You could almost feel the warmth of the sun and the ocean breeze. The enchanting sound of the jarana strings being strummed, the songs of home, and the rhythm of the zapateado. One is transported to the coastal land of Veracruz where the sun burns slow and palm trees sway. As your eyes open, we are actually in the grunge of the city, the snow created by lake effect and the only warmth is the heat produced by our indoor mobile heaters in our new space at Ingenuity.
The goal of the workshops is to teach the participants about the history and current practice of this genre of music. Son Jarocho extends through a region composed of the southern coastal state of Veracruz and parts of Oaxaca in Mexico. We’ll be learning how to play the jarana, the sones, and zapateado.
Diego Gonzalez (our instructor) is originally from the town of Gonzales in the Salinas Valley in northern California. “I’ve always loved the music of Mexico, and was exposed to many different genres through the prevalent Mexican community and culture present in California. I think I may have first heard Son Jarocho and Huasteco through the Teatro Campesino’s plays and my dad’s Los Folkloristas records.”
Diego has played with the Son Jarocho collective Son Cosita Seria and participated in Son La Lucha’s workshops. He has participated in other collectives in cities like Philadelphia, Miami, NYC, and others on the west coast, and the many active communities in Veracruz. Together, they played at protests, vigils, and planned large fandangos where they were able to host people from all over the country.
“I’d like to turn people on to the Son Jarocho movement, both to foster community in Cleveland through music, and to expose people to the large network of talleres/collectives in the US and Mexico.”
Join us for our free workshops, every Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at AlmaVision: Cultura y Más located at 5401 Hamilton Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114. Space is limited and registration is required. Register at: respondto.forms.app/almavisionculturaymas/sonjarocho.
Cleveland Son Jarocho Taller (Workshop) is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC). The OAC is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically.
For more information call (216) 407-0691.