fandango
Find a Fandango Near You!
If you’ve enjoyed the sounds of Son Jarocho on this blog, I have good news: you don’t have to travel as far as Mexico to hear it played (and danced) live.
As I mentioned in my post on Son Jarocho camp, many of my fellow campers were Mexican-American artists, activists, and musicians living in the U.S. They clued me in to the booming sonero scene back home, where cultural centers, cafes, and nonprofits are increasingly hosting fandangos not only because they’re crazy fun, but because they double as a forum for intercultural dialogue.
And if you go to a fandango, you might just find out about workshops for jarana or zapateado being offered nearby. Fandangos are open to the public, so don’t miss out!
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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