Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán hits highest notes at Save Mart concert

There was no need to prime the audience at the May 7 mariachi festival at the Save Mart Center about how mariachi music transcends generations, borders and emotions.

The ‘Ay Amor! Serenata Pa’l Corazón’ Mariachi Festival’ at the Save Mart Center showcased the precision of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán on its 125th anniversary, the crowd-pleasing sounds of Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea and the youthful exuberance of the Roosevelt High School mariachi.

There was applause, shouts and sing-alongs during the festival that Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez Sandoval hopes will become an annual tradition to benefit scholarships.

As a member of Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán reminded the audience: “Mexicans who don’t sing, weren’t born in México!”

Here are brief highlights of the evening:

Still No. 1 in the world

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán demonstrated why it has dominated the mariachi scene for generations. Not only are its musicians the finest in the world, but their voices fit well with the rancheras, baladas or sones that are the backbone of a mariachi’s repertoire.

Case in point: No one can match the rich falsetto voice of guitarist Arturo Vargas (no relation to the Vargas clan that founded the group) as he performs ‘El Pastor’ (The Shepherd) without missing a single note.

In its almost 1½-hour performance, Mariachi Vargas paid tribute to legends like Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel and José Alfredo Jiménez. Its renditions of hits like ‘Me Nace del Corazón’ (It Comes From the Heart), ‘Volver, Volver’ (Return, Return) and ‘El Rey’ (The King).

Women show they belong

What’s a blonde white woman like Cindy Shea doing on stage at a mariachi festival? Easy, proving that the musical genre not only has no racial boundaries but also no gender limits.

Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea got the first standing ovation – and only encore of the night – after a performance that included ‘Jalisco No Te Rajes’ (Jalisco Don’t Give Up), Jenni Rivera’s ‘¿Qué Me Vas a Dar? (What Will You Give Me?), and a potpourri of hits by Selena.

The encore: The danceable ‘La Chona.’

Shea formed the all-female mariachi 23 years ago, and the group has gone on to win a Grammy Award.

Nuevo Tecalitlán varied its performance

From the Mexican standards ‘Alla En El Rancho Grande’ (There at the Big Ranch) to ‘México Lindo y Querido’ (Beautiful and Beloved México) to modern hits like Christian Nodal’s ‘Adios Amor’ (Goodbye Love) showed the group’s versatility.

Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán was formed 50 years ago in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Other highlights

Mariachi Reyes’ best song was the opening number, ‘Mi Ciudad’ (My City), which set the stage for hits by Juan Gabriel and standards like ‘El Gavilán’ (The Hawk).

The Roosevelt High School Mariachi kicked off the festival with several singers taking turns belting out their songs.

Although Mariachi Vargas did not pay tribute to its late musical director (Rubén Fuentes), it did end the program by assembling all mariachis to perform his version of ‘El Son de La Negra.’

Los Danzantes de Aztlán also opened the evening by dancing to ‘El Son de La Negra’ and ‘Jarabe Tapatío.’