Plan de la Villa: Traditional Mariachi, Volume I (2002)

Plan de la Villa is both a significant document of rarely heard sones abajeños of the traditional mariachi as well as an energetic and attractive recording for all audiences. Los Cenzontles, under the tutelage of Julián González, have applied their artistry and scholarship to the relatively unknown roots of mariachi music. Distinct from the orchestral nature of the contemporary mariachi, Plan de la Villa resurrects the improvisatory spirit of the traditional rural mariachi. Its instrumentation is simple: 2 violins, vihuela, guitarron and vocal duet. Some cuts include zapateado the traditional percussive dancing upon a tarima, or wooden platform.