Mariachi Festival Provides Joyful Blending of Cultures

The two-day Mariachi USA Festival at the Hollywood Bowl kicked off Saturday with spirited performances of the Mexican national anthem in Spanish and “The Star Spangled Banner” in English.

The choice of songs symbolized the dual cultural influences that fueled a magical eighth edition of the annual festival, which incorporated elements of popular American culture into traditional Mexican forms through performances by such celebrated acts as Mariachi Cobre, Campanas de America, Mariachi Internacional de Mexico and Nydia Rojas.

Tango and folkloric dancers, along with an eye-popping fireworks display, provided spark and visual texture to the event, which also featured performances by Las Adelitas, Escalante, Carlos Marquez, Pobedy Montes and Gabriel Yafet, as well as Southland high school mariachi groups. The five-hour show ran smoothly except for occasional technical glitches such as microphone malfunctions.

An early highlight in the evening was Texas-based Campanas de America, which had fans dancing in the aisles with a funky cross-pollination of Santana’s “Oye Como Va” and a salsa-fied version of “Guantanamera.”

San Bernardino’s Mariachi Internacional de Mexico showed a sense of humor, particularly during a rendition of Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel’s “Se Me Olvido Otra Vez.” One of the players parodied Gabriel’s enthusiastic manner, scratchy voice and distinctive moves while managing to sound just like him. The group brought vitality and instrumental confidence to a handful of traditional numbers.

But the two standout performances of the night were by Rojas, the 17-year-old L.A. singer who continues to attract a growing following, and veteran Florida group Mariachi Cobre.

Rojas stole the spotlight with a powerful performance of the subtle and complex “Malagen~a Salerosa,” during which she explored her full vocal range and held the audience’s attention with every drawn-out, sensual note in the bittersweet song about a girl who has everything, as well as during a charming, bilingual version of Blondie’s pop hit “The Tide Is High,” called “La Numero Uno.”

The seasoned Mariachi Cobre dispensed with hybridization altogether and won over the capacity crowd with the most strait-laced, traditional Mexican mariachi songs heard all day. Wearing gray charro suits and striking white hats, Mariachi Cobre members typified the essence of mariachi with their solemn demeanor and deep, resonant voices.

Less stellar was Mexican composer Escalante’s use of a Yamaha ELX1 organ to serve up a virtual orchestra of sounds. Yet one man sitting at a keyboard just doesn’t compare to the excitement and richness of a full group of talented musicians. The same lineup was scheduled for Sunday.