Abstract
When Mariachi Campanas de América of San Antonio, Texas, takes the stage, audiences are frequently confounded by the often included drum trap set. The sight of a musician wearing a full traje1 (complete with sombrero) striking drum heads with a flurry of drumsticks can be visually shocking to the uninitiated. Indeed, Mariachi Campanas de América has claimed to be the world’s first mariachi band to include a drum trap set, and this claim has, notably, remained uncontested. But the statement and the presence of the drummer never fail to elicit a range of responses. In a crowded Austin, Texas, theater in 1995, some audience members laughed at the inclusion of the instrument, some seemed perplexed by it, and others seemed curious to hear what it sounded like.
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© 2003 Frances Aparicio, Cándida Jáquez
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Jáquez, C.F. (2003). El Mariachi. In: Aparicio, F.R., Jáquez, C.F. (eds) Musical Migrations. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230107441_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230107441_11
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