Arriba! Folklorico Music and Dance of Mexico

This episode describes the wonderful evening at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, with the first annual gala event called NOCHE DE MARIACHI.

This was not a "battle of the bands." Rather, it was a community of mariachi bands in and near the Austin area for a celebration of the mariachis in central Texas.

The quality mariachis that were featured and played their songs (which did not overlap with other pieces performed by other groups)--

- Mariachi Los Lobos

- Mariachi Estrella

- Mariachi Suroeste

- Mariachi Relalmpago

and there was a special solist, Rebekah Ramos, who was accompanied by el Mariachi Relampago, when she performed 2 songs, one of them being SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ. What a lovely piece and performed exquisitely well.

There was a folklorico dance group called the Pan American Ballet Folklorico that performed 2 numbers--they opened the event with LA CULEBRA and ended the show with dancers in the aisles of the theatre as ALL the mariachis accompanied them to the piece EL SON DE LA NEGRA by Silvestre Vargas.

Yes, there was also a group called Margaritas de Tejas that tried to perform some numbers. Even though the national fad for having all-female groups has reached Austin, this was the only group whose quality did NOT stand anywhere near the quality of the other mariachis.

We tried to get a number from the CD of songs of Mariachi Relampago (which they were selling in the lobby, and of which I purchased) to be included in this episode. However, the Mariachi Relampago would not give us the permission to include this.

Thus, we had to use a previously recorded live performance of the Ballet Folklorico Estudiantil of the Independent School Districts of San Antonio dancing to the accompaniment of various mariachis in the open air theatre in San Antonio, Texas, during the week-long festivities of the event called FIESTA.

Still, the mariachi Relampago, Estrella and Suroeste (from San Marcos, Texas) provided a wonderful evening of dance and culture. This event even included a live wedding (that was called "Mariachi Surprise", in which 2 young people took their wedding vows as they were accompanied by the Mariachi Estrella.

The finale was a traditional and powerful experience--as Mr. Bowie Ibarra, master of ceremonies, mentioned--that no gala evening of mariachi music would be complete without the performance of LA NEGRA. And, in this case, all the mariachis crowded the stage and the aisles to play that one song, together as a community of Mexican culture.

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Artwork was from the program of the event.

In this episode of Arriba! Folklorico Music and Dance of Mexico, we explore the region of Yucatan -- home of the descendants of the Idyllic indigenous peoples known as the Mayas, and center for the folklorico dance known as the Jarana.

In this episode, we explore the beginnings of the big Brass Band, called the Banda Yucateca, and we review the costume worn by both the men and women who danced the Jaranas Yucatecas during the Vaquerias or the Serenatas in the gazebo or town square in municipalities such as Merida.

In addition, the practice of the declamador or pregonero reciting the improvised and humorous (and sometimes double-meaninged or picaresque) verses of the BOMBA! is shown by an audio clip from a piece performed in the FIESTA celebration in San Antonio, Texas.

The final music that ends this podcast episode is that of the Jarana dance of EL TORO, which symbolizes the conquest of the bull by the matador (in this case, the role of the bull being played by the woman, and the man taking the role of the matador in taunting the beast with his handkerchief, which he uses as a "cape.").

Copyright (c) 2008, Matrix Solutions Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

In this epioside of Arriba! Folklorico Music and Dance of Mexico, we deliver a 4-minute promo podcast episode IN SPANISH to promote the upcoming event called a "Podcamp."

Yes, it is that time of year again. The second annual Podcamp (or Podcast unconference) will be held in San Antonio, Texas, on May 3, 2008. We will represent this podcast series in style. Not only will our presence be known, as we will deliver 2 presentations about the current phenomenon of New Media (podcasting), but we will also promote the podcast series in addition to the recent launch of two other podcast shows.

The presentations will be (1) HOW TO AVOID BURNOUT AND PREVENT PODFADING; and (2) How to take your podcast from hobby or Corporate podcast to profitable podcast. We will use examples from the recent launch of the 2 podcast series, the Struggling Entrepreneur (at www.strugglingentrepreneur.com) and Gain Control of Your Day (at www.gaincontrolofyourday.com).

The Podcamp San Antonio is an UN-CONFERENCE--that is, an unstructured event where anyone can present and participate--from the novice who is there for education, to the veteran podcaster who si there to take the podcast to the next level.

Last year, we had the pleasure of the company of Gary Leland, Mr. P. Dilly, who is also known as the Podcast Pickle, since he has a podcast directory known as the PICKLE.

The best part of the Podcamp event is that it is FREE -- a no charge event that helps the podcasting community bond and grow.

For more information, contact Michael DeLeon or Jennifer Navarrette (at [email protected]), or go to the website of www.podcampsanantonio.com.

In this episode of Arriba! Folklorico music and dance of Mexico, we focus in detail on the musical corridos and polkas of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 (Revolucion Mexicana).

The beginning of this podcast starts with Show Janitzio performing a portion of the polka called Jesusita en Chihuahua. This podcast episode ends with 2 complete songs performed live by Show Janitzio (not played from a CD)--Valentin de la Sierra and La Muerte de un Soldado.

An emphasis is placed on the role of the Mexican women during the Revolucion, who fought in the conflict right alongside their men. The 5 most famous heroines in the ballads of the corridos during the Revolucion were:

- La Cucaracha

- Adelita

- Valentina

- Juana Gallo and

- Jesusita en Chihuahua.

For more information about the story told by the corrido of La Cucaracha, you can get the 1954 film by that name from Mexcinema Video Corporation. The complete set of Lyrics can be found in the literary work called Antologia de Poesia Mexicana. You can find the lyrics for Benjamin Argumedo, as well.

What is interesting is that Show Janitzio includes an accordion in the group, which is not typical for a traditional group of Mexican musicans known as the trio. However, the accordion adds the flavor that is needed to make the experience of the corrido from the Revolucion Mexicana a wonderful experience.

This episode ends with Show Janitzio playing Valentin de la Sierra and La Muerte de un Soldado.

Copyright (c) 2007, Matrix Solutons Corporation and Show Janitzio. Music performed by Show Janitzio and published with their permisison.

In this episode of Arriba! Folklorico Music and Dance of Mexico, we go further into the discussion of the grenres of the Romantic music of the Golden Age of Mexican Music during the 1950s and 1960s with the troubador group called Show Janitzio.

The interview is conducted live at Estela's Restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. The musical piece A LA MUJER QUE YO AME begins this episode; and it is played in completion at the end of this podcast episode.

Special attention is paid to the composers of these romantic ballads and to the titles of the more famous songs--e.g., Roberto Cantoral, the composer of EL RELOJ, LA BARCA and REGALAME ESTA NOCHE, etc.

Also, listen to see which composers and which songs are the favorites of the group Show Janitzio.

In this episode of Arriba! Folklorico Music and Dance Of Mexico, we have an interview with the 4 musicians that comprise SHOW JANITZIO, a musical troubador group that specializes in the romantic ballads of the Golden Age of Mexican Music in the 1950's and 1960's.

However, this trio and quartet also show their flexibility by being able to play any style of Mexican music on demand--from boleros to rancheras to corridos to polkas, etc. The differential advantage of this group is the inclusion of the accordion that brings a style all their own.

Listen to the 4 musicians as they describe their performances in their home base of San Antonio, Texas, as well as their tours across the cities of the United States and internationally, as well.

In another set of podcast episodes, we will have the songs from this group played at the end when we focus upon not only the romantic period of the Mexican Music during the SIGLO DE ORO (the Golden Age), but also the corridos of the Revolucion Mexicana of 1910.

Note: This present episode is from the archives of a related podcast called The Struggling Entrepreneur at www.strugglingentrepreneur.com. Although it goes deeper into the history of the group and their struggles to become successful in the world of professional troubadors, the content is just as interesting to the world of folklorico music and dance--especially with the emphasis on the Golden Age of Romantic Music of Mexico. For it is here that we see the final evolution of the serenata (serenade) in the modern day--from its humble beginnings in other genres of Mexican folklorico music, such as in Jalisco (see episode 001 for a brief discussion of the serenade by the charro).