José “Pepe” Martínez

José “Pepe” Martínez  was born in Tecalitlán, Jalisco, Mexico and joined his first Mariachi band as a violinist at the age of 12. He began writing music when he was 19 years old, and formed his own mariachi ensemble in 1966, called Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, which was one of the most dynamic Mariachi bands in Mexico throughout the mid-1960s and early 1970s. In 1975, he joined Mariachi Vargas  de Tecalitlán. His work with established Martínez as a composer and arranger and brought into being a sonic style that has become synonymous with "el mejor Mariachi del Mundo". "Somos Novios" and "El Cascabel" are two of the first songs Martínez rearranged for his new group; original works such as "Violín Huapango," "Lluvia De Cuerdas" and "Mexicanísimo" and the popurri "Viva Vera Cruz," with its rapid violin ricochets - a Martinez signature - followed. Today, Martínez continues writing, learning, performing and breaking new ground in the creation of Mariachi music as Music Director of the ensemble. To Cross the Face of the Moon / Cruzar la Cara de la Luna is his first opera.