When Jose Hernandez sees Arizona on his tour itinerary the iconic mariachi musician conjures images of Linda Ronstadt.
When Ronstadt surprised the pop music world by recording “Canciones de Mi Padre,” an album of Mexican traditional mariachi music, in 1988, Hernandez was by the Tucson native’s side in the studio.
“I was the music coordinator for that album and Linda Ronstadt’s vocal coach,” Hernandez said while calling from his Orange County, California, home. “It was such a wonderful experience working with Linda. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, which was to create a very traditional album. Her father used to play mariachi music for her. That album was a big hit for her. Linda loves mariachi music.”
Hernandez, 66, is just as passionate about the creative style of music, which emanates from an ensemble of musicians that usually play ranchera, a Mexican brand of music that dates back to the 18th century.
The joyful music is perfect for Hernandez and his group, Mariachi Sol de México’s annual “Merry-Achi” Christmas show Friday, Dec. 13, at the Fox Tucson Theatre.
“Mariachi music is perfect for the Christmas season,” Hernandez said. “It’s the music of Mexico and Mexicans are very Catholic. This is the story of Jesus Christ. We will present that in Tucson and Scottsdale with songs like ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Silent Night.’ It’s about the procession of going from house to house and the story of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay while preparing for the birth of Jesus. We will have the Christmas traditions. We always have fun with this show. There’s always a lot of excitement when we bring this show to Arizona. There’s always so much energy in Tucson and the demand is so big in Scottsdale that we have two shows. I’m so glad that people come out year after year since I love playing this music.”
Hernandez is a seventh-generation mariachi whose family has played music professionally since the 1700s when Mexico was New Spain. The Hernandez family is arguably the longest-surviving brood that continues to play mariachi music. “And now my daughter, Crystal, is playing with an all-female mariachi group, which is so cool,” Hernandez said. “Playing this style of music is in our blood.”
Hernandez has led his band for 43 years. “So much has changed in the industry and with me since we started this group,” Hernandez said.
“When I started in the record business, I was an arranger and a producer at a young age. I was 23 when we started this in 1981 and did dinner theater shows. We just kept working wherever we could to get better.”
The dinner theater shows started in 1986 when Hernandez opened his Mexican restaurant, Casa del Sol, in Tustin, California. The restaurant remains open, and Hernandez still has the energy he possessed a generation ago despite battling bone cancer.
“I was diagnosed with bone cancer four years ago, but it was caught in the early stage,” Hernandez said. “I’m practically in remission. When people hear me sing or play the trumpet, they have no clue that I’m on all of this medication. You have to fight and I thank God for music since it keeps my mind going. I have so much going on that I don’t have time to think about being sick.”
Despite his demanding schedule as a musician and health issues, Hernandez still finds time to give back to the community. In 1991, Hernandez founded the Mariachi Heritage Society, a non-profit that teaches mariachi music to children. Over 7,000 youngsters have been part of the program.
“My foundation teaches in 30 schools,” Hernandez said. “We try to help inner-city kids who don’t have the means to learn music privately.”
Hernandez continues to make music and earn acclaim. Hernandez and his band were nominated in February for a Latin Grammy for their latest album, “Romances Eternos” (Eternal Romances), a collection of romantic classics.
“We’re still inspired to make new music,” Hernandez said. “We enjoy that and we still love to play the Christmas shows. There is no place we would rather be in December than on the road playing these Christmas shows. And then there is next year. We’ll have a lot going on then. There is such a demand for mariachi music.”
Hernandez traveled to the Czech Republic earlier in the year to experience the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra debuting his composition, “Rapsodia para un mariachi.”
“That was amazing,” Hernandez said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the world thanks to my music.”
Hernandez has performed concerts from Madison Square Garden to Beijing, China to Pyongyang, North Korea. Hernandez has been invited to play for five U.S. presidents from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama. “It’s been an incredible career,” Hernandez said. “And it’s not over yet. I have so much more to accomplish.”
Jose Hernandez and the Mariachi Sol de México
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13
WHERE: Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, Tucson
COST: Tickets start at $20
INFO: 520-547-3040, foxtucson.com
