What is Mexican son music?
The term son (which literally translates as "sound") refers to a particular type of Mexican folk music from the countryside. This designation for rural folk music comes from a colonial distinction made between música, which was the music of the church and the court, and the more derogatory son, which was the noise everyone else made.
Son originated in Central Mexico, defined broadly, and is a fusion of Spanish, African, and indigenous music. Today, son mexicano is a very general category that encompasses nine different types of rural folk music that each correlate to a specific region of Mexico. Interestingly, son is now also played in urban centers and performed in places far from its native region. Each type of son has its own instrumentation but string instruments dominate. A 6/8 tempo and the accompanying foot stomping zapateado also link the diverse currents of son.
The son of La Tuza and other bands
| Style | Other bands besides La Tuza playing this |
|---|---|
| Son jarocho | Son de Madera, Grupo Mono Blanco, Los Utrera, Los Cojolites, Chuchumbe, Zacamandu |
| Son huasteco | Trio Tlayoltiyane, Trio Xoxocapa, Los Camperos de Valles, Dinastia Hidalguense |
| Son calentano | Los Caracuaros de Serafin Ibarra, Juan Reynoso & Sons |
Links and more info about son
- David studied with Serafin Ibarra of Los Caracuaros. View Serafin’s wonderful CD
- David also studied with Ramon Gutierrez of Son de Madera who have several CDs such as this one and with Jorge Alberto Hernandez of Trio Tlayoltiyane who appear in this YouTube video.
- Check out this article about son calentano by Paul Anastasio, aka "el gringo calentano"
- Semilla, another band and our friends in New York
- Alec Dempster is an artist and musician in Xalapa, Veracruz, whose art explores the rich son culture in Veracruz.
- Check out David's other band, The David Wax Museum, and hear how they fuse Americana folk and Mexican son
This page was last updated Apr. 2008