Los Cenzontles, translated to English as "the Mockingbirds," are not so much a permanent group as a floating ensemble. Formed in 1989, Los Cenzontles grew out of the Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center in San Pablo, California, a town in the East Bay of the San Francisco area. They were founded by director Eugene Rodriguez with the aim of performing traditional and popular Mexican music and dance so that it would encourage involvement by young urban participants. Playing in a wide range of styles, from mariachi to ballad and tropical, Los Cenzontles issued five CDs between 1997 and 2000. Selected tracks from those five releases were used for the Arhoolie compilation De Une Bonita. ~ Richie Unterberger