Last weekend the art and music hub La Cochera Cultural introduced me to yet another authentic regional music and dance form – Son Jarocho. the music of Veracruz.
Son Jarocho is a traditional Mexican musical style originating from the Veracruz region along the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a fusion of indigenous music, Spanish music, and African musical elements, reflecting the cultural diversity of the area. Son Jarocho typically features lively rhythms, intricate guitar playing (often on a small, five-stringed instrument called the jarana), percussive elements and call-and-response singing.
Son Jarocho can be simple with only the jarena, guitar, and percussion like a cajón or tap dancing known as the zapateado, a dance form that traces its roots to Flamenco. Sometimes it incorporates the “jarocho” style of the harp, a large, vertical string instrument, and a donkey’s jawbone, known as a “quijada de burro” used as a percussion instrument by striking it with a stick or hitting it against the ground.
The lyrics often touch on themes of love, nature, and everyday life, and protest against injustice, Especially interesting is the use of dance, which involves rhythmic footwork , usually on a wooden platform that amplifies the sound if the tap shoes (some zapateado platforms are actually amplified with hidden mics inside,
You have heard Son Jarocho whether or not you know it, It was the soundtrack for the movie La Bamba, and the song “La Bamba,” originated as a Son Jarocho tune before it became a global hit by Ritchie Valens as a rock and roll Son Jarocho in 1958.
I have heard Son Jarocho music done by the LA-based band Las Cafeteras, but they blend it with rock and rap. The LA band Los Cambalache plays authentic Son Jarocho, but I have not had a chance to see them. But I did get introduced to genuine Son Jarocho last weekend when the musical group Manguito Con Chile de Xalapa stopped in Ajijic as part of a tour.
The four musicians and two dancers played songs from their first album, Patrona de Mantial, with sounds inspired by the stars, magic and spirituality that surrounds the Fandango, a Mexican dance that is also a spiritual experience. The bright, quick, melodies were driven by the high pitched jarana and moved along with percussion played on a cajón and then by the footwork of the dancers on a zapateado platform. Their style uses a lot of “grito” – shouts and comments in the music, and duets between two of the musicians who also sang.
The dancers were a real hit, although the poor lighting made them hard to photograph (which is why I didn’t sheet video ). Without the elaborate costumes of Flamenco, the two dancers, a man and a woman, used only their dancing shoes, to tell the stories of the songs and provide the beat. The couple on the platform exuded friendly fun as they danced , grinned, and at times even laughed as the audience clapped along with them and a few fans got up and danced in the back of the venue.
All the songs were in Spanish, although the introductions and commentary were in English and as well as Spanish. But no matter what the language, the night was magical and fun. I am looking forward to the next time they tour through Ajijic and I can get even better acquainted with Son Jarocho.
by Patrick O’Heffernan
