American Latino Magazine The Business of El Mariachi | Page 6

Mariachi In America
“I was in Camarillo High School when
my friend shared with me the
music of El Mariachi. I loved it
so much that within six weeks
I was asked if I would
perform with the group.

ALM:
How long did it take to get good enough to
play for an audience?
Carlos:
I was shocked that it only took me about 6
weeks before they asked me to go along and
play live. Some of the parents of the other
kids in the group who did not get to play live
were upset; but the instructor said I was good
enough to play because I practiced every day
and their kids were not up to speed.
ALM:
What about the singing; how long did it take
to perfect?
Carlos:
Singing is a whole different animal. My mentor, Nati Cano of Los Camperos, once told me
that I was not a Mariachi unless I could sing.

How could I say no?
The music vibrated
through my blood,
and I loved the rush!”
Mariachi Aguilas de Mexico

Carlos:
My family played music all the time; style of
music called “Musica Norteña”. Our family
was also part of a church choir. My mom sand
and when I was about 5 years old they had
me play the tambourine. I did that for about
4 to 5 years and then my parents separated.
My mother, brother, and I went to live with
my grandmother and it was very hard. We
were very poor. A tortilla with salt was a
treat. Years later my mother remarried and we
moved to Camarillo.

After 4 months in
the group Danny’s father, who ran the
group, asked if I could sing and I said “heck
yeah!” So se asked me to sing along with the
band. Everyone looked at me like “what the
heck was that?” I was not that good. It took
a while before the notes and sounds stuck in
my head.

Mariachi Juvenil Azteca. I went with him to
a festival at Oxnard College. He was having a
great time playing the trumpet. That was over
20 years ago.
Eventually I went to their practice. My friend
Danny Palomino, asked if I had an instrument
to play. I said not and he pointed to an old
trumpet of his for me to pick up. I had never
played an instrument before.
ALM:
No formal training?

Carlos:
Correct. We would practice in his garage
I was about 15 years old when a friend of mine in Camarillo. Danny would say “hold the
invited me to watch him play; he was wearing trumpet this way and press those valves in the
this Mariachi suit. I said “you play Mariachi… sequence and blow air like this”. It sounded
that’s for geeks”. He was in a group called
funny at fir 7B'WB