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We got a phone call in Puerto Peñasco from a friend who told us, "Antonio Hernandez is in the Old Port Deli. If you want to interview him, now's your chance." He was someone we had wanted to talk to ever since hearing him play his Andean pipes in front of Lily's. His playing was so unique and so exquisite that it marked him as a true artist.
We went over to the Deli right away and sat down at a table with Antonio. He immediately made us feel as if we were old friends, and as he told us about himself we felt we'd known him a long time.
Antonio came here from Ciudad Obregon. He's been a teacher of music in one of the local public schools for 17 years. He teaches his students the principles of music on plastic recorders, some of which have been bought with funds raised from operating a snack bar at the school. At one time he organized and trained a student band, with drums, flutes, and Indian pipes. It took several years for them to become proficient, but the group has stayed together and now has its own business playing for local events.
Antonio has been associated with an ensemble called Khenany, which has toured Mexico and the U.S. for the last 7 or 8 years. They have been in 30 of the 50 U.S. states. The group has also recorded its own tapes and CDs. We have a couple, and really love listening to them.
Khenany has a core group of 5, which is often expanded to 7 members. They use from 30 to 35 instruments: strings, guitar, a flute called Kena, Mariachi bass, military drums, an Aztec pottery flute, 4 sizes of pan pipes, and several percussion instruments, including castanets and an instrument made of sheep's nails strung together in a circle. Members of the group have their own specialties, but essentially everyone plays everything. The group has made 5 different recordings of music from 12 Latin American countries. 80% of the songs are from the Andes: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
Last year 4 members of the group went to Brazil for the second time to the International Folk Festival. There were over 600 artists there, musicians and dancers. The group also went on a 3-week tour of 15 countries, including Russia and China.
Antonio was born in Mexico City. He started playing the guitar at the age of 8 and the Kena flute at age 11. He is self-taught in music, although he did go to the University to get his teaching credentials. Here in Puerto Peñasco he often plays with Waldemar and Lolita Arrieta and Armando and Pino Noriega, who he says are some of the best musicians in the city. Armando has played with many famous musicians in both Mexico and the U.S.
Anyone who wants to hear Antonio play can do so either at Rocky Garden Restaurant, where he plays from 7 to 11 on weekend evenings, or other times in front of Lily's. He also plays for private parties at a very reasonable rate. At Rocky Garden he plays duets with his own music that's been recorded on tape.
Antonio is married--we met his wife Manuela briefly--and has two children, Antonio, 5, and Michele, 3. He told us that one of the hard things about being a musician is being away from his family for so long--sometimes for 30 to 45 days at a time. His kids miss him, so he has decided to stay closer to home in the future so he can spend more time with them. He is no longer performing regularly with the Khenany group, although he fills in when they need him.
We found it interesting that this man, a highly skilled and versatile musician, who has already made several recordings and is becoming well known in artistic circles, has decided not to pursue that path any farther. He tells us that in addition to wanting to spend more time at home, he is ready to devote more attention to composing. He has a talent he wants to share. He doesn't stick to any one style but works in bossa jazz, flamenco con salsa, Indian flutes, and others.
We who are not artists probably think that musicians lead a very creative life, but in reality, much of what they do is routine and gets tiring, no matter how good the music and the musician. Antonio has paid his dues as a performer; now he is ready to write and play his own music, piping anywhere and everywhere to those who will listen.
