Mariachi's & Mandolins

[Keith Erickson]

I was wondering if anyone knew of any mariachi recording with a mandolin involved?

It's been kind of a facination to me since I had the opportunity to sit in with a mariachi band a couple of years ago over in Mexico. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[AlanN]

In answer to your question, I know of no recordings, but there well may be.

The mariachi influence has been felt, though. There was a fine band in Tucson in the 70's called The Summerdog Bluegrass and Mariachi Band (or something like that). The Mexican influence was there, in the material, vocals, etc. Btw, Tommy Rozum was in that band at some point.

[John Craton]

This calls to mind the Tom Lehrer lyric "The mariachis would serenade, And they would not shut up till they were paid." Perhaps Lehrer encountered a mariachi band that included b*njos http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[delsbrother]

While doing research on music and musicians in early Los Angeles, I've found lots of pictures of Mexican bands with mandolins. Whether they're playing "mariachi" music, however, is for someone more versed in ethnomusicology to decide.

[Keith Erickson]

Wow!!! This sounds like a pretty neat research project. I know that if the mandolin is used widely in Mexico, it's probably somewhere down around San Luis Potosi (I might be off incorrectly on the state).

These kids below are Mariachi Tierra del Sol. This picture was taken at our wedding reception. The gentlman playing the tiny guitar is actually playing a vihuela which is a five stringed shorter version of one.

Ohh...Mariachí Tierra Del Sol has to be the very best mariachi band that I have ever heard.

I often wondered if it is possible to get the same sound from the mandolin as you could from the vihuela?

[Keith Erickson]

The full Mariachí Tierra Del Sol...

[kww]

I'd be amazed if there wasn't a mariachi band somewhere with a mandolin. The one that played in my bar a few months ago had one bajo sexto, one cuatro, one guitar, and a trumpet.

[Keith Erickson]

I'd be amazed if there wasn't a mariachi band somewhere with a mandolin. The one that played in my bar a few months ago had one bajo sexto, one cuatro, one guitar, and a trumpet.
Kevin,

I've traveled extensively throughout the states of Chihuahua, Sonora, Tejas y Nuevo Méxicó and I have yet to see a mariachí band with a mandolin. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

Do you have a picture of the band that played at your bar? I'd love to check it out.

[kww]

Sorry ... didn't realise it was a historic event, so no photographic record.

It did make me want to buy a bajo sexto, though. Those things look like fun.

[delsbrother]

Here are a couple from the LAPL photo database, but if I had to guess I'd say they weren't "mariachi":

This one's from 1938.

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics06/00002666.jpg

And this one's from 1928 - The duet, "Carmen y Estela." Not sure if this is a mandolin. It doesn't look like a taro patch. Might be a latin instrument?

http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics03/00001344.jpg

[kww]

I own a Mexican mandolin, and it is guitar bodied (follow the link in my signature for a picture). It wouldn't surprise me at all if that small instrument she is holding is a mandolin, but it could also be an eight-string cuatro.

[Keith Erickson]

Here are a couple from the LAPL photo database, but if I had to guess I'd say they weren't "mariachi":


Darrell,

No it's not mariachi but they are interesting pics. #I'm wondering if those pics were of some type of norteña or conjunto band. #NICE PICS!!!! #Thank you!


Sorry ... didn't realise it was a historic event, so no photographic record.

It did make me want to buy a bajo sexto, though. Those things look like fun.

Kevin,

You are heading into some uncharted territory #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif #As a matter of fact you also mentioned the bajo sexto. #I have yet to see one of those show up in a mariachi band as well.

I saw a norteña band play a earlier this year at La Tienda Rosa over in Palomas, Mexico. (http://www.rldbooks.com/Articles/Archives/PalomasTrip.html) #That bajo sexto lóóked as if it went through the Mexican Revolution from 1910-1920. #It was... # ...distressed in a very bad way, but it it sounded great. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

You need to start taking pictures for these historical events. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Keith Erickson]

Kevin,

Thank you for sharing the tricordia pics. Is it tuned like a regular 12-string guitar? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[kww]

8_String_Keith:Thank you for sharing the tricordia pics. Is it tuned like a regular 12-string guitar?

Nope. It's a mandolin, just three strings per note instead of two. I get 50% more lines creased into my fingers, and a lot of practice cursing at my pinky for its inability to fret all three G strings reliably.


As a matter of fact you also mentioned the bajo sexto. I have yet to see one of those show up in a mariachi band as well.

What is that six-string bass further back in the picture of Mariachi Tierra del Sol then?

[Keith Erickson]

What is that six-string bass further back in the picture of Mariachi Tierra del Sol then?
Kevin,

Thank you for clearing up the question on the tricordia. WOW!!! That would be a pinky hurter if you weren't careful.

In the pic, that young man is playing a guitarón. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitaron)

I thought that a bajo sexto was some type of a 12-string guitar.

Maybe we might be crossing our wires because the terms might be a little different between northern Mexico and southern Mexico. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

I don't know. How's your Spanish?

[kww]

I was confused. The guy playing here had a bajo sexto with 12 strings. I thought the 6 string was also called a bajo sexto, but apparently not.

I don't spend much time in southern Mexico. Most of my time in Mexico has been in Sonora and Baja del Sur.

Here on Bonaire, the Papiamentu word for mandolin is "mandolin", the word for guitar is "kitar", and a guitarra is a "kitara". There is a thing called a "viol", but it is a Brazilian instrument that looks like this:
http://www.giannini.com.br/painelgiannini/imgs/produto/178_24_img.jpg.

Cuatros are pretty popular as well, and they probably had one because it was easier to get.

[lucho]

Kww: that is a Giannini viola caipira used for folk sertaneja music. To find mandolins in folk bands in mexico better try a tuna or estudiantina.

[kww]

Lucho: I know where I got the link from. I was merely listing the instruments I see the people around me playing, and that's one of them. They are popular enough that we even have a street named after them: "Kaya Viol." It's in a neighborhood of musical streets, including "Kaya Mandolin", "Kaya Kitar", and "Kaya Kitara". There's one named after the cuatro, too, but I can't remember the Papiamentu word ... kwatro or something like that.

[delsbrother]

If you liked those photos, there are also lots of pictures in the Library of Congress and University of Iowa archives.. For example:

here (http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/traveling-culture/chau1/img/lapaloma/1/1.gif),

and here (http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/traveling-culture/chau1/img/mercados/1/2.gif),

and here (these are the same women in the first shot - they were famous!). (http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/traveling-culture/chau1/img/ramosmo/2/1.gif)

Again, probably not mariachi - and in some cases not even truly Mexican! But playing Mexican music and mando-related.. I wonder what some of them sounded like!

[Keith Erickson]

Darrell,

Thank you!!!

It's absolutely amazing what can be found out on the web.

[MandoSquirrel]

Not Mariachi, but I think Dave Hidalgo of Los Lobos may have used some mandolin on some of theirconjunto type tunes. Niles the Mandocrcian probably knows.

[Keith Erickson]

Not #Mariachi, but I think Dave Hidalgo of Los Lobos may have used some mandolin on some of theirconjunto type tunes. Niles the Mandocrcian probably knows.
Elrod,

I thought that Dave played the vihuela. If he does play the mando that's awesome!!!!