on the record:
lila downs' La Sánchez

September 27, 2023 | by SFJAZZ

Lila Downs

With “a stunning voice, a confident multicultural vision grounded in her Mixtec Indian roots” (Los Angeles Times), GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning vocalist Lila Downs is one of the most celebrated singers of her generation. She brings a special night of music to the Paramount Theatre in Oakland on 10/15, celebrating Día de los Muertos with her special show Dos Corazones. Here's a closer look at her new Sony Music release, La Sánchez.

A native of Oaxaca, Downs built a career bridging cultures and languages, both as a musician and social activist for humanitarian causes. Growing up as the daughter of a Mixtec singer and a renowned American photographer, Downes blended a deep passion for the traditions of her homeland with an ingrained wanderlust. With guidance from her mother and inspiration from Mexican vocal greats Chavela Vargas and Lucha Villa, balanced by the gamut of American music she heard in the States, Downs began singing rancheras at eight and explored the indigenous music of the Mixtec and Zapotec traditions of Oaxaca.

She made her major label debut with 1999’s jazz informed La Sandunga, and her contributions to director Julie Taymor's 2002 Frida Kahlo biopic Frida elevated her status to that of a major international star. Downs has become recognized worldwide as a global ambassador for Mexico’s folkloric traditions and champion for the preservation of native Mexican culture, recording songs in indigenous Mayan, Nahuatl, Trique, and Purépecha languages.

Her new Sony Music album, La Sánchez, is influenced by the music of northern Mexico and is a tribute to recognizing the maternal influence and the vicissitudes of personal and social relationships.

La Sánchez is my contribution as a woman from the south who also considers the music of the north as her own and who would like to hear more female voices joining in

In a Mexican music scene dominated by men, an album like La Sánchez is a necessary statement. Devised by Downs in collaboration with Orlando Aispuro Meneses, the new production by the anthropologist, singer and composer is a profound journey through the sounds of northern Mexico.

With almost three decades of experience and more than 15 albums, Downs is a musician who does not stop innovating and reinventing herself within the rich diversity of rhythms and melodies that exist throughout Mexico.

“It is a very special moment for Mexican music.” says Downs. “I think it is showing us something that we have always known, and that needed to be recovered in our country: music can erase borders and differences.”

With its rancheras, northern cumbias and corridos, La Sánchez reflects the great affection Downs has for the multicultural richness of Mexico. “Since I was a child, and due to the migration that has been a constant in the country, northern music has always enjoyed great affection in southern regions. It is a rich music that continues to constantly evolve.”

For this new album, Downs was surrounded by a team including co-producer Orlando Aispuro Meneses, who has worked with C. Tangana, Carin León and Pablo Alborán, in addition to renowned Mexican composers Luciano Luna and Leslie Laraim Orduño. The album features the participation of young talents like Argentine singer and guitarist Loli Molina, and of course, original songs by Lila Downs — some co-written with the late New York producer and composer Paul R. Cohen (RIP).

The release of this new album happens while Downs continues to tour the world as part of her Dos Corazones Tour, which began after the release of her production Desde Bellas Artes.

Lila Downs brings her show Dos Corazones to the Oakland Paramount on 10/15. Tickets are available here.