachis were good enough to be the main attraction.”

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The first edition of “Mariachi USA” in 1990 was an ambitious and risky gamble that not only faced skepticism on a commercial level but also caused some people to wonder whether this Cuban woman’s passion for the music was sincere.

“I know more about Mexico than about my own country,” said Rodriguez, who settled in a refugee camp in Miami at age 7 and lived with a Mexican family in Albuquerque until she reunited with her parents when she was 14.

“I grew up with mariachi music instead of congas and maracas. Most of my friends are Mexican, and I’ve traveled more through Mexico than throughout my own country. The problem is that this Cuban girl came out of nowhere to promote something she loves. And, worst of all, she was very successful at it.”

But after the first edition--inspired by a mini-festival held in San Antonio 15 years ago--it wasn’t hard for her to hush the criticism. Besides the commercial impact, “Mariachi USA” has quickly become a Los Angeles institution that has inspired annual festivals in San Jose, San Bernardino and San Diego, Las Vegas, Tucson, Phoenix and Albuquerque, N.M. As part of its cultural mission, Hernandez’s Mariachi Heritage Society, partly funded by Rodriguez’s Mariachi USA Foundation, presents mariachi classes at the East Los Angeles Music and Art School.

The audiences answered the call of “Mariachi USA,” says Rodriguez, not only because the festival was carefully produced but also because of political and cultural reasons.

“Mexican Americans are beginning to realize they have the right to proudly acknowledge their roots, and mariachi is a key part of Mexican and Mexican American culture. They’re no longer concerned about fitting in but about being themselves.”*