Thursdays at Cal State L.A. seemed like any other typical day- warm, busy, and tiring. However, on December 2, 2015, something was particularly different; not only was it the last day of class before finals, but there was also a Mariachi concert directed by Cynthia Reifler Flores. As I was walking towards the State Playhouse, I thought about how the music would be composed. The first thing that I expected was the music to have a quick, upbeat tempo, something that would be played at a festival or a party. I walked through the screen door and was given a pamphlet. In it contained detailed information about their programs, musicians, Flores’ biography, and the prodigious mariachi group. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the doors …show more content…
In this piece, two male musicians took turns during the performance to sing their parts. It starts off slow, as opposed to most of the music played that afternoon. During the middle of the piece, the guitarron continued strumming while Stacy Lopez, the vihuela player, made noises that sounded as if the vihuela itself was being struck. “Para Que Me Haces Llorar” soon came to a close; at least, it sounded like it was. As immediately as that song ended, the next piece started just as quickly and it had a song that had a familiar rhythm- and sure enough, it was the song “Stand by Me” but in Spanish. This part starts off with violins being plucked and with a calmer tone with a pace that builds up. Later on, all the musicians snapped their fingers as one of the singers were singing. After the singer finished his part, the violinists took over the microphones and made a deeper sound than what was heard out of the eight pieces …show more content…
The third piece, on the other hand, had a faster and more upbeat tempo. “Para Que Me Llorar” had to have a build up before it can start moving quicker. Something that both songs had in common was that they were both played in a triplet format. I also noticed that in most of the songs sung, the singers were able to high pitches. Because mariachi music originates from South America, they all had a formulaic beat that, if it were to be played at a party, would be something to dance to. If there were one specific are in which I learned in class that would relate this type of music, it would be African American music because there were repeated melodies and rhythmic patterns in some of the pieces along with community parties.
As I expected, mariachi music was indeed fast paced and an upbeat tone. What I did not realize was that some mariachi music does not have to start off quick it can be slow or sad. All in all, I found this experience to be both fun and
On October 23, 2016 I went to a concert type of event that different music groups were performing. This event is what Hispanics call a “Jaripeo Baile,” which is a place that people can see other people bull riding like in the rodeo, but this event was only about music groups performing. One of the music groups that performed was a band called “Josecito Leon y Su Internacional Banda Roja.” While I watched the band’s performance it reminded me of how it relates to the themes that were from our readings and discussions that we had throughout the semester.
Explanation- This article gives brief information about the singer’s music, her main type of music is traditional Mexican music infused with jazz soul, African root, and klezmer music. Lila’s music is so unique that there is no way...
Ragland, Cathy. Música Norteña: Mexican Migrants Creating a Nation between Nations. Philadelphia, PA: Temple UP, 2009. Print.
People do not take into account the impact that colonialism had on Mexico and Mexico’s culture of dance and music. The merging of Indigenous tradition and European culture left a strange mark in Mexico, where both those diverse cultures were combined into its own Mexican identity. There is no bigger example of this than the traditional Mexican dance, of the state of Michoacán el danze de los viejetos or in English the dance of the old men. What the dance used to represent pre and post the conquering by Spain is radically different, since Mexico itself changed through colonization. The dance of the old men is still being danced now but the original meaning and what it represents now has changed,
As a result, Buena Vista is basically a commercial product aimed at foreign audience. The album provides fourteen songs of different genres, most of them originated from Afro-Cubans, including son, darzón, bolero and the so-called Latin Jazz. However, the CD should not be considered the representative ...
The jazz band I observed played a series of six different songs. Although all the songs were categorized as jazz, each song had its own special style and sound to it. The band consisted of three different players. Paul Meyers, the guitarist and composer, Andy Eulau, the bassist, and Dave Rataczak, on drums. The songs performed were entitled “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter, “Once I Loved” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Stars” by Paul Meyers, “Blues for Mel” also by Paul Meyers, “Last Night When We Were Young” by Harold Arlen, and “Samba Novo” by Luis Eca.
During my visit, I was able to observe different dances that were very interesting. Two dances that caught my attention were the “Toro Mambo” representing the state of Sinaloa and “Payasos of Tlaxcala” representing Tlaxcala. The “Toro Mambo” from the region of Sinaloa is one of the most popular dances in Mexico. The dance is really interesting for the reason that it represents a story in where a bull would dance on a place known as the “mambo.” In this folk dance the dancer do movements at the same paste while trying to imitate how the bull would dance. In this dance the women wear long colorful dresses to represent joy and in order to move the skirts higher. In contrast, the men wear light color shirts and jeans that matches with their partner. In the other side the dance of the “Payasos de Tlaxcala” represents a story of a festival in the region of Tlaxcala. To perform this dance men and women dress like clowns in colorful outfits to amuse the people in the festival. During the dance, the dancers try to satisfy the public by putting humor in the dance and doing crazy movements. This dances are both very great and enjoyable to watch. It is amazing how you could learn so much in a little bit of time and in a beautiful art
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, I attended a musical concert. This was the first time I had ever been to a concert and did not play. The concert was not what I expected. I assumed I was going to a symphony that featured a soloist clarinet; however, upon arrival I quickly realized that my previous assumptions were false. My experience was sort of a rollercoaster. One minute I was down and almost asleep; next I was laughing; then I was up and intrigued.
The instruments used for this song is of a standard rock band; lead vocalist, electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit. The genre for this song is determined by the steady and yet simplistic instruments used in this version. An interesting note is that the chorus is in the genre of rock but the verses combine the genres tango and reggae. This could be because merging these three different styles of music attracted the attention of youth more with rock being rebellious at that time and tango and reggae having a heavy beat for that time period. ...
Olsen, Dale, and Daniel Sheehy. The Garland Handbook of Latin American Music. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 2000.
The pianist and concert conductor, Christian Zacharias opened the Los Angeles Philharmonic Classical Music concert with a fascinating performance that left the audience in party mood and in happy f...
During the second phase, La Guardia nueva, or New Guard, tango became common popular in all social classes. Tango began to gain prestige and was present on the radio, in movies, nightclubs and cafes. This period lasted from 1920-1955. According to the text, tango underwent a “rags to riches” transformation, where it moved to upscale social scenes. A new style, tango cancion, evolved from this tango. Tango cancion emphasized the voice to highlight the expressive accents of the text and used a flexible sense of rhythmic ebb and flow (rubato) to do so. The instrumental accompaniment then became smoother and more polished because piano and strings enhanced the ensemble. The bandoneon, which once dominated the ensemble, now blended effortlessly with the other instruments. No single instrument stood out. The tango cancion used a standardized form with two equal and balanced sections. This highlighted th...
Latinoamericanitas, 1976. Print. Vélez, Germám. Phone Interview. February 10th, 2011. Waterman, Richard Alan. Folk music of Puerto Rico . Washington: Library of Congress,
In New York, the dance is characterized with a heavy Puerto Rican rhythm and sound. The type of Salsa is metaphorically polished and smooth. Its structure is that of Jazz music with lengthy breaks of instruments. Some of well-known musicians who play this type of Salsa are Celia Cruz and The Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The dancing borrows Puerto Rican fast foot work. This type of Salsa is known as Salsa 2. Los Angeles doesn’t have its signature type of Salsa. Bands here adopt the classical Puerto Rican music. The dancing moves are both exciting and sexy. In Cuba, they dance to a type of Salsa Timba. The movement is fast as in Afro Cuban music. Cuban Musicians have blended in the popular Reggae and Pop music in between the breaks. The dancing style is called “Casino” simply because when it was started it was played in gambling joints or casinos. One notable difference is that Cuban Salsa is circular rather than linear. The man keeps moving around the woman. The Colombians have maintained their Salsa Dura up-to-date. The dancing style is spectacular with swift movement of feet and tight spins. The dancers stay close; bodies almost touching. The West Africans also have their Salsa. (Carwile, 2017)Traditional music instruments are relied upon to give the rhythm. The dancing style is what they call Salsa Mbalax more African than
...atin American popular idioms. Sonia Possetti is a leading contemporary tango artist that has formed a sextet including the unusual addition of a trombone. POssetti is receptive to the possibility of assimilating outside influences, as she is fully aware of the political implications of creating and performing tango in a country controlled by globalized economic and cultural interests. She uses the standard percussion with djembe, cymbals, bongo, and wood block. Possetti’s “Bullanguera” is based on a milonga rhythm that first sounded in the djembe, a large African hand drum. She layers a salsa clave pattern in the percussion over the milonga foundation. Jazz techniques, improvised solos and sixteen bar progressions add new dimensions to the piece. Her conception remains true to the roots of the tango, yet engages with a sophisticated range of current popular musics.