Banda La Ejecutiva de Mazatlan Sinaloa

Banda la Ejecutiva de Mazatlan Sinaloa are a 17-piece group from Mexico known for their highly original take on the historic banda genre with their deeply romantic and optimistic style. They are among the most respected and sought-after ensembles in the genre by modern composers including Espinoza Paz, Horacio Palencia, Luciano Luna, and Marcos Figueroa, among others. Their 2013 studio debut, No Me Lamentare, earned regional airplay and, combined with a welcoming and at-times electrifying stage show, paved the way for the ensemble becoming a mainstay on regional stages and at seaside resorts. 2015′s concert offering, En Vivo Auditorio Benito Juarez, put them on the national map, making them a touring contender across the country. After a handful of singles, the group struck the airplay charts again with “Por Si Me Extranas,” a lush, soulful romantico single that arguably best represents their unique style.
Through the group was founded in the ’90s as La Banda Pioneros by veteran trumpeter Popo Sanchez (Arrolladora Banda el Limón, Banda el Recodo), and released four albums, they underwent a wholesale change in 2013 when Juan Carlos Espinoza and musical director Pedro Lizárraga shifted the roster’s members to reflect a new youthful energy and changed the name to Banda la Ejecutiva de Mazatlan Sinaloa. Their debut single, “Quisiera Olvidarte,” written by Horacio Palencia, was a hit at regional radio; its video garnered over a million views. The band’s 2013 debut, No Me Lamentare, won regional airplay and afforded the group more invitations to play live. Given the lineage banda pedigrees of its players, Banda la Ejecutiva de Mazatlan Sinaloa had no trouble finding tours to open or gigs to play. The album proved a regional hit thanks to the radio success of its title-track single. Unfortunately, a bus accident while they were on tour resulted in the death of their driver and the injuries of several members, sidelining them for months. When they returned to touring and recording, they issued the eight-track EP Corridos Ejecutiva in 2014, which garnered airplay in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States before being picked up all over North America. It allowed Banda la Ejecutiva to tour as far away as Chicago, New York, and Miami. Its two videos for the tracks “Toro Encartado” and “Cosas del Destino” each racked up millions of views. They were nominated for Bandamax Awards that year. Rather than simply tour major cities and capitals, Banda la Ejecutiva played a festival in Chiapas where they recorded the studio offering Ponte en Mis Zapatos in 2015 and followed it immediately with the charting live offering En Vivo Auditorio Benito Juarez.
Over the next five years, Banda la Ejecutiva issued a handful of singles and rehearsed new members. The 2018 single “Algo Bien,” issued digitally, ran up the streaming charts and peaked at number ten. It offered a portrait of this swinging ensemble’s take on cumbia romantica to great result and garnered nearly eight million views within its first six months, peaking at 34 on the Latin Airplay charts after an eight-week run. It ended up as the lead-off track to January 2020′s critically acclaimed six-track Ya Me Vi EP. They followed almost immediately in February with the non-EP single “Cama y Mesa.” Unfortunately, given the global coronavirus pandemic, Banda la Ejecutiva were unable to tour. To fill the gap for fans, they quickly recorded the studio album Te Encontre, which was released in May and expanded the Ya Me Vi EP to 14 tracks. ~ Thom Jurek