Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga

Banda el Recodo ranks among Mexico’s most accomplished bandas while standing out for its unusually wide stylistic range. Across more than eight decades the ensemble has fused Latin dance pieces with jazz swing and classical repertoire. It became the first banda ever captured on record and has issued more than 200 albums, carrying its sound from Mexican neighborhoods onto the world stage. The group also holds the distinction of being the first Mexican recording act to appear on all five inhabited continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania (Australia), and the Americas. Its trophy collection exceeds that of any other Mexican Regional act, encompassing 12 Premio Lo Nuestro a La Musica Latina awards and six Latin Grammys.

La Banda el Recodo was founded in 1938 by self-taught clarinetist Don Cruz Lizárraga, born July 1, 1918, and deceased June 17, 1995. Although his schooling ended after the first year of junior high, Lizárraga became an authoritative musician and bandleader. He learned the clarinet against his father’s wishes, first selling a pig to make the down payment on the instrument and then earning the balance by harvesting corn for a neighbor. In the early 1950s he joined a banda de musica sinaloense and gradually rose to director. After relocating to Mazatlan, Sinaloa, he accepted an offer from RCA Victor. His initial two sides, “Mi Adoracion” and “El Callejero,” were cut with a quintet, yet he soon assembled La Banda el Recodo in its classic configuration of two clarinets, two trumpets, two trombones, bass drum, and snare drum.

Lizárraga remained at the helm until his death from cancer in 1995. The ensemble kept touring under the direction of his sons and fellow clarinetists German and Alfonso. With new leadership installed, La Banda el Recodo began releasing albums at a rapid clip from 2000 onward. Five years after Lizárraga’s passing, the group captured its first Grammy for Best Banda Performance with “Lo Mejor de Mi Vida” at the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards. In 2003 the band played three consecutive sold-out nights at Mexico City’s Auditorio Nacional. During Cinco de Mayo observances the following year, La Banda el Recodo became the first banda to perform at the White House. Its 2006 album Mas Fuerte Que Nunca blended banda, salsa, and cumbia, reaching a younger audience. That same year the group appeared in Televisa’s telenovela La Fea Mas Bella and performed its main theme; its songs also featured on the soundtracks of the American films Rocky Balboa and Babel. In 2008 the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, declared October 9 “Day of Don Cruz Lizarraga” and unveiled two stars on its Walk of Fame, one for La Banda el Recodo and one for its founder.

Touring demand continued to rise. Recordings kept charting strongly, and the band not only headlined its own concerts but also shared festival and stadium bills with Latin pop artists. Between 2010 and 2015 the group collected no fewer than six Mexican Regional Albums chart entries and eight Top Latin Albums placements, several at number one. The 2010 release Me Gusta Todo de Ti logged 38 weeks on the Hot Latin Albums chart, while 2011’s La Mejor de Todas climbed to number three. Their 200th album, Haciendo Historia, arrived in 2013 with 14 tracks that ranged from romanticos to rancheros, reached number six on the relevant album chart, and registered on multiple digital lists. In 2015 Mi Vicio Más Grande topped both the Mexican Regional Albums and Hot Latin Albums charts at once. Raices, released in summer 2016, duplicated that dual achievement and underscored La Banda el Recodo’s status as both a Mexican institution and a continuing source of new listeners. A year later the band issued Ayer y Hoy, which featured the single “Me Prometí Olvidarte.”