José Ramirez (Tualatin) is a third-generation mariachi violinist and band leader. After moving to Oregon from Mexico City in 2009, Ramirez founded his band, Mariachi La Perla, which features two trumpets, a guitarrón (bass guitar), a vihuela (small, 5-stringed guitar), and three violins.
Bio
Mariachi music has always been an integral part of José Ramirez’s life. As a child, he learned to play the violin from his uncle and brother. At family gatherings for holidays and celebrations, the whole family would play mariachi music – his grandfather on the trumpet, his father on the guitar, and their three violins. After studying music at the University of Guadalajara, Ramirez left Mexico City for Oregon in 2009 and founded his band, Mariachi La Perla, in Tualatin six years later. Although the origins of Mariachi music go back hundreds of years, “modern” mariachi traces its roots back to the nineteenth-century Mexican state of Jalisco. A mixture of folk traditions from Spain, Mexico, and Africa, the son (mariachi song) comes in several forms, including Jalisco’s son jalisciense, Veracruz’s son jarocho or veracruzano; and northeastern Mexico’s son huasteco or huapango. As a traditional mariachi band, Mariachi La Perla is in demand around the Portland Metro area and routinely performs at festivals and for special occasions like weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras (communal 15th birthday celebrations for Mexicana girls), and first communions. Members of the band include Antonio Uribe and Alejandro Gonzalez on trumpet, Luis F. Alfaro on guitarrón (bass guitar), Alejandro Guillen on vihuela (small, 5-stringed guitar) player, and Kelsey Sagrero and Joan Carlos on violin. Besides serving as band leader, Ramirez also plays violin. Musicians in the band write their own arrangements of traditional music and also play their versions of well-known songs for audiences who want to sing and dance along. Their most requested songs are “La Bamba,” “Bésame Mucho,” and “Cielito Lindo.”
