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Son Jarocho, Overexposed!
Recently in Xalapa, I found myself in the middle of a heated debate. I was sitting in the colonial courtyard of an artists’ cooperative, surrounded by a dozen local celebrities. They were a mixture of young and old son jarocho musicians who had gathered to discuss “the future” of their music, now that it’s all the rage in Mexican cities. The central issue could be summed up in one question: As metropolitan musicians playing country music, does that make them a ciudad de soneros, or soneros de la ciudad? That translates to say, are they “a city of [authentic] son jarocho musicians, or [somewhat less authentic] son jarocho musicians of the city?”
The debate was a chipper one—as students and teachers of each other, the group was a close-knit community who could take pride in the fact that their music’s biggest problem is overexposure. Still, their concerns were real. Is son jarocho losing its local flavors, now that young people are imitating hit records instead of their neighbors? Is it becoming commercial, now that hit records simply exist, and some fandangos charge a cover? Are fandangos becoming less instructive, now that the next generation of soneros is made up of Guitar Hero-playing, iPhone-addicted egomaniacs, whose shrinking attention spans and inability to hear anything that isn’t blasted through subwoofers mean that they’ve forgotten how to just listen?
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New Town, New Guitar
Since moving to Xalapa, Veracruz, I have been studying with a new music teacher: Ramón Gutiérrez of the band Son de Madera. He holds classes in the same workshop where he builds his studentsʼ instruments, like this jarana.
Greetings from Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz! This is where I’ll wrap up the
final months of my Fulbright year (which, for the record, is going by way too fast) by
looking at two very vibrant, and very different, styles of regional music: the son jarocho
and danzón. Iʼm a few weeks into my son jarocho lessons (along with a bunch of 11-
year-olds) and have just brought home my new jarana, a small guitar hand-carved by
my teacher.
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Kia ora! Ko Ainsley taku ingoa!
Exactly 12 weeks from today I leave for New Zealand. I realize that seems like a long time compared to my Fulbright-mtvU colleagues. When we met in New York City for our orientation back in August, it seemed like they all had plane tickets and visas and were ready to go. New Zealand semesters run differently though, so the academic year won’t start until February. Unfortunately for me, my anticipation has to build that much longer.
I will be traveling to New Zealand to study the importance of music in keeping Maori culture at the forefront of society. For anyone who isn’t familiar with the Maori… you didn’t see The Amazing Race on Sunday?! I was thrilled to see that it took place in New Zealand this weekend, and one of the challenges involved walking among Maori warriors. It is always exciting to see New Zealand get a shout-out beyond Lord of the Rings.
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HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project
On November 8, 2008 I will be moving to Uganda to work on the HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project.
The purpose of the HEALS Hip Hop Therapy Project is to use the positive elements of Hip Hop music and culture, which children around the world embrace and identify with, as a form of therapy and as a tool for building self-esteem among war-affected children in Northern Uganda.
The kids in the Hip Hop Therapy Project practice for their first show!
For the past 22 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has led a brutal war in the Northern part of Uganda in an attempt to overthrow the Government of Uganda. The primary victims of this war have been the Acholi people who have seen over 25, 000 of their children abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves.
A good friend of mine, Jolly Okot, was abducted nearly 20 years ago at the beginning of the war and was forced to serve as a child soldier for 2 years. When she escaped captivity and returned home, she found that one of the things that helped her get through her trauma was the ability to play, have fun, and just be a kid again.
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Suprême NTM and EDVIGE
Although I have still hardly unpacked my bags, my first week in Paris was packed. Before I arrived last Monday morning, I had already reserved tickets for a concert that night that I couldn’t miss. I knew that I would probably be exhausted, but figured that nothing could be more appropriate than starting my time in Paris with one of the “founding father” groups of French hip-hop— Suprême NTM. Probably the most controversial of the French rap pioneers (other notable “founding fathers” are rapper MC Solaar and Marseille-based group IAM), NTM first came onto the hip-hop scene in the early 80’s when members Joey Starr and Kool Shen were break dancers, and eventually emerged as one of the most influential “hardcore” rap groups in France— famous for rapping about their banlieue, confrontations with the police, and criticism of the French government. Although they broke up as a group in ’98, they continued to contribute to the music world by rapping and producing new artists, and last week, they performed in a highly anticipated reunion tour ten years after they disbanded and more than twenty years after they first formed.
One of the "Founding Fathers" of French hip-hop Suprême NTM
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