An ensemble from Veracruz, Mexico play authentic Son Jarocho.

Performers at the 2023 Richmond Fold Festival, three members of the group will play a special showcase on the Révéler stage: Octavio Vega - harp and requinto jarocho; Iván Farías - jarana trecera; and Juan Campechano - leona.

“Son” means sound, and jarocho refers to both the people and culture of Veracruz’s southern coastal plain. Centuries ago, the musical traditions of the region’s Indigenous people, Spanish colonists, and Africans, both enslaved and free, intertwined to produce this tradition noted for its poetic lyrics and compellingly danceable rhythms. The typical performance setting was the fandango, both community dance and jam session, where young and old gathered and social distinctions fell away. Beginning in the 1930s, son jarocho became popular throughout Mexico, as the new medium of radio broadcast the sound across the country. By the mid-20th century, it was a tourist draw on the performance stages of Mexico City but rarely performed in its original context; the fandango tradition had dwindled as Mexico urbanized, and as the same national media that had promoted son jarocho flattened out the differences between regional cultures.

The current membership of Mono Blanco also demonstrates the fruits of this cultural revitalization, bringing together Gutiérrez’s longtime musical collaborators, family members from two generations, and outstanding students from Mono Blanco’s teaching programs. Members play son jarocho’s three principal regional instruments: the jarana, an eight-stringed, small-bodied guitar; the requinto jarocho, a four-stringed melody guitar; and the arpa, or harp. In son jarocho, the principal voice is the pregonero (caller), who leads call-and-response singing. The pregonero possesses a vast repertoire of sones and a deft ability to improvise lyrics, whether on lost love, historical memory, or struggles for justice. Unlike most ensembles who have a single pregonero, Mono Blanco have expanded the fandango’s sense of community into a shared role of singing. As Gutiérrez points out, “Every voice has its own need to sing something.”

Grupo Mono Blanco’s performances at the Richmond Folk Festival are made possible in part with support from Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Mexico in the U.S., and the Mexican Cultural Institute in D.C.

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