Fandango!
Published in Vallarta Tribune
By Christie Seeley
vallartasounds.com
Do you know that feeling when you walk into a bookstore without a plan, reach up on a shelf and lay your hands on a book that changes your life or at least makes a big impact on a chapter of your existence? I guess we call that serendipity. More and more I find that my life is guided in a positive way by this phenomenon. Take music for instance. I may suddenly be exposed to a wonderful sound that fascinates me and leads to a joyful exploration of the story that surrounds it.
This has happened to me recently with the music of Veracruz, first inspired by the music of Lila Downs’ Los Pollos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kEVzgw7_Vo) and by Media Luna’s rendition of the classic El Cascabel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Mqtzja0XQ). Last Saturday morning I approached the market at Olas Altas thinking how I would love to hear some of the jarocho music from Veracruz. There, at the big stage, were three young women and a young man playing a wonderful array of string instruments; jaranas of various sizes, a requinto and even the Quijada de Burro—donkey’s jaw used for rhythm—along with a keyboard. The group called La Santa Patrona are out of Nayarit although they come from several areas of Mexico: Vera Cruz and Puebla, and as far away as Patagonia, Argentina. All of them fell in love with the Jarocho sound. (https://youtu.be/g-uZ-_bh0OM)
the Jarocho music is not only spirited and delightful to hear but when the lyrics are studied you learn it is filled with fun, “picardía” or roguishness, and double meaning. It is really infectious. The songs sometimes go on forever with verse after verse making fun of everyday situations and each time becoming more hilarious as the singers go on with a second voice often repeating the first in a slightly different manner. In the song El Gallo a woman complains that she thinks the neighbor wants to catch her rooster and make a stew, but then you realize her neighbor may have other plans for her “Gallo” or man. Well, you see what I mean? The music has the feeling of a community gathering (a Fandango) filled with dance (zapeadeo), joy, and participation from all present singing, as the songs are familiar to the entire group, clapping and dancing.
The instruments in themselves are works of art, meticulously hand crafted from one solid piece of a special wood. Nestor Villaseñor from Guadalajara and of the musical duo Tajín specializes in prehispanic musical instruments and has a stand in the same market where he sells these wonderful pieces. Your mouth will water seeing them even if you are not a musician!
The instruments used in the music are the requinto for melody and bass, Jarana of many sizes for rhythm, Harp again carries the melody while the jawbone of the burro is used for percussion. The tarima, or wooden platform for dance, is a community building tool as well as a musical instrument. According to the organizers of a Fandango conference in Seattle in 2010: leaving ones soul on the tarima or “Dejar el alma en la tarima”, is an expression one utters when...one...has exhausted...oneself...physically in zapateado (percussive footwork) and all at once senses a near spiritual moment in the process”.
My friends Aldo and Alvaro at del Puerto Cafe on Madero near Corona have been holding Fandangos at their cafe some Friday evenings lately to show off the music and dance of Veracruz and just have a good time. They have been sharing stories with me about the music which have inspired me to visit Xalapa sometime this summer to experience more Musica Jarocho. I will definitely report back!
For more details see my website: valartasounds.com
Published in Vallarta Tribune
By Christie Seeley
vallartasounds.com
Do you know that feeling when you walk into a bookstore without a plan, reach up on a shelf and lay your hands on a book that changes your life or at least makes a big impact on a chapter of your existence? I guess we call that serendipity. More and more I find that my life is guided in a positive way by this phenomenon. Take music for instance. I may suddenly be exposed to a wonderful sound that fascinates me and leads to a joyful exploration of the story that surrounds it.
This has happened to me recently with the music of Veracruz, first inspired by the music of Lila Downs’ Los Pollos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kEVzgw7_Vo) and by Media Luna’s rendition of the classic El Cascabel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Mqtzja0XQ). Last Saturday morning I approached the market at Olas Altas thinking how I would love to hear some of the jarocho music from Veracruz. There, at the big stage, were three young women and a young man playing a wonderful array of string instruments; jaranas of various sizes, a requinto and even the Quijada de Burro—donkey’s jaw used for rhythm—along with a keyboard. The group called La Santa Patrona are out of Nayarit although they come from several areas of Mexico: Vera Cruz and Puebla, and as far away as Patagonia, Argentina. All of them fell in love with the Jarocho sound. (https://youtu.be/g-uZ-_bh0OM)
the Jarocho music is not only spirited and delightful to hear but when the lyrics are studied you learn it is filled with fun, “picardía” or roguishness, and double meaning. It is really infectious. The songs sometimes go on forever with verse after verse making fun of everyday situations and each time becoming more hilarious as the singers go on with a second voice often repeating the first in a slightly different manner. In the song El Gallo a woman complains that she thinks the neighbor wants to catch her rooster and make a stew, but then you realize her neighbor may have other plans for her “Gallo” or man. Well, you see what I mean? The music has the feeling of a community gathering (a Fandango) filled with dance (zapeadeo), joy, and participation from all present singing, as the songs are familiar to the entire group, clapping and dancing.
The instruments in themselves are works of art, meticulously hand crafted from one solid piece of a special wood. Nestor Villaseñor from Guadalajara and of the musical duo Tajín specializes in prehispanic musical instruments and has a stand in the same market where he sells these wonderful pieces. Your mouth will water seeing them even if you are not a musician!
The instruments used in the music are the requinto for melody and bass, Jarana of many sizes for rhythm, Harp again carries the melody while the jawbone of the burro is used for percussion. The tarima, or wooden platform for dance, is a community building tool as well as a musical instrument. According to the organizers of a Fandango conference in Seattle in 2010: leaving ones soul on the tarima or “Dejar el alma en la tarima”, is an expression one utters when...one...has exhausted...oneself...physically in zapateado (percussive footwork) and all at once senses a near spiritual moment in the process”.
My friends Aldo and Alvaro at del Puerto Cafe on Madero near Corona have been holding Fandangos at their cafe some Friday evenings lately to show off the music and dance of Veracruz and just have a good time. They have been sharing stories with me about the music which have inspired me to visit Xalapa sometime this summer to experience more Musica Jarocho. I will definitely report back!
For more details see my website: valartasounds.com
