The Whole Music Experience

Radio Jarocho Cafe Cafe Chido Records When world music fans think of traditional Mexican music, they usually think of rancheras or mariachi, lesser known, son jarocho hails from Veracruz and weds the musical traditions of former African slaves, indigenous people, and European colonialists.   Distinct features of son jarocho include rapid call & response vocals sung slightly flat, equally rapid rhythms strummed on ukulele size lutes (requinto and jarana) or a Mexican harp and percussive rhythms created by dancing feet (zapateado).   The infamous La Bamba hails from Veracruz and this music tradition. I have mostly heard traditional versions of his music on Smithsonian Folkways recordings and on Conjunto Jardin’s Yerba Buena CD that featured both traditional and original son jarocho songs.   Hailing from the opposite coast in the US, Radio Jarocho has educated music fans in Washington, DC, New York, and Boston.   On the band’s recording Café Café , t...

Jordi Savall Hespèrion XXI & other groups El Nuevo Mundo Folias Criollas Aliavox/Harmonia Mundi Fans of early music know that if they wish to take a musical journey to the renaissance, baroque period, or even to King Louis XIV court, Jordi Savall and his ensembles can take them there. I’m not sure where the Savall-Figueras family comes up with the energy to release as many early music gems as they do, but I’m grateful as a music reviewer and armchair scholar. I also started thinking of these musicians as the musical equivalent of a royal Catalan family. They certainly play courtly music, colonial, rustic and otherwise. I’m still catching my breath after reviewing a Bach recording (The Brandenburg Concertos) by Jordi Savall recently. And now he and his musicians have united with early music and folkloric musicians in the Americas, “New World” where they explore colonial music that combined music of American Indians, Spanish settlers, missionaries, and African slaves. Whi...

Conjunto Jardìn Yerba Buena Trova Recordings California-based Conjunto Jardìn has released its third son jarocho recording, Yerba Buena . Led by vocalists and lute-playing sisters, Libby and Cindy Harding, this group does not just deliver the traditional Mexican jarocho, but Pan-American music complete with Andean pipes on La Culebra , salsa rhythms on Fandanguito de los Muertos , and Colombian rhythms on El Ahualulco . You might not call it pure traditional, but this music is purely delightful. La Vieja features lush call & response vocals with added guest vocalists, Mari Riddle and Ericka Verba. And following that song, is the groovy cover of Procol Harum's Conquistador with Gary Johnson's 70s psychedelic organ booming throughout. Fandanguito de los Muertos (mentioned earlier), offers two musical genres for the price of one, ending out with rousing salsa. Just as other journalists have noted, this music does present a lot of twists and turns, as well as, ...