Toloache is a flower, associated with Mesoamerica’s ancient peoples, with known medicinal and hallucinogenic properties. It’s also used in “love potions.” So when a pair of New York City female musicians, who were looking to create a new ensemble and sound, were looking for a name for their group, they settled on toloache.
“We wanted something to do with a flower, something feminine and strong,” said Mireya Ramos. It sounded right. The word exuded elegance and power. “It’s a magical name,” Ramos said.
So Ramos, along with her musical partner Shae Fiol, created Mariachi Flor de Toloache, an all-women mariachi ensemble in New York City. Although Flor de Toloache is not the first all-female mariachi, it has since its founding in 2008 created a wide swath of admirers and followers beyond the world of mariachi music.
The group will perform Tuesday, Jan. 22, at 191 Toole.
The group has earned acclaim for its marriage of traditional mariachi with blues and Caribbean stylings, and other nontraditional mariachi sounds to create a mesmerizing and enchanting sound, much like the effects of the toloache flower, bringing a new edge to mariachi music.
“It’s a mix of the fact that we come from different backgrounds,” said Ramos, who sings and plays the violin and guitarrón — the large mariachi bass guitar. She was born to Dominican and Mexican parents and raised in Puerto Rico.
Co-founder Fiol is of Cuban descent, plays the vihuela — the small five-string guitar — sings, and writes and arranges music. The other two members are Jackie Coleman, who was born in Indiana and plays the trumpet, and the classically trained violinist, Noemi Gasparini.
The group has released two studio albums, 2017’s “Las Caras Lindas” on Chulo Records, which earned the group a Latin Grammy, and its debut, self-released “Flor de Toloache” released in 2015 which was nominated for a Latin Grammy.
Toloache wins over its audiences with its homage to classic songs — “Bésame Mucho,” “Cucurrucucú Paloma” and “La Llorona” — and English-language tracks such as the country-twang “Long Gone Girl” and “Blue Medley.”
Ramos said mixing up the sounds and styles wins over audiences and connects with them, even if listeners are not mariachi fans or unfamiliar with the music.
“I’ve always liked all kinds of music,” Ramos said.
The group’s popularity also extends to other musical groups and artists. Las Flores, as they call themselves, have toured with Mexico’s Café Tacvba, the Black Keys, La Santa Cecilia, the Chicano-roots group from Los Angeles, and Mexrissey, the Morrissey inspired band co-founded by Tucson’s Sergio Mendoza and Camilo Lara of Mexico City.
A video for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
This year, the group expects to release a collaboration with hip-hop artist Miguel and a new album, Ramos said.
