Los Cenzontles

Originating in 1989, Los Cenzontles emerged as a fluid collective rather than a fixed band, their name meaning “the Mockingbirds” in English. The ensemble took shape at the Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in San Pablo, California, a community situated in the East Bay section of the San Francisco region. Eugene Rodriguez launched the project as its director, seeking to present traditional and popular Mexican music and dance in ways that would draw young urban participants into active involvement. Covering an array of idioms that stretched from mariachi through ballad to tropical, Los Cenzontles released five CDs between 1997 and 2000. Selected material from those recordings later appeared on the Arhoolie compilation De Une Bonita.