LOS CENZONTLES
By Jade Shojaee
Tucked away
in a Richmond
strip mall,
the chords
of Cancion
Rancheras spill
from the modest
walls of Los
Cenzontles, and
bring pause to
locals, busy with
groceries to
check off their
lists and tanks to
fill up with gas.
But mundanity
doesn’t stop this
group, hungry
for the joy of
communitycome
together in the name of traditional
Mexican-American art and culture.
The center began with Eugene
Rodriguez’s vision to “positively affect
the lives of young people and inspire
other communities to invest in their local
culture and local families.”
“I grew up in a family in which we
played music at parties,” said Rodriguez.
“Both Mexican music and American
pop music. It is a wonderful way to learn
music, express yourself and connect to
your family. So I started Los Cenzontles
to provide that experience to other
young people.”
Rodriguez, who has a Bachelors and
Masters degree in music from the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music in
Classical guitar performance, started
the youth program at Los Cenzontles
in 1987. He has produced countless
albums, including his production of
‘Papa’s Dream’ a bilingual recording with
Los Lobos and Lalo Guerrero which
was nominated for a Grammy for Best
Musical Album for Children. “It was a
great honor to be able to work with
Academy students and the touring group
before a performance for Pasados Day
Los Lobos, my musical heroes, and the
legendary Lalo Guerrero on that project,”
he said. “The Grammy nomination was
icing on the cake.”
The Los Cenzontles community, under
the expertise of Rodriguez, have also
produced several
documentaries
for the Cultures
of Mexico in
California series.
They have produced
three one-hour
documentaries about
the role of tradition,
identity and culture,
as well as hundreds
of video shorts that
are featured on the
Los Cenzontles
YouTube Channel.
This past July, the
group released their
newest documentary,
Conexiones: Los
Cenzontles en Cuba,
A Musical Journey
of Connection,
a 52 minute film
highlighting
Los Cenzontles’
recent trip
to Cuba. The
film explores
the underbelly
of Cuban life
and culture,
and its historic
connection to
Mexico.
“Los
Cenzontles
in a cultural
arts academy,
a performing
group, and a
media maker,”
said Rodriguez.
18-year old Verenice Velazquez recalled
starting Zapateado classes in the style of
Jalisco, at Los Cenzontles (the name of
both the band and of the center) once a
week when she was seven years old. “I
Academy students working on an Artesania art project