I. What Is the Son Jarocho?

I. WHAT IS THE SON JAROCHO? The Son Jarocho of southern,Veracruz is one of the most dynamic variations of the musical/dance genre known as the Son Mexicano. The "folk music" of Mexico, the Son Mexicano emerged during the colonial period as a mix in between Spanish, Indigenous, and African, music and dance. As early as the 16th century, the Spanish introduced the native indigenous population to stringed instruments such as the violin, harp, and various guitar- types. These three instruments thus became an "instrumental core" and for the next 300 years natives and Mestizos developed their own regional stringed instruments on the European models. Some of these instruments are the vihuela of the west coast, the jarana huasteca of the eastern-central regions, and the jarana jarocha of Southern Veracruz. As a distinct regional instrumentation developed so did a distinct regional music/dance tradition. Just as the Son Huasteco from east-central Mexico and the west coast Son de Mariachi have their own characteristics the Son Jarocho can be distinguished by its percussive rhythms, syncopation, vocal style, and improvisation in its harmonic and rhythmic framework and verse. According to ethnomusicologist Daniel Sheehy, although the son jarocho repertoire consists of around 80 individual sones based on local themes, the jarocho musicians ability to improvise new harmonies, melodies, and verses, always makes the performance of one of these sones unique. Jarocho musicians always say that they never perform two identical versions of the same son. The dance aspect of the son jarocho is also a defining characteristic of the tradition. The "zapateado" footwork is not simply a dis-associated part of the son jarocho, but an element of the tradition which provides a rhythmic complement to the instrumental and vocal accompaniment. The traditional setting of the son jarocho, the Fandango, is at the center of social reunions throughout southern Veracruz. As local musicians perform the sones, people dance atop a large wooden platform known as a Tarima. The base instrumentation used by contemporary jarocho ensembles consist of three main instruments: The arpa, requinto, and jarana. - The arpa jarocha is a large wooden harp with 32-36 strings tuned diatonically over five octaves. Usually, the harpist plays a bass line on the low strings with one hand and with the other supplies arpeggiated melodies on the higher strings. - The requnito jarocho,(also known as the "javalina" or the "Guitara de son") not to be confused with the requinto romantico, is also a melodic instrument. Its four strings are plucked individually with a long,thin pick fashioned from either cowhorn or plastic. Although construction of the requinto jarocho varies, the most prized are the requintos "basiados" which are carved from a solid piece of cedar. - The most fundamental and common jarocho instrument is the jarana. Most likely derived from the XVI century Spanish Baroque guitar, the jarana has eight to twelve strings grouped in five courses. It is strummed in a chordial manner called a rasgueo and furnishes the rhythmic and harmonic framework of the son jarocho. Although the base instrumentation used by contemporary ensembles is the harp, requinto, and jarana, these are not the only instruments used in performing the son jarocho. Jaranas range in various sizes(the smallest are called "mosquitos") Some ensembles use a large bass known as a "liona" or the "Guitarron Jarocho",and the 6-string Spanish guitar is commonly seen in many ensembles. Other unique instruments that are not as common but show the variation and ingenuity of jarocho musicians are the pandero, (tambourine) the quijada (a mule or horse jawbone), the cajon (percusive box), and the marimbola. II. THE INOVATORS Like many other types of folk music, commercialization and the rise of the professional musician has played a part in the development of an urban son jarocho tradition. For example, prior to the 1940's the arpa jarocha was much smaller than the one used by jarocho musicians today and harpists would have to play the harp sitting down due to its size. This would change as the jarocho harpist Andres Huesca (1917-1957) gained fame in Mexico City through recordings with his ensembles Trio Huracan and Los Constenos and his film roles during Mexico's Golden Age Of Film such "Historia de un Amor"(1942), "La Perla"(1945), "Solo Veracruz es Bello"(1948), "Oro y Flor de Cana"(1948), and others. During this period, Huesca began to use a larger harp modeled after the west coasts' arpa grande. The larger harp produced a greater sound, and could be played in a standing position. Huesca's use of a larger harp and the technique he developed set a new standard among professional Jarocho ensembles and his impact is still felt to this day. In 1950, Huesca was also the first to record a song called "Yo" by an upcoming songwriter by the name of Jose Alfredo Jimenez. In the late 1940's, many jarocho musicians such as Andres Huesca, Lino Chavez, Nicolas Sosa, and Julian Cruz left for Mexico city to earn a living as musicians. In the next few decades that followed, many outstanding groups such as Conjunto Tlalixcoyan de los hermanos Rosas (the first exclusive conjunto jarocho for Ballet Folklorico de Mexico),Los Nacionales de Jacinto Gatica, Conjunto Tierra Blanca,Conjunto Villa Del Mar de Angel Valencia, Los Riberenos, and many others, emerged. Of all of these the most influential group by far was Conjunto Medellin de Lino Chavez. The various recordings made by Lino Chavez and his Conjunto Medellin are classics and the innovative styles of requintero Lino Chavez (1922-1993) and harpist Mario Barradas as well as Chavez' instrumentation of harp, jarana, and requinto and their technique have become the standard for contemporary urban jarocho ensembles. Although he recorded over twenty albums in his lifetime, Lino Chavez was a musical purist and never deviated from his jarocho tradition. He virtually invented the contemporary style of requinto performance technique that is now so widely imitated. Alberto de la Rosa, professor at the Universidad Veracruzana and director of one of Mexico's premiere jarocho/Latin American ensemble Grupo Tlen- huicani said,"Actualmente tocar requinto jarocho significa tocar el estilo de Lino Chavez...la musica del requinto jarocho es la musica de Lino Chavez."("Presently, to play the requinto jarocho means to play the style of Lino Chavez... the music of the requinto jarocho is the music of Lino Chavez.") III. THE PRESENT What is the current state of the Son Jarocho? While the roots of the son jarocho are in southern Veracruz, those who have decided to earn a living as jarocho musicians have for the past sixty years found it more profitable to leave Veracruz for Mexico city or other tourist areas. Ensembles such as "Conjunto Tierra Blanca" , founded in the 1950's and directed by Marios Barradas Murcia, have earned a living playing their native music and many of these urban jarocho ensembles have not only traveled throughout the world and recorded various albums but have also taught hundreds of students abroad how to play the son jarocho in University workshops and in school's such as Mexico city's "Escuela de la Muscia Mexicana". Although the traditional manner of transmitting the son jarocho from generation to generation is common, the aspect of teaching the son jarocho to students in an academic setting is new and a vibrant new part of the son jarocho tradition. In Xalapa, Veracruz the Universidad Veracruzana is the home of Grupo Tlen-Huicani and its director, Prof. Alberto de la Rosa, who has had a great influence in promoting the preservation of the son jarocho and Latin American folk music. For over 35 years,Tlen- Huicani has remained one of the most faithful interpreters of the traditional folk music of Veracruz, Mexico and most of Latin America. Since 1973, their music and international achievements have earned them the honor of 'Best Folk Group in Mexico' by the Union of Music and Theater Critics. Another wave of preservation called the "Movimiento Jaranero" began in the late 1970's which saw contemporary ensembles who had developed a style from the more commercial urban ensembles in the 1940's as steering away too much from its roots. These "renovadores" have concentrated on preserving the fandango setting (the traditional celebratory environment of the son jarocho) such as at the annual "Encuentro de Jaraneros" in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. The movimiento stresses the Afro-caribbean aspects of the son jarocho and at the head of this movement is grupo Mono Blanco who since 1978 has recorded various albums, traveled throughout the world, and conducted various workshops and conferences concentrating on their unique style of the son jarocho. Although commercialization and the birth of the professional musician has had an effect on the son jarocho tradition in Veracruz , the age old folk tradition of playing the son jarocho as a pastime is still alive and well. While we will always have the commercial recordings of professional groups such as Medellin, Tlalixcoyan, Tlen-huicani and others, there are hundreds of musicians throughout southern Veracruz who are unknown and continue a tradition which is over two hundred years old. IV. NORTH OF THE BORDER Proving the age old adage that music knows no boundaries, many jarocho ensembles have also been formed throughout the United States and in particular southern California. As early as the 1940's, Andres Huesca and his ensembles, Los Costenos and Trio Huracan, were staples at theatres in the Los Angeles area. Huesca, in fact, died in Los Angeles in 1957. In time, Los Angeles became a hotbed for Mexico's musical talent and had a great influence on the musical scene throughout Mexican communities in Southern California.

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