Las Orquestas Del Día

Son De Madera

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 14, 2006)
• Original Release Date: March 14, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Moondo Records
• ASIN: B000E5KU7Y
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #209,936 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Los Angeles Times, October 10, 2005

"[An] explosive fusion of cross-border cultures... The performance left the exciting impression that something totally new was being created."

Product Description

At the forefront of the movement to revive the rousing son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico, Son De Madera embraces a dynamic convergence of authentic Mexican rhythms and contemporary folk melodies. Their 2006 Moondo Records release, Las Orquestas Del Día ("the orchestras of the day"), liberates a history rich with tradition and welcomes a new generation of cross-border cultures with a fresh, earthy sound.

Recorded in Mexico City and produced by members of the Latin-rock group Quetzal, East L.A.’s Afro-jarocho fusion band, this work is authentic and full of surprises. Standards such as "La Bamba" and "El Cascabel" are barely recognizable with unfamiliar verses and revelatory reworkings, but the balance of original material on the album is reminiscent of the classic traditions that make Son De Madera an important part of the growing Latin music community.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, October 19, 2006

By	J. Marquez (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Son de Madera is the widely-recognized premier Jarocho group leading the recent resurgance of this music. They offer an intriguing proposal... they are leading researches in this music genre... and rescue the music, arrangements, styles that formed the roots before Mexican Film popularized it... and affected it. In addition, they recognize the deep African & Afro-Caribbean influences in the music...and chose to embrace them with great zeal... and they see themselves as part of a greater Afro-Mestizo musical reality... and as "Cosmopolitan Nationalists" are also influenced by other music they love such as Jazz & Venezuelan Joropo.

I see them live at Berkeley's Centro Cultural La Pena & even though the group was split (they left half the members in Mexico & were joined by two U.S. based apprentices)... the brilliance was still evident.

On that occassion, it seemed 1/2 of the attendes were less advanced Son Jarocho students from U.C. Berkeley... and according to their terminology... Alfredo Herrero "was all over" the Requinto Guitar... squeezing Chords & Notes out of every corner of the instrument... while smacking it to enchance the percussion section.

Ramon Gutierrez Hernandez playing of the Guitarra de Son... with the complex fanning was simply enchanting.

Their singing was right on & the lyrics were brilliantly allusive.