Catalina Maria Johnson

International radio broadcaster, bilingual cultural journalist, music curator

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Estamos encantados de la nominación al Grammy 2008 al grupo chicagoense “Sones de México” de su CD “Esta Tierra es Tuya” por mejor álbum en la categoría “Album Mexicano/ Mexicoamericano”, y les deseamos muchísima suerte el 10 de febrero cuando se otorguen los premios definitivos en Las Vegas. Los talentosos músicos del grupo utilizan más de 50 instrumentos en la creación de arreglos originales de sones tanto tradicionales como experimentales, que incluyen tributos mexicanos a Bach, Led Zeppelin y Woody Guthrie. La canción de este último cantautor norteamericano que tocan es una versión en español de “This Land is your Land”. Juan Dies, uno de los fundadores del grupo junto con Victor Pichardo, nos habla sobre Woody Guthrie y su obra (segmento de una entrevista que le hice para la estación de radio pública de Chicago). El grupo se presentará en la Peña de Old Town el 20 de febrero, donde esperamos podamos celebrar con ellos que se les haya otorgado un Grammy. We are extremely delighted that “Sones de Mexico” a local group, whose talented members come from Mexico, Chicago and Venezuela, have been nominated for a Grammy in the category “Best Mexican/Mexican-American album” for their latest, and we wish them the best of luck February 10 when the awards ceremony takes place in Las Vegas. The ensemble plays over 50 instruments in the original arrangments of both traditional as well as experimental sounds, which include Mexican tributes to Bach, Led Zeppelin and Woody Guthrie. The title track is in fact, a version in Spanish of Guthrie´s “This Land is Your Land”. Juan Dies, one of the group´s co-founders along with Victor Pichardo, explains the choice of the Guthrie tune (in the player above, excerpted from a Chicago Public Radio interview I did last summer). Sones de Mexico will also be playing February 20th at Old Town´s Peña, we hope celebrating their newly awarded Grammy! Hay varias versiones de “This Land” que nos encantan, incluyendo un potpurrí de varias de sus canciones en inglés de la mexicoamericana Lila Downs. We love all of Woody Guthrie´s music, and there´s several wonderful versions of “This Land”, including a medley of Guthrie tunes by the Mexican American Lila Downs.



5 Comments

  1. Anonymous wrote:

    Not all band members of Sones de Mexico are immigrants.

  2. Catalina Maria Johnson wrote:

    Thanks for the comment. I corrected the blog entry. From the Sones web page: Juan Dies was raised in San Luis Potosí, Mexico; Lorena Iñiguez was born in Chicago; Juan Rivera was born in Aguililla, Michoacan, Mexico; Victor Pichardo was born in Mexico City: Javier Saume was born in Caracas, Venezuela. There is one more band member, and I believe the youngest – Zacbe Pichardo who I believe is also from Mexico, but the website doesn´t confirm this for me.

  3. Catalina Maria Johnson wrote:

    I was wondering where I had gotten that incorrect detail … here´s the text from Morning Edition, NPR, November 8, 2007:

    “Chicago is one of the world’s great music cities, but it’s still surprising that a Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican folk group calls it home. Sones de Mexico is a group of musicians, all immigrants now living in Chicago…”

  4. Anonymous wrote:

    All band members migrated to the U.S. except for Lorena who was born and raised in Chicago by immigrant parents from Jalisco and Mexico City.

  5. Catalina Maria Johnson wrote:

    mil gracias for the precise information. Don’t miss this amazing group’s performances, keep up with their concert schedule at: http://www.sonesdemexico.com/