¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! will present Los Soneros del Tesechoacán (Tay-say-chwa-KAHN) with free concerts at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21 at Guadalupe City Hall; and at 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara.
Los Soneros del Tesechoacán will teach the music, song and dance of Veracruz in a free workshop for families and students from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22 in the historic adobe at Casa de La Guerra, 15 E. De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, in collaboration with SONando Santa Barbara, ¡Viva Arte de Santa Barbara! reported in a media release.
A jarocho performance is an exciting mix of old and new. You’ll hear music that has developed over the centuries played on instruments much like what the Spaniards brought in the 16th century as well as improvised verses created on the spot. Jarocho lyrics are poetic and concern love, loss, the land and humor. A performance always includes decima, composed or improvised poetry with surprise endings. Rhythm is key in jarocho; dancers perform on a wooden platform so that their heels become the percussion of the ensemble. Jarocho also includes the quijada which is a donkey jawbone, including teeth, played with a piece of horn or bone.
Richie Valens 1958 hit, La Bamba, is the best-known jarocho song but many musicians including Los Lobos, Quetzal, Celso Duarte and even Dan Zanes, have taken up the sound and include it in their own styles. Santa Barbara audiences know son jarocho through the work of SONando Santa Barbara who teach at Peabody and Cleveland Schools as well as host an annual festival.
The six-member group from Veracruz perform traditional son jarocho from the region of the Tesechoacán River which marks the border between the Mexican states of Veracruz and Oaxaca. The Tesechoacán River marks the border between the Mexican states of Veracruz and Oaxaca. According to Los Soneros director, Arturo Barradas, the region has suffered from drought, deforestation, poverty, and emmigration, contributing to a loss of community and culture. A sociologist and a musician for 24 years, Barradas leads a mixed group of professionals, laborers, housewives and youth who are as dedicated to education as they are to performance. Los Soneros carry out their communitment to community as teachers of the next generations by giving regular workshops for the pueblo in Playa San Vincente, in schools and in other, more rural, areas along the Tesechoacán.
The group was the subject of the 2007 documentary, “The Sound of the River,” directed by Inti Cordera. This film brought son jarocho to many new audiences across the U.S., showing how both old and new generations of jaraneros confront modernism to maintain their music and the celebrations, fandangos, which play important roles in community life. Los Soneros carry out their communitment to community as teachers of the next generations by giving regular workshops for the pueblo in Playa San Vincente and in other, more rural, areas along the Tesechoacán.
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! is a collaboration of the Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts & Education Center, Isla Vista School, and UCSB Arts & Lectures. Bringing free music and dance to neighborhood venues, schools and community organizations throughout Santa Barbara County, Viva concentrates on making important traditions accessible to students and families. Viva co-ordinators Alíz Ruvalcaba, Graciela Parra, and Catherine Boyer reach out to local communities to get the word out and organize volunteers to run the events. In January 2011, the national Association of Performing Arts Presenters recognized Viva as one of two exemplary outreach programs nationwide.
The James Irvine Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and many others in our community support ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Incredible Children’s Art Network, the UCSB Office of Education Partnerships, the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, The Marjorie Luke Theatre’s Dreier Family Rent Subsidy Fund, the Santa Barbara Independent, Santa Barbara Latino, Santa Maria Sun, Univisión, Radio Bronco, R & V Photography, Fairview In & Out Carwash, the Sandman Inn and Pacifica Suites. This project is funded in part by the Community Arts Grant Program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Co-presented by the Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe Arts & Education Center and UCSB Arts & Lectures, in collaboration with the Isla Vista School After School Grant.
Details:
• Friday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Isla Vista School, 6875 El Colegio Road, Goleta, Information 805.893.5037.
• Saturday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m., Guadalupe City Hall Guadalupe, Information 805.343.2939.
• Sunday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m., Marjorie Luke Theatre, Santa Barbara Jr. High, 721 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara, Information 805.884.4087, ext. 7.
• Multi-generational ensemble perform on jaranas (small 8-string guitars), with zapateado (percussive dance), vocals, and decima (improvised verse in Spanish)
• Doors open one half hour before the shows start.
