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The Burial of the Sardine featuring La Sardina de Naiguatá Duration 4:08 The Burial of the Sardine is a carnival tradition celebrated in the Venezuelan coastal town of Naiguatá featuring street theater and parranda music.
¡Parranda! Venezuelan Carnival Music by La Sardina de Naiguatá Duration 5:40 Venezuela’s Caribbean coastal town of Naiguatá is home to one of that country’s most celebrated Carnival musical traditions. In the 1970’s, trumpeter Ricardo Díaz...
Los Tres Reyes "Ódiame" Duration 4:37 Los Tres Reyes, called the last great Mexican trío romántico, performs "Ódiame." Gilberto Puente's arrangement of this Peruvian waltz for the requinto has become a signature of the style he created...
Los Tres Reyes "El lunar Maria" Duration 3:53 Mexican trío romántico Los Tres Reyes performs "El lunar de María." This Cuban guaracha style is known for its playful innuendo...
In the studio with “Los Gauchos de Roldán” Duration 4:35 Walter Roldán and his friends play the traditional dance music of northern Uruguay, which features the interplay of accordion and bandoneón.
“Los Gauchos de Roldán” Share Down-Home Dance Music Tradition from Uruguay Duration 4:40 Uruguayan accordion master Walter Roldán, from the northern city of Tacuarembó, assembled an all-star group to record the rural dance...
Los Hermanos Lovo Duration 5:45 Los Hermanos Lovo, a family band based in northern Virginia, plays traditional Chanchona music. Smithsonian Folkways traveled to Guatajiagua, El Salvador, home of the Lovo patriarch...
Los Hermanos Lovo Duration 3:36 A Salvadoran Chanchona group from Leesburg, Virginia.
Cimarrón Performance at Festival Duration 4:12 Cimarrón, of the llanos plains region of Colombia, are masters of the joropo llanero genre. Here, these Grammy-nominated musicians perform "Joropo quitapesares"...
Music Research in the Colombian Plains Duration 2:10 In 2011, researchers for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival traveled to the Orinoco Plains of Colombia. Their van broke down, leading to a filming opportunity involving Felix...
Members of Cimarrón discuss Llanero (Plains) Music Duration 5:09 Through exquisite musicianship and challenging arrangements, the Colombian group Cimarrón pushes the frontiers of traditional música llanera, the music of the Orinioco plans. Here, Carlos Perez, Luis Moreno, and Carlos Rojas discuss the nation of ranch life and the music it inspires.
Cimarrón Performs "El Guate" (The Foreigner) Duration 3:41 Colombia plains ensemble Cimarrón perform "El Guate" (The Foreigner). Cimarrón is known for its daring interplay of harp and bandola, aggressive rhythms...
Harp Duet Duration 5:11 Representing two very different harp styles, Marcelo Rojas of Paraguay and Miguel Prado (from the group Arpex) of Mexico fuse their talents to perform this unique duet at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Eddy Marcano Duration 2:45 While in rehearsals for the Smithsonian Folkways album ¡Y Que Viva Venezuela!, violinist Eddy Marcano discusses the influence of his maestro Alberto Valderrama.
El Violinista Oriental Duration 3:59 Violinist Eddy Marcano joins other Venezuelan Joropo masters—Alfonso Moreno, Roberto Koch, Aquiles Báez and José Martínez—on the electrifying Alberto Valderrama original "El Violinista Oriental."
Cupido Duration 1:55 Jarocho musician Tereso Vega from Xalapa, Mexico improvises lyrics to "Cupido" accompanied by Chicano musician Quetzal Flores on jarana at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Cantadoras del Pacífico Duration 6:58 Cantadoras del Pacífico performing their distinctive styles of music known collectively as currulao at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Estrellas del Vallenato Duration 6:37 An all-star group from small towns and ranches on Colombia's Caribbean coast, Estrellas del Vallenato performs at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Pájaro Campana Duration 4:37 Harpists Martin Portillo and Marcelo Rojas perform a "dueling harp" version of the classic "Pájaro Campana."
Marcelo Rojas and Álvaro Marazzi Duration 4:10 Marcelo Rojas, known as a Master Arpista, a master of the Paraguayan harp, performs a dance piece with accompaniment by Álvaro Marazzi.
Harpmaker Oscar Maldonado Duration 5:44 Oscar Maldonado discusses harp construction while Marcelo Rojas and Nicolás Caballero perform.
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto Duration 3:16 A discussion with the band Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto.
Colombia's Música Vallenata Duration 6:12 Música vallenata, music from a small valley region of northeastern Colombia enjoys international popularity. Ivo Díaz's prodigious voice interprets his father Leandro's famous paseo.
Música Vallenata Duration 2:08 Fabián Corrales is a talented singer, composer, arranger, and producer of música vallenata. He talks about the serenata and performs his composition "La Consentida."
Bolero in Mariachi Style Duration 2:44 Mariachi los Camperos de Nati Cano demonstrate how to play bolero in the mariachi style.
México Lindo Duration 3:17 Led by Nati Cano, Los Angeles-based Mariachi Los Camperos is one of the most accomplished modern mariachi bands in the world.
What Makes A Good Mariachi? Duration 2:25 Natividad "Nati" Cano discusses the elements of a good mariachi. Nati rose to become the leader of Mariachi Los Camperos, a world-renowned group that has become an emblem of mariachi performance.
Son Huasteco Dance Duration 3:42 Artemio Posades Jiménez, lyricist and dancer with Los Camperos de Valles, demonstrates the dance forms associated with son huasteco music.
Recio-Style Singing Duration 3:16 Considered one of the most archaic forms of the Colombian plains joropo, the pajarillo type of golpe is the archetypical framework for recio-style singing.
Música Llanera Duration 0:57 One of the most renowned música llanera singers is a woman: Ana Veydó. She discusses the influence of feminine voices in música llanera.
Grupo Cimarrón Duration 10:34 Grupo Cimarrón is an all-star team of instrumentalists and singers from Colombia. Filmed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival for the Las Américas program.
Y Soy Llanero Duration 2:58 Grupo Cimarrón, a "supergroup" of Colombia's finest joropo musicians, perform "Y Soy Llanero" (And I Am a Plainsman), a song that extols and romanticizes the plains and its cattle ranchers.
Zumbaquezumba Duration 3:17 The zumbaquezumba (Resound, Resound) is the favorite golpe for dueling verse improvisation, popular at plains fiestas, festival competitions, and shows.
Nueva Canción Duration 3:18 Activist-musicians Rafael Manríquez, Quique Cruz, and Hector Salgado formed Grupo Raíz to affirm and introduce Chilean nueva canción to the USA's California Bay Area and beyond.
Son Jarocho Duration 5:01 The improvisatory, string-driven music of Veracruz called son jarocho has enjoyed several decades of major resurgence. Elder farmer and rancher musicians comprise the group Son de Madera.
Son de Madera Duration 8:15 Son de Madera, of Veracruz, Mexico, form part of the jaranero movement. Their performance at the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival blends dance with song.
La Bamba Duration 1:47 "La Bamba" is among the best known jarocho songs inside and outside Mexico. The version performed here by José Gutiérrez and Los Hermanos Ochoa.
Balajú Duration 3:04 José Gutiérrez and the Ochoa brothers are among the most celebrated performers of the Mexican son jarocho tradition. The three men have performed together throughout Europe and the Americas.
Pasito Duranguense Dance Duration 3:15 Pasito duranguense is a popular Mexican dance style in Chicago, Illinois. Rosa Villanueva and Victor Manuel Ceja demonstrate a few of the dance steps.
Marimba Traditions Duration 3:20 The marimba is a large, wooden instrument from West Africa. Traditional marimba music serves as a link between young Guatemalans living in the U.S.A. and Guatemalan culture.
Fandango-Bombazo Duration 2:48 Bombazos are Puerto Rican jam-sessions where musicians and dancers gather in celebration of music and community; fandangos are their Mexican counterpart.
Conjunto de Arpa Grande Duration 5:30 The conjunto de arpa grande (big harp ensemble) is the country cousin of the Mexican mariachi. Watch Arpex perform and demonstrate the unique tamboreo (drumming) method.
"Bandera Mía" (Flag of Mine) Duration 3:29 Suni Paz deftly combines her message of cultural awareness and personal awakening with an unshakable optimism. She is part of the progressive Latin American music movement, nueva canción.
"Los Vecinos" (The Neighbors) Duration 2:45 Suni Paz is an award-winning performer for children and a pioneer in the use of music to teach Spanish-language curricula.
Son Huasteco Duration 4:13 Los Camperos de Valles demonstrate the instrumental and vocal techniques of son huasteco. Mexico's son huasteco music is characterized by its three instruments and falsetto vocal techniques.
El Gusto Duration 3:12 Since the group's inception in 1974, Los Camperos de Valles have come to represent the best in one of Mexico's most distinctive and uplifting folk music traditions—the son huasteco.
