Guachinangos – Vol. 1 (Jalopy Records, 2026)
New York seven-piece Guachinangos (the red snappers) released its debut album, Vol. 1, earlier this year. The ensemble combines captivating Mexican son jarocho, irresistible Colombian cumbia, dance-oriented champeta from Colombia as well, and other Latin American traditions.
The group’s foundation is son jarocho, a tradition sustained by musicians in Veracruz, Mexico City, Los Angeles, New York, and other locations. Jarana guitar, requinto, and violin are used alongside drums, bass, electric guitar, piano, tambor alegre, quijada, tambora, and maracas. Zapateado, performed on a wooden platform, also forms part of the ensemble’s sound. Meanwhile, vocal harmonies connect musicians whose backgrounds range from conservatory study to folk practice.
The band developed many of the album’s arrangements during live performances. In addition, collaborators from New York and Mexico contributed to the record.
The material on the album includes contemporary compositions as well as older repertoire. Gabriel Guzman, formerly of Radio Jarocho, wrote two recent songs, “Café Café” and “El Deseo.” Guzman and Radio Jarocho previously introduced the minor-key “El Deseo” at the Kennedy Center. Guachinangos’ version is the song’s first studio recording and features layered vocals with Juan Carlos’ requinto and jarana.
Elsewhere, “Conga del Gavilán” transforms archival material into a modern song. Verses found in Veracruz archives were set to music by Patricio Hidalgo of Afrojarocho. The band also previously released “Chuchumbé,” a song tied to resistance against church authority and restrictions on dance during less tolerant times. Guachinangos added new lyrics and shifted the piece to a champeta rhythm.
Fernando Guadarrama of the acclaimed Conga Patria Son Jarocho Collective and Sinuhé Padilla of Jarana Beat contribute original lyrics to “La Morena” and also appear as vocalists. The album-closing song, which celebrates women, has circulated in Veracruz for at least two centuries and remains part of fandangos and son jarocho repertoires worldwide. Julia del Palacio of Radio Jarocho contributes zapateado.
The record also includes “Dios Nunca Muere,” a waltz by Macedonio Alcalá, the 19th-century Oaxacan violinist and composer. The moving piece presents the feeling of faith and loss.
Beyond its recorded work, Guachinangos collaborates with migrant communities in New York and Philadelphia to provide free music classes for Hispanic youth. The program seeks to strengthen self-expression, community ties, and knowledge of cultural heritage.
“We have a fusion that we’re trying to embody this feeling of, like, live joy, the energy of being together in a community, the idea that, there’s nothing that has to be pure about it. We’re not in a small town in Veracruz that has been playing this style of music the same way for generations,” says Juan Carlos Marin.
Gabriella Grimaldi adds, “We have dedicated the album to all the masters of this tradition who have made it possible and have also given us their blessing to be innovative and experimental at times. We do try to respect the living tradition, maestros, and others who do keep things more traditional.”
Musicians: Juan Carlos Marín – requinto, jarana, vocals; Victor Babilonia Jr. – drums, cajón; Elvira Bustamante – vocals; Leonardo Catricala – bass; Julia del Palacio – zapateado; Alberto Fontes – electric guitar; Gabriella Grimaldi – violin, vocals; Fernando Guadarrama – vocals; Edu Mora Costa – electric guitar; Inkarrí Ortíz – tambor alegre; Sinuhé Padilla – jarana, quijada, vocals;
Carlos Rienzo – tambor alegre, tambora, maracas, vocals; and Santiago Rozo – piano.
Composers & arrangers: Fernando Guadarrama, Gabriel Guzmán, Gabriella Grimaldi, Patricio Hidalgo, Juan Carlos Marín, Sinuhé Padilla
Album Producers (all songs, except as noted for Sinuhe): Juan Carlos Marín, Gabriella Grimaldi, Saguiv Rosenstock, Sinuhé Padilla (Morena & Chuchumbé).
Mixing: Saguiv Rosenstock. Mastering: Don Fierro.
Recording Engineer (Chuchumbé, La Morena, Dios Nunca Muere, El Deseo & Conga del Gavilán): Saguiv Rosenstock.
Recording Engineer (Bemba & Café Café): Hayden Ticehurst.
Assistant Recording Engineers: Nelson Antonio Espinal (Bemba y Tablao & Café Café), Alberto Fontes (Chuchumbé), Gustavo García (La Morena), Edu Mora Costa (Chuchumbé).
Guachinangos, Vol. 1 Track Listing
- Chuchumbé (composed by Gilberto Gutiérrez, arranged and lyrics by Guachinangos and Sinuhé Padilla)
- Conga del Gavilan (Public Domain, recovered by Dr. Antonio Garcia de Leon, arranged by Patricio Hidalgo)
- Café Café (Gabriel Guzman)
- Dios Nunca Muere (Composed by Macedonio Alcalá, arranged by Guachinangos)
- El Deseo (Gabriel Guzman)
- Bemba y Tablao (Composed by Patricio Hidalgo, lyrical contributions by Gabriel Guzmán)
- La Morena (Traditional Son Jarocho, arranged by Guachinangos and Sinuhé Padilla with lyrical contributions by Sinuhé Padilla and Fernando Guadarrama)
Buy Vol. 1.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.