Screening of the film The Harvest (La Cosecha)

Among the non-musical offerings of VivaFest was the screening of the film The Harvest (La Cosecha) – an extraordinarily moving documentary on child labor among the migrant workforce in America. The film followed three children and their families – 12 year old Zulema Lopez, 14-year-old Perla Sanchez and 16-year-old Victor Huapilla – as they picked crops across the U.S.A.

Zulema had been a farm worker since the age of 7, and at the time of the film was earning $64 a week picking onions. Though she loved school, her family had to uproot her from Texas to travel to Michigan for the next crop. Victor was earning $1 a bucket for picking tomatoes in Florida. Perla’s brother died at a hospital because they had no money to pay for medical care. She dreams of becoming a lawyer but doesn’t know if she’ll finish school because they are on the road so much.

All of them live in shacks as they travel around the country picking strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers and whatever else is in season. Their parents are also farm laborers who started out as kids themselves, and fear their children will be trapped in the cycle of poverty as well. All must work to support the family, and when a parent gets sick, the pressure on the children is enormous.

The film shows unflinchingly the grueling, back-breaking conditions all farm workers in America face, the ramshackle conditions of the housing they find themselves in, and the long journey from crop to crop that they must undertake to find what unpredictable work there is. It shows as well the human side of the immigrant workers who keep cheap food on American tables. The emotional toll of being shipped off all the time, of not being able to make friends or attend school, as well as the crushing stress of having to be strong as children through hardships no one should endure. You see it in the faces of both the children and their families. The constant weariness and worry. The fleeting moments of joy. And the strong bonds of family that keep them all pressing onward.

It is eye-opening at the very least and more often deeply shocking. But it is also deeply touching and emotionally gripping. You can learn more about the documentary at http://theharvestfilm.com/ .

Sadly these stories are not uncommon. Following the screening a panel discussion took place featuring Santa Clara University professor of modern languages and literature Francisco Jimenez, MALDEF Vice President of Strategic Development and Communications David Damian Figueroa, and former Nickelodeon Entertainment president and Spike TV creator Albie Hecht. All three had been farmworkers as children.

Figueroa spoke of going to 14 different schools before the eighth grade, noting that while all work is noble and should be appreciated, education gives you options and choices.

According to the panelists, the average farmworker family earns about $17,500 a year total from all of its combined labor. If they got a 40 percent pay increase, it would only cost the average American family an extra $15 a year.

All of the panelists focused on how one gets out of the fields, pointing primarily to education as the fastest means to escape the cycle of poverty. But as the film showed, that’s hard to achieve when your family is moving from town to town through major chunks of the year, and when you spent 12-16 hour days working in the fields.

Figueroa got out a different way – through the arts. He grew up singing in the fields. His mother taught him corridos (ballads), and his artistic talents kept him more involved in school than he might otherwise have become. That was an important message to deliver to students involved in mariachi and folklórico dance groups from around the country, as well as parents and adults in the crowd.

It has been 50 years since Edward R. Morrow’s “Harvest of Shame” special aired, and yet little has changed in the life of the child farmworkers who harvest our crops.

So what does this have to do with a festival of Mexican heritage and mariachi/ folklórico arts? Plenty in my view. This is an ugly little secret that all should be aware of. There will be no change as long as such secrets are swept under the rug. Mexicans and Mexican Americans more than ever are vilified for political gain. Their contributions to America are misunderstood and under-appreciated.

These kinds of festivals are part of the solution in that they promote education and student involvement and present a solid cultural view of Mexicans and Latinos in general. But as this festival has also shown, they can be nodes for discussion of broader issues that need to be addressed, particularly in these tough political times.

But there is hope in all of this. As I write this blog, the architect of Arizona’s repressive SB 1070 immigration enforcement law – senator Russell Pearce – has been recalled from office. It took community organizing and the will of the people to make it happen. But it was Mexican American Randy Parraz who organized Latino youth to get the signatures together to bring the matter to voters, and to educate the populace of the need to oust this divisive character. There is power in knowledge and collective effort.

– Daniel Buckley

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Friday Night Concert of Los Lobos with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Friday night was the concert of Los Lobos with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra – a diversion from the mariachi fare, but interesting cousins thereof. Sadly the show was not packed but there was no shortage of enthusiasm on the part of those on hand.

Los Lobos opened the show with a short setting of whipping and soulful Mexican folk music played on an array of traditional instruments, joined here and there by Cougar Estrada on cajon and percussion. The group’s performance of “Cascabel” was amazing with Louie Perez, Conrad Lozano and Cesar Rosas laying down a conveyor belt of polyrhythms for David Hidalgo to skip his lead licks over like a stone across a lake. Hidalgo switched to button accordion for the title tune to the group’s “La Pistola y El Corazón record, doubled by Steve Berlin on soprano saxophone.

By the time they moved to the electric set, a small crowd was starting to pool on the dance floor. “Teresa” and “Maricela” enticed with infectious grooves that expanded the mass of dancers, and the crowd just grew, song after song, from there. By the time they played “Let’s Go,” nobody was returning to their seats. Los Lobos threw out the set list from there and kept the dance floor jumping through the rest of its set, which included crowd pleasing versions of “Anselma,” “Volver” (predictably getting the crowd to sing along) and “Guantanamera.”

Los Lobos stacked “La Bamba” back-to-back with the Rascals “Good Lovin’,” cranking the dance vibe through the roof.

As always, the band’s versatility and gift for arrangement was in full effect throughout the night with Rosas handling the bulk of the lead vocal chores, Hidalgo wailing on guitar solos, Lozano keeping the bottom tight on bass and Perez spanking rhythm from an array of guitar cousins. Berlin’s keyboards and sax work added a dimension of color and richness to the mix that has long defined Los Lobos’ sound. And Cougar Estrada absolutely tore it up on the drums.

Los Lobos aimed to please and hit its target dead-on.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra, featuring Tito Puente, Jr., started up about 20 minutes later, following a short film on the festival’s mission. A big group with a hefty complement of percussion and horns – many of the players veterans of Tito Sr.’s band – this band was air-tight, top to bottom. A trio of singers delivered African-style call-and-response vocals over the blazing brass, bass, keyboards and percussion, amplifying and gelling the groove with choreography like an Afro-Cuban Motown group.

San Jose salsa dancers picked up on the dance floor where the Los Lobos gang left off, showing off their sexy and individually stylized footwork. The variety was incredible, each pair finding inspiration in SHO’s compelling layered rhythms.

The only complaint is that the Spanish Harlem Orchestra was amplified way too much. The volume was teeth rattling, and there was nowhere to escape the sheer sonic pressure. Impressive, fabulous and vibrant as the music was, the sound system was just too loud to enjoy.

So do groups have a place in a mariachi and Mexican heritage festival? Absolutely. Los Lobos more clearly, simply by its inclusion of the Mexican/mariachi/son folk roots in its set. Plainly this group’s sound has been strengthened as much by its exploration of its own cultural roots as by its encyclopedic knowledge of rock, soul, pop, country and just about every other pop genre.

The Spanish Harlem Orchestra connection may be less obvious on the surface but it is no less strong. The African rooted sones of Veracruz in the mariachi repertoire , for example, have a common root with the Afro Cuban rhythms of the SHO, and even often include call-and-response vocals. Moreover, the Afro Cuban rhythms on which SHO’s salsa grooves are based found great popularity in Mexico and throughout Latin America from the 30s forward. The rhythms also found their way into the boleros of the trio romantico literature as well. And without Tito Puente there would be no Santana in the ‘60s.

They say that the Americas are a melting pot. They are not. We are a rich cultural stew, simmered to taste. Whether Mexican or American, we take the attributes of our multi-ethnic communities, sort out the things we like, incorporate them into our cultures and discard the rest. In the process we create unique new voices and influence all that follows.

This is true for norteno music and the banda tradition as well, which grafted elements of German and Eastern European influence on indigenous elements to create a unique and useful sound.

Hearing the commonalities of Latino culture helps all of us see the strength of its diversity.

– Daniel Buckley

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A Community Conversation

In April, 2009, just before Gannett newspapers pulled the plug on my former newspaper – the Tucson Citizen – I reviewed the Tucson International Mariachi Conference. Shortly after the story posted online I noticed an anonymous comment. It read, “Where was the INS to round up all these people.”

That particular mariachi espectacular had a strange vibe about it. A dark emotional cloud hung over the day like a widow’s veil. That was the day that Arizona governor Jan Brewer passed the state’s bizarre immigration enforcement bill, SB 1070. And the emotional ripples in the Latino community registered throughout the night as an audience in shock. Terrific performances from the stage that would have sent the crowd ballistic any other time barely received a smattering of applause. The jubilant spirit of the night had been killed.

I recall afterward some discussion about whether the board of the Tucson conference should address SB 1070 and take a stand. The following year many students threatened to boycott the conference because TIMC had decided not to enter that political arena. My feelings were mixed about that. I understand that this is a cultural celebration, but also understand the feelings of many in the Latino community that their culture is under fire with SB 1070.

Thursday night I went to the Tech Museum in San Jose intending to see two events. In one hall, students from the mariachi workshops were holding their showcase. In another, a community conversation was taking place with the unwieldy title of, “Topic: “Music plus Civility = Sustainability – How the Arts and the Green Movement Impacts Migrant Farmworker Conditions, Everyday Manners and Life After SB 1070 and the Tucson Shootings.”

For 30 years I have written about mariachi and folklórico events, and always covered the student showcase events. They are the heart and soul of these gatherings – our future, and the reason why we have such events. Seeing a new generation raise the bar higher and higher is the best part of my writing gig, and being able to offer a little ink in support of those who excel has been both a privilege and a sacred trust of this gig. But that night I did not make it to the showcase. I felt too compelled to stay at the community conversation.

The panel consisted of the members of Los Lobos plus filmmaker Dionisio Ceballos, NPR reporter Richard Gonzales, Thomas Saenz, President and CEO of MALDEF and Olga Briseño, founder of the Association of Hispanic Journalists. But there was as much real meat in the discussion from the audience as from the panel as ideas were exchanged about what Latino’s have to offer to push back the anti-Latino sentiment getting increasing play in American politics today.

The discussion was preceded by Ceballos’ short film “At the end of the day” about a Spanish speaking immigrant who shows up unannounced and starts planting flowers on a man’s lawn, and the dilemma the homeowner feels in discovering that the meal he offered that worker may have been seen as his payment. In the end the homeowner spends hours tracking him down to properly pay him for the work, and both parties seem to have made a little progress in finding some common ground.

Early on the question was asked what Latinos have to offer to American society at large. The notion of strong family ties was one answer. Another was the kind of self-reliance that has always been part of the culture – not waiting for someone else to help but moving forward on your own. Briseño noted the tendency for Latinos to sometimes work against one another, and the need to unify and rally around a cause. Ceballos suggested that perhaps the different viewpoints Latinos offer may be the thing that America needs most.

A discussion of how to communicate Latino messages in an era when journalism is failing that (and every other) population was also put forth. It was noted that Latinos rarely see themselves in text books or the media, leading to poor cultural self esteem on the part of kids. Also noted was a need for Latinos to educate, inspire and lead. In the absence of media support it was suggested that folks use the internet to gather and spread news and community stories to inspire youth.

At several points audience members offered their appreciation for the example Los Lobos has set over the years in inspiring Latino listeners and at the same time building bridges to non-Latino audiences. The members of Los Lobos themselves talked about how in the wake of the La Bamba hit they were under pressure to produce something similar and build on that success. But instead of “selling Doritos for the rest of their lives,” as David Hidalgo quipped, they chose to follow the album up with the powerful, culturally-rooted “La Pistola y El Corozón.”

Another important discussion was the need for education that includes Latino viewpoints, noting that it is hard to feel a part of one’s society if you do not see yourself in the curriculum. That’s an important point that goes both ways. Not only do ethnic studies programs that point out the contributions of Latinos to American history, literature and other subjects help keep Latino kids in schools, they also help non-Latinos see those important contributions.

In my view education is the most important investment this country can make for its future, and since Latinos are the most rapidly expanding portion of the population it behooves all Americans to know and embrace the culture and see Latinos as the important part of America that they are. As an Arizonan I am alarmed by the concerted efforts of my state’s government to destroy the very kinds of ethnic studies programs that are inspiring Latino kids, and to scare immigrants out of the country.

Tucson’s Ethnic Studies program (see http://saveethnicstudies.org/) has been under fire from the Arizona legislature, the state’s attorney general office and from its own school board with the misplaced notion that the program’s teachers are trying to promote racial separation, and what the state describes as a “cult-like mentality.” Nothing could be further from the truth. These programs help kids see themselves and the accomplishments of their people on a rightly equal footing with the rest of society. Moreover they have been proven to increase retention, improve standard test scores, bolster graduation rates and improve college enrollment. But instead of embracing these proven programs, Arizona’s government has made a concerted effort to portray them as racist classes to a population kept ignorant of the truth by a too absent media.

An undeclared mission of the mariachi movement in America has always been to engage youth in education, to encourage young people to stay in school, and to help them see education as the means to achieve their dreams and goals. Involving kids in music and dance stimulates the parts of the brain that are linked to mathematical skill and creativity, ultimately making these youngsters better equipped to compete in the job world ahead. Moreover the showmanship aspect of mariachis empowers youth to be able to stand and speak up – badly needed leadership skills.

In the end, while I feel badly that I had to choose between reporting on the student showcase or this community forum, I am glad that there was such a forum. I think there is a place for community discussion as part of the mission of such mariachi events, particularly in times when Latino culture is under political siege. I just wish they hadn’t conflicted time-wise with so important an event as the student showcase.

What do you think? What are your thoughts about where things are for Latino culture today? Feel free to talk back.

– Daniel Buckley

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Spent an amazing day with Los Lobos at Viva Fest! in San Jose

Los Lobos is my favorite band, bar none. And that is not a claim I make lightly. I’ve seen a hell of a lot of bands in nearly every genre over the years, and none has ever impressed me the way Los Lobos has – as musicians and as people.

These guys can play anything, from Mexican sones, rancheras and mariachi fare to rock and soul. They are great songwriting talents in their own right, amazing arrangers, and musicians who capture the imagination and heart of listeners from any culture.

I’ve interviewed all five Los Lobos members by phone over three decades but this was our first face-to-face encounter. And sometimes when you meet people you’ve admired for a long time, the reality is disappointing. Not this time.

We started the day schlepping gear into the bus at the airport, then heading to a press conference for the Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival (VivaFest!) at the San Jose Tech Museum. There the group was asked why a rock band would be interested in mariachi music. They very eloquently talked about their own background, starting as kids in a rock band and discovering their Mexican roots, then learning to blend both genres into something unique and personal. They talked about how important mariachi music is, and how good the younger generation of players is.

After the conference we went downstairs in the Tech Museum where mariachi students were doing workshops with members of the Mariachi Cobre. The band huddled in Cobre founder Randy Carrillo’s guitarrón workshop to watch him go over the fundamentals with a bunch of young players from Texas, Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Mexico. After that all piled in to Cobre vihuela player Robert Martinez’ workshop. There they got to hear what the kids were doing as Martinez guided his young students through tips only a seasoned vihuela player could offer.

Afterward Los Lobos returned to Randy Carrillo’s class and borrowed instruments to play a bit of guitarrón themselves for the students. It was very cool.

The group attended a rehearsal with the students late this afternoon and all of the Los Lobos musicians spoke about what well versed players these students are.

No big surprise there. As one who has covered the mariachi movement in America for three decades it is always amazing to see the chops, style and showmanship exhibited at younger and younger ages by the various workshop participants. This is one part of the mariachi festival picture that is not broken.

Having Los Lobos at this festival makes a lot of sense to me. First, they are a highly-successful rock band that is steeped as much in Latino culture as that of the rock world. Second, mariachi music and Mexican folk music has clearly had a profound influence on the band. And third, they are the kind of out-of-the-box presentation at a mariachi festival that says that this music reaches far beyond the norms of the tradition. Their being part of this festival brings a whole different audience to the mariachi experience, and a different perspective as well.

It just makes sense to me.

How do you feel about it? Feel free to comment. And watch a bit of Los Lobos’ day on the attached video.

– Daniel Buckley

P.S. Los Lobos was also part of a powerful community discussion this evening, but I’ll leave that topic for a future blog entry.

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Mariachi Blog # 1

Welcome to the first of a series of weekly blogs I am creating to talk about subjects related to the mariachi and folklórico worlds for the San Jose Mexican Heritage and Mariachi Festival, Viva Fest!

My name is Daniel Buckley. Some of you may know me from my coverage of the Tucson International Mariachi Conference for the Tucson Citizen newspaper, and for my coverage of mariachi and folklórico culture in general for that and other publications. I am not from San Jose, but I have certainly heard a broad range of opinions of what it has done. And I have also been in contact with enough musicians, festival organizers and dancers from across America and around the world to have some perspective on what’s going on in the broader arena of mariachi culture.

San Jose has taken heat from the “puro mariachi” contingent for embracing a broader concept of Latino culture, and trying to make connections between the traditional and popular cultural worlds. As a writer about mariachi topics I have heard from a number of prominent mariachi leaders who feel that San Jose has gotten away from what is important, and sold local mariachis short in the process. Most of these comments, by the way, come from well-connected folks insisting upon anonymity in commenting on the matter.

Yet there is no doubt that festivals which have stuck with the pure mariachi format have seen audiences decline significantly in recent years. The Tucson conference took an economic bath in 2011 with its pure mariachi approach, despite what was agreed was artistically one of the finest in its near 30-year history. Meanwhile San Jose seems to be succeeding in reaching a broader audience and in my opinion is showing some innovation and insight in forging a new way.

What is needed is a true open discussion of the issues, looking at what is working and what isn’t, what ideas are of prime importance and which have become an encumbrance. Clearly we who love this music need to find some common ground as these types of festivals really are important to both Latino culture and our communities.

That said, it’s time to stop sniping from behind trees. And it’s time for everything to be on the table for discussion.

As I mentioned, I am not from San Jose. I am not Mexican American, or even Latino. I do not have those axes to grind. I am an Irishman born in upstate New York who moved to Tucson, Arizona 40 years ago, ran a record store in a prime Latino market, and in the mid-1980s became a music critic for what was, until its close in 2009, the longest continuously printed newspaper in the city – The Tucson Citizen.

In writing about mariachis, ranchera singers, son conjuntos and folklórico dance groups for over three decades I have come to respect the art forms greatly, and the musicians and dancers who perpetuate these tradition even more so. They are real heroes transforming America. Mariachi and folklórico programs in our schools and in youth and professional groups across the country are making a huge difference in combatting school dropout rates, raising scholastic achievement scores, and ultimately increasing the number of students going on to college in the Latino population. They are reconnecting families and communities, enhancing cultural pride and self reliance, and destroying stereotypes about Latino culture at a time when anti-immigrant sentiments are blinding Americans about the importance of this segment of the population.

Festivals are part of the big picture, and must remain so. But all traditions must change over time or they run the danger of becoming stagnant museums like many symphony orchestras have. I know something about that as well, having written about the classical arts for 35 years, and having seen stagnation turn into financial ruin for organizations refusing to adapt to changing times.

That said, festivals have a primary obligation to real and true training of our youth. But it’s also incumbent on all of us to think out of the box and ask the larger questions of where all of this might potentially lead, and how we can tap into that potential for an even brighter future for our youth. For example, the same parts of the brain that are important in music production and appreciation are stimulated in creative thought of the type used in the scientific and mathematical worlds. Why are we not connecting the dots more and seeking out collaborations with the industries that desperately need that type of creative brain development?

These are just some of the topics I think need discussion in this blog forum, along with what has been accomplished in the brief but potent lifespan of the mariachi festival movement.

In doing this I expect nothing shy of full independence from the San Jose festival in terms of content, beyond allowing it the right to delete comments that use bad language or make racist comments. I insist on being able to independently say what I think without fear of censorship. Moreover, the festival insists on my being free and independent, and that it be clear that the opinions expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone.

I will also insist that everyone commenting use his or her real name in responding to this blog. Anonymity is the death of civility, and if we are to work towards real solutions for the future we need to be both civil and openly honest.

If there is one thing that I have observed it is that the strong disagreements that exist come out of a real passion, albeit from differing perspectives, for doing the best for the art forms, and for the students these festivals serve. It’s time to talk and see if we might find enough common ground to forge a new roadmap to the future of mariachi culture in America, and perhaps even for America itself.

I welcome your input and comments. Say what’s on your mind. I will.

– Daniel Buckley

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