Son jarocho, also called "Veracruz Sound," is a type of traditional music from Veracruz, a state in Mexico located along the Gulf of Mexico. This music style developed over the past 250 years in the coastal areas of southern Tamaulipas and Veracruz. The word "jarocho" is an informal term used to describe people or things from the port city of Veracruz.
Characteristics
This music style blends elements from indigenous groups (mainly the Huastecan people), Baroque music from southern Spain (such as the fandango), and Western African music brought to the Caribbean by enslaved people. It shows the mix of people who lived in the region during Spanish rule. This genre is closely connected to other music styles in 8-meter rhythm that developed in Hispanic America from the 17th to the 19th centuries, such as the Cuban son, Venezuelan and Colombian joropo, and Chilean cueca.
The lyrics often include funny verses and themes like love, nature, sailors, and raising cattle, which reflect life in colonial and 19th-century Mexico. Lines are frequently repeated in a pattern called antimetabole. Many verses are shared with other songs from Mexico and the Caribbean, and some have been taken from famous works by Spanish writers from the "Siglo de Oro" (Golden Age of Spanish literature). This music is usually performed by a group of musicians called a "conjunto jarocho." Son jarocho is often played on jaranas (small stringed instruments) and sung with several singers taking turns to improvise short verses called décimas. These verses often have humorous or playful content. The high-pitched singing style, called falsetto, may have originated from indigenous traditions.
Instruments
The instruments most often used in son jarocho include the jarana jarocha, a small guitar-like instrument that provides harmony and has double strings set up in different ways; the requinto jarocho, another small guitar-like instrument played with a long pick made from cow horn, usually tuned to a higher note and with four or five thick nylon strings; the diatonic arpa jarocha; the leona, a type of acoustic bass guitar; the tarima, a percussion instrument made by hitting or shaking a wooden platform where people tap their heels, and sometimes other percussion instruments like the pandero (especially in the style of Tlacotalpan), the quijada (made from a donkey or horse jawbone), or the güiro. Some groups also use the marimbol, a bass instrument with keys that are plucked, and the cajón (but the Peruvian version, not the Mexican cajón de tapeo).
Sonesand groups
The most well-known son jarocho is "La Bamba," which has become famous because of the version by Ritchie Valens and the American movie with the same name. Other famous sones jarochos include "El Coco," "La Iguana," "El Cascabel," "El Chuchumbé," and "La Bruja." These songs often use a call and response form.
Fermin Herrera, a Jarocho harpist, has taught many people, including John Robles and Antonio Moraza, how to play the instrument. Because of his teaching, many groups in the United States now play or are familiar with son jarocho. More recently, rock bands such as Café Tacuba, Quetzal, 22 Pesos, Ozomatli, and Zack de la Rocha have used instruments and rhythms from son jarocho. East L.A. rock group Los Lobos and Mexican-American artist Lila Downs have also recorded music in the Jarocho genre. As of 2012, son jarocho music has become more popular in the United States. US-based bands that now play or use elements of the genre include Radio Jarocho, David Wax Museum, Cambalache, Son del Centro, Las Cafeteras, Son del Viento, Los Cenzontles, and Jarana Beat.
Other related genres include son huasteco, huapango, son jaliscience, and son chiapaneco.
Well-known artists who play son jarocho include Natalia Lafourcade, Conjunto Hueyapan, Mono Blanco, Siquisirí, Tlen Huicani, Chuchumbé, Chucumite, Son de Madera, Los Vega, and Los Cojolites, the first Son Jarocho group to be nominated for a Grammy Award.