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La Bamba:
Sones Jarochos from Veracruz
F E A T U R I N G :
SFW CD 40505
2003 Smithsonian F'olkways Recordings
La Bamba 3:09
Siquisiri 3:52
Col s 3:23
La More na (The Dark
Woman) 2:58
5. El Jarabe Loco (The Crazy
Dance) 3: 16
6. El Gavilancito (The LitUe
Hawk) 2: 15
7. El Cascabel (fhe LitUe Bell) 3:27
8. Huapanguelito (I-Iua pango
Singer) 2 :33
9. La Guacamaya 4 :01
10. El Zapateado 3:24
11. La Bruja (The Witch) 2:41
12. El Ahuaiulco (The Man from
Ahuaiulco) 4:07
l.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction
DANIEL SHEEHY
backdrop to television
commercials. towism
promotions. and balletjoUdrico
dance troupes. evoking an
idealized tropical flavor of !ife in
this regio n stretching along the
Gulf 01" Mexico. At the same
time. for Jos Gutirrez and the
Ochoa brothers Felipe and
Marcos. three of the most
accomplished of today's jarocho
musicians. the sentiment runs
deep. and the meaning is
personal.
Origins
ofthe Son
Jarocho
Despite the fact that (or many urbanites the son jarocho occupies a
narrow niche of taste. relegated as a "folk music" to the limited. frozen
The Musicians
Born and raisecl on the Costa de la Palma (Palm Coast) ra nch near the
town of A1varado an hour's dlive south of the port city of Veracruz. Jos
Gutirrez Ramn spenl his childhoocl listening to his grandfather. falher.
a ncl uncles play music for enjoyment after a hard clay's work. for clancers
at a country Ji:mdango. or fOl' guests dining in the many coaslal seafoocl
restaurants. For hinl. singing lhe stanza about lhe sound of the harp
playing "Siquisir" in A1varaclo evokes a powerfuJ memory. He is a lrue
jarocho. and his music is the son. The style of son jarocho he and the
Ochoa brothers play was inhelited from pioneeling professional groups
who moved lo Mexico Cily from lhe rural Veracruz coast. Andrs Huesca
y sus Costeos in the 1940s and Conjunto Medellin de Lino Chvez in
lhe J 950s. 1960s. and 1970s were among lhe most important of these
groups. Jos Gutirrez is one of the most accomplished and celebralecl
jarocho musicians alive toclay. He was a disciple of Chvez. ancl played in
ConjLU1to Meclell.n in lhe early 1970s. He plays and makes all three of
lhe principaljaroc/w instn.mlents:jarana, requinlojwocho. and wpa
jarocha (harp). He took up the guitar as a small child and soon learnecl
to play thejarana. a thin-bocliecl gtlitar. which supplies lhe rhythmic ancl
harmonic base for lhe music. In the early 20th century ancl before,
several sizes ofjarana were common, but the professional groups include
only the largesl size. sometimes caJlecljarana tercera (lhircljarana). The
inslrument has eight slrings arranged in five courses, three of them
clouble. In lhe olcler tradition. a repertoire of several tunings gave
clifferent COIOlingS lo thejarwla chordings. bul in modern professional
slyle, a single tuning prevails-{me thal aJlows "standarcl" guitar
the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him its highest honor
in the traditional arts. the NaUonal I-Ieritage Fellowship.
Felipe and Marcos Ochoa Reyes were born and raised on Rancho de
Zacaiste. near the inland toWD ofTierra Blanca. The area around
Tierra Blanca has produced sorne of the greatestjarocho harpists. and
Felipe is one of them. He was born in 1950. and remembers that when
he was a small boy. his father played a harp. The modern arpa jarocha
stands nearly five feet feet tall and has from 32 lo 36 strings covering
up to five octaves. lts sound box has an opening in the bacl< to
increase resonance. and its top bows slightly outward. yielding to the
pressure ol" the tightly stretched strings. It is played with the fmgers of
both hands. one playing the bass strings (bordones) and the other
playing chordal or arpeggiated melodies rich with syncopation on the
high-pitched strings (trinos). Though Felipe did not learn to play it from
his father. his father's example inspired him lo be a harpist. Al age 17,
Felipe moved to th e port of Veracruz. where he played guitar with an
elder harpist named Nicols Sosa. Sosa anel his group. Los Tiburones
del Golfo (The Sharks of the GuU). workeel regularly in the Chato Moyo
seafooel restaurant near the fish market. Felipe played the guitar. bul
too k advantage of the opportunity to learn harp from Sosa. His older
brother. Marcos. soon joined Los Tiburones. laking up the jarana. The
two brothers stayed with Sosa for aboul fifleen years before Sosa
retired. and they then added a third musician to form their own trio.
The new group offerecl the chance for Felipe to follow his dream of
becoming a professionaJ harpist. His enthusiasm for the harp comes
through loud anel clear in every track on this recOl"ding. His intensity neve"
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Track Notes
[Lyrics are available in Spanish and English on the Smithsonian
Folkways Recordings websile www.folkways.si.edu. They may be
found by searching for SFW CD 40505.]
1. LA BAMBA
One of the most renowned of Mexican songs. "La Bamba" was first
documented as a son jarocho in the early 1800s. 'io s ing La Banlba.
l am con tento beca use l accompany myself on my instrument."
2 . SIQUISIRi
Th.is 50/1 is one 01" Felipe Ochoa's favoriles. and he uses it to show
off his dexterity at playing chordal melodies and improvis ing. Cols
is the abbrevialed form 01' lhe name Nicols.
I
4 . LA MORENA (THE DARK WOMAN)
Harpist Felipe Ochoa's skiU al c'eating intensely syn copa led rhylhms
shines through during the ins lrumental sections 01' this old 50/1.
"Love for a woman was driving me crazy. Another told me. lel her go
a bit. beca use s he has to falllike a coconut from the palm tree."
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5. EL JARABE LOCO
(THE CRAZY DANCE)
8. HUAPANGUERITO
(HUAPANGO SINGER)
6 . EL GAVILANCITO
(THE LlTTLE HAWK)
9. LA GUACAMAYA
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Currenl in central Mexico in the early 1800s, this son likely takes
ils na me from lhe lown ol' lhe sam e na me in lhe weslern s la le of
J a lisco. A typical re/rain goes: "The man fmm Ahualulco just
I1nished dancing thejarabe lapato. becau se lhey say the women
dancers from the Lowlands s ing il a nd dance it."
13. TILINGO lINGO
While the Ue of this son was mentioned in Esteva's account ol' 1844.
lhe s low. a.ITangecl introducUon is a modern adclition. which has
become standard among many professionaljarocho groups. "Where
are you going. Canelo. caramba, so early in the morning?" " '1'0 look
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16 . EL pAJAR O CU
(THE COO BIRD)
17 . BAlAJO
This medium-tempo
SOI1
is a mong
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\
J
Introduccin
Ni la luna en su apogeo
Ni el sol tan capacitado
SatisJacen los deseos
Como l que llega a Alvarado.
Del arpa se oye el trineo
Del "Siquisir" aJamado.
16
Orgenes
del son
jarocho
La msica y la dan7-<l del estado de
Veracnlz han sido fuente de
orgullo para los mexicanos desde
principios del siglo XIX. En 1844.
en un articulo publicado en el
pelidico El Museo Me \1CCUlo. Jos
Mruia Esteva elogia los sones que
escuch y vio bailar en una fiesta
en Veracruz:
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El s iglo XX fu e un tiempo de
trans icin para el sonjwocho. que
pas de ser ms ica para
acompaU' las reuniones de una
comunida d rura l a ser msica
diseada pa ra a udien cias
urba nas e interpretada por
ms icos profesiona les. El
remezn intelectua l y cultura l qu e
trajo el d espertar de la Revolucin
Mexicana en 1910 convirti
much as tradiciones rura les de
ms ica y danza en smbolos de la
cultura nacional promovidos por
gobier nos federales. estatales y
municipa les. Con el tiempo. la
ms ica y las danzas d e Veracruz
fu eron reconocid as como una de
las varias tradicones del canon
folclrco n aciona l. El lanza miento
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Los Msicos
Jos Gutirrez Ramn naci y creci en el rancho La Costa de la
Palma. en las afueras del poblado de A1varado. al que se llega en
coche tras una hora de camino hacia el sur desde el puerto de
Veracruz. Alli, Jos pas su niez escuchando la msica que su
abuelo. su padre y sus Los locaban para descansar despus de un
pesado da de trabajo. para acompaar el baile de los asistentes a
un fandango campesino. o para los clientes de alguno de los
muchos restaurantes de comida de mar cerca de la costa. La
estrofa que hace referencia al sonido del arpa tocando "Siquisir" en
A1varado evoca para l poderosas memorias de liempos pasados.
Jos es un verdadero jarocho. y su msica es el son. El estiJo de
son jarocho que l y los hermanos Ochoa tocan lo heredaron de los
grupos profesionales que desde el rea rural de la costa de
Veracruz se trasladaron a la Ciudad de Mxico. Dentro de esos
grupos pioneros. los ms importantes son Andrs Huesca y sus
Costeos. en los aos cuarenta. y el Conjunto Medellin de Lino
Chvez. en los cincuentas, sesentas y setentas. Jos Gutirrez es
uno de los ms consumados y celebrados msicos jarochos de hoy
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23
24
25
1 . LA BAMBA
5 . EL JARABE LOCO
2 . SIQUISIRI
4. LA MORENA
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11.
LA BRUJA
14. CANelO
9. LA GUACAMAYA
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16. El PJARO CU
17. BAlAJ
19. CUPIDO
RESOURCES
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SOURCE CITEO
Pentagrama CD 302.
La Negra Graciana: Sones
Jarochos con el Tr'o Silva. 1994.
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CREDITS
32
Smilhsonian Follnvays
Rcco rclin,l(s Mail Order
750 Ninth Slreel. NW. SlIile 4100
Washin:(ton. DC 20560 -0953
l'hone: 1 (800) 4 10-9815
[orclers only)
fax: 1 (800) 853-9511
[orclers only)
'1'0 purehase recorclings online nr
fm lrlher inlormalion aboul
Smithsonian Folkways
Recorclings. go to
www.folkways.si.edu nr cmail
folkways@aol.com.
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