Bakersfield, California may conjure up images of country and folk music – but it’s also the home of the famed Mariachi Garibaldi.
Founded in 1994 by Jaime Cuéllar, Mariachi Garibaldi is now led by his son, Jimmy Cuéllar, a composer, multi-instrumentalist and winner of three Grammy Awards. The band will be performing at the Center for the Arts on Monday, Oct. 9, bringing a taste of Mexico to Wyoming.
Mariachi music typically features violins, harps, trumpets and multiple kinds of guitars, including the guitarrón, a six-string bass guitar, a lead rhythm guitar called the vihuela and a higher pitch five-string guitar.
Mariachi Garibaldi has shared the stage with some of Mexico’s most beloved performers such as The Aguilar Family, Juan Gabriel and Pedro Fernandez.
“The more that you can emotionally connect to the song, whether you’re singing or not, the better it’s going to come out, the more the audience is receptive to it.,” Jimmy Cuéllar said.
With a sizable Mexican population here in Jackson, Cuéllar said he hopes the band’s performance can serve as a slice of home to those who miss their families or yearn for that feeling of nostalgia the classic Mariachi songs can bring them.
“It’s a very beautiful thing to have someone tell you that you gave them that 90-minute moment of being home, reminiscing on good times and bad times.,” Cuéllar said.
Looking towards the future, Cuéllar is doing his part to ensure that mariachi music and its culture live on for years to come with the mariachi music academy where he teaches students from age five to 65.
“The importance of having the youth be exposed to this and want to continue it is if they don’t, this can and will die away. I love to pass down all my information to the youth and get them involved or just aware of what mariachi is and what it can be,” Cuéllar said.
Listen above for KHOL’s full conversation with Jimmy Cuellar of Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar.
