Caña Dulce y Caña Brava

Jarocho music grew out of the symbiosis of African, Spanish and Indigenous cultures living in Mexico’s Sotovento, a region comprised of parts of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Tabasco states. Musicians alternate singing verses that are usually joyful descriptions of nature, beauty and human relationships. This dynamic way of singing – improvised on occasion – is one of the most appreciated musical legacies Mexico offers the world. While the group plays traditional music of Southern Veracruz, a regional style that like many others was historically dominated by men, feminine voices are one of its distinguishing characteristics. Currently, the group is composed of five musicians who recreate the music of Southern Veracruz with harp, a family of guitar-like instruments called jaranas, plus two other related stringed instruments called requinto (a melody instrument) and the Leona (which serves as a bass) and a jarana de arco (a unique viola which one of the members created).