Feliz Navidad, prospero ano y felicidad!” The opening phrase to the 1970 Puerto Rican holiday favorite evokes a dancing, excited feeling among any who hear it. The song ushers in the holiday spirit as it plays on the radio, over speakers in malls and this weekend, by an award-winning mariachi band at the Walton Arts Center.
Mairachi Los Camperos di Nati Cano will perform a celebration of Mexican heritage this Saturday with the show “Fiesta Navidad,” mixing Mexican holiday traditions with pageantry and modern musical arrangements.
For more than 50 years, Natividad “Nati” Cano has directed this traditional Mexican folk band from a base in Los Angeles. The musicians are noted for their individual skills, with performances highlighting each of the band members.
According to the website, “the ensemble employs the finest musicians from Mexico and the United States and has performed for audiences worldwide.”
After moving to Los Angeles in 1957, the Mexican-born Cano took over creative direction for Los Camperos in 1961. The band then collaborated with Linda Ronstadt and three other mariachi bands to create “Canciones de Mi Padre” in 1988 and became an internationally reknowned mariachi band with its success.
Los Camperos is also a twotime Grammy award winner.
The album “cELLAbration: A tribute to Ella Jenkins” won the 2005 Best Musical Album for Children Grammy, followed by the group’s 2009 win for Best Regional Mexican Album for “Amor, Dolor y Lagrima.”
The two Grammy wins and 2006 nomination for “Llegaron Los Camperos” are due in part to musical director Jesus “Chuy”Guzman, arranger, musician and lecturer in the department of ethnomusicology at the University of California-Los Angeles.
Over the last decade, the group’s songs, traditional dancers and festive costumes evolved into a Christmas stage show.
“This celebration is part of our culture, and we want our families to have fun and to keep up the Christmas spirit,” says Guzman of a previous performance of “Fiesta Navidad.”
The show will begin with the petition of lodging, or La Posada, a procession portraying the attempt to find lodging by Mary and Joseph. It will feature an inn with a procession of singers, dancers and muscians beginning and ending on stage with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.
Though typically a nine-day celebration (Las Posadas), representing the nine months Mary carried Jesus, this short song will introduce audience members to this favored tradition.
“We ended up with a song dedicated to the Christ child who has no crib because they are so poor,” stated Guzman in an interview with La Prensa Libre.
An extravagant stage show will follow with music, dancing and elaborate costumes. It will also highlight children and young talent.
“It’s a concert full of life, lots of color, lots of music,lots of dancing,” said Guzman to La Prensa. “It represents joy, it represents enjoyment, it represents tradition, it represents heart, it represents the integrity of music. We invade all areas of the music regions, both the ranchera style of Mexico and even those of the rest of the world.”
Saturday’s performance will also showcase the young guest members of the group, including a 16 year-old trumpeter and a 6-year-old caroler, according to Guzman. The group will also perform American favorites including “Jingle Bells,” “Silver Bells” and “Joy to the World.”
And Guzman is looking forward to the production.
“We would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope to see you there.”
Whats Up, Pages 11 on 12/06/2013