Virtual encounters: The Regional Music of Mexico

At the end of January The Center for World Music (CWM) presented a stellar live- streamed concert of Regional Music of Mexico as part of its series Virtual Encounters with World Music and Dance.

The performers were Hermanos Herrera, a group from from California made up of five brothers and their sister. They presented three styles of Mexican music: son jarocho; son huasteco; música norteña.

Son jarocho can speak of any subject, often connected with nature, and is usually in 6/8. The first song was energetic and jumpy. All the siblings played strings, one man playing a harp. The second used African rhythms, the solo eliciting a choral response.

Son huasteco is characterized by flowery violin variations and falsetto singing. As jumpy as the former style, its clever lyrics are often improvised. One song told us a about a macho guy and a rather saucy woman who responds to his bragging with a double-entendre (the band declined to elaborate).

What terrific, full-voiced singing this is! On these songs, it’s a sort of joyful yelling. Okay, the guys have some trouble landing on the high notes in full voice, but no one cares. It was great to hear baritone jump into his falsetto.

Música norteña is made up mostly of love songs. The song Without Blood in my Veins had the lyric “Last night I was crying long hours.” It featured the voice of a seven-year-old boy.

The last song was a waltz, slower than anything we had heard before, featuring a bass the group had bought for música norteña. Even on a love song was lively; the singers whooped between verses.

The concert was graced with an intermittent discussion between the Board President of CWM and the group. It was enormously helpful to be educated to the music with explanations of the styles and instruments. This music developed from an amalgam of cultures. Only the percussion and winds are native instruments; the Spanish brought the strings. Native Mexicans referred to the Spanish guitars as string drums and they developed it to act as percussion.

Only the introduction, interspersed segments and the closing of the concert were live segments; the music itself was on video. I was disappointed not to hear live music, but no less grateful for it. And it was great to hear regional music — from a country where culture hasn’t become homogenized.

Hermanos Herrera need “at least 5 hours of songs” to play a Mexican Party – and it’s no wonder. The audiences at these concerts were whooping, clapping, whistling…. No one would want this group to stop playing!

You can still find this terrific concert here:

Hermanos Herrera has released an album on Smithsonian Folkways titled Sones Jarochos y Huastecos y Mas