Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino

Radio Jarocho offers a modernized take on son jarocho, the rowdy, upbeat, and at times melancholic music of the Mexican countryside, with a decidedly urban twist. Together with master jarana player and poet Zenen Zeferino, the band writes their own songs, creating a contemporary sound that captures the spirit of the traditional style. Audience members are invited to sing along, stomp their feet, clap their hands, and shake their bodies along to instrumentation such as the quijada (donkey jaw-bone), tambourine, tarima (dance platform), and small guitar-like jaranas. Through music and dance, audiences learn about the animals that live in the Veracruz countryside, Mexican history, and the Spanish, Indigenous, and Afro-Caribbean roots that compose son jarocho.

Links to Latin American culture and history, world music, geography, ensemble, collaboration, communication.

Study Guide for Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino, created by Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.