We are very pleased to be part of “Son Jarocho, The Sounds of Veracruz” on NPR along with the David Wax Museum and other bands inspired by son jarocho in the U.S.A. Our track “Los Jaraneros” from our latest record “Café Café” was used as an introduction for the show and to set the appropriate tone for the program. Enjoy it here!
In an August 8 report for New York’s Daily News, José Manuel Simían covers Radio Jarocho’s new release, describing Café, Café as “a vibrant collection of 10 songs with deep foundations in son jarocho while also containing elements of other genres.” The article talks about RJ’s collaborations with other musicians, such as Rana Santacruz and Patricio Hidalgo, and how one track has a surprising inspiration–The Beatles’ “Revolution.”
Click the image to read the article.
Listen up! Here’s a new interview with Radio Jarocho’s Julia del Palacio and Gabriel Guzmán on “The World,” a weekly radio show co-produced by Public Radio International, the BCC, and WGBH/Boston. The segment, called “Global Hit,” includes clips from the new album as the band talks about the tradition of son jarocho and why they chose to record an album of original songs. You can hear Bruce Wallace’s report “An Urban Twist to Son Jarocho Music” above or read more here.
Spread the word! Our new album Café Café is out now. Get it on iTunes, Amazon, or Bandcamp. Or join us at one of our performances and hear the tracks live.
So…what are people saying about the new release?
“I haven’t heard something this sexy in a night club in a really long time,” says NPR Music Alt.Latino‘s Jasmine Garsd about the the title track. The program praises the song for its “edgy attitude.”
“The rhythmic instrumental and vocal interplay is top-notch, as the lilting percussion and jarana, requinto, punteador, leona, marimbal, and zapateado take center-stage. The ten tracks are evocative, mesmerizing,” writes Matthew Forss for Inside World Music.
“This New York based band mine flinty traditional Mexican jarocho music, then fracture it through a modern sensibility of their own,” says Daily News‘ Jim Farber for his weekly Top Ten in music column.
“With this album, Radio Jarocho is the only current band to record a full album of original compositions and nontraditional songs in this genre. Café Café sums up the sounds that have influenced the band such as traditional jarocho songs, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, and pop sensibilities,” says the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York’s La Vitrina, calling Radio Jarocho “the preeminent son jarocho band on the East Coast.”
“Radio Jarocho is leading the way in preserving and expanding son jarocho…” – Alex Brown, Splinters & Candy.
New York Music Daily blog calls Radio Jarocho a “high-energy acoustic Mexican folk-punk band.”
“While you won’t hear another cover of ‘La Bamba’ on this disc, you will hear the title track with its quick-fire vocals and the slightly slower ‘La Tristeza’ and ‘Morena es la Virgen,’” says the Whole Music Experience. “However, the spirited ‘Se ve que sabes bailar’ with soaring vocals harmonizing with the quick tempo vocals will definitely grab your attention.
The blog My World Music Friend says: “Café Café preserves the fine tradition of son jarocho thanks to a group of young talented musicians“.
Daily News‘ Jim Farber’s on his Top Ten in Music writes for the second time about Radio Jarocho and says: “The woody, string-happy, sound of son jarocho — indigenous to the Mexican town of Veracruz — gets a personal make-over here. Radio Jarocho puts original twists to traditional Mexican folk songs”.
Tespis Magazine praises the Café Café release party and says: “Grupos como Radio Jarocho aportan una nueva vena que enriquece nuestra cultura común“.(Groups like Radio Jarocho contribute with a new vein that enriches our common culture).
Chris Spector from Midwest Record writes: “For a taste of real Mexico that might be fading into history (haven’t been back in years), check this out while it’s still played by players who have a pulse connected with the original sound“.
Image by Sergio Reyes.
“I haven’t heard something this sexy in a night club in a really long time,” says NPR Music’s Alt.Latino co-host Jasmine Garsd, speaking about the title track from Radio Jarocho’s Café Café. The program praised the song for its “edgy attitude.” Garsd added: “I love the lyrics.”
We’re thrilled to be featured on NPR! Listen to more of what NPR’s Alt.Latino has to say about the band — along with a clip from the track “Café Café” — in the show’s Cinco de Mayo special.
We’re pleased to share the news that a CUNY TV “Nueva York” segment on Radio Jarocho has been nominated for a 2012 New York Emmy Award. Released in March 2010, the video features interviews with band members Gabriel Guzman and Julia del Palacio, portions of a show at Shrine in Harlem, and scenes from a fandango in Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz. The video invites viewers to learn more about son jarocho, the culturally rich music we perform. Congratulations to the filmmaker and our friend Gisela Alcantara.
Estamos felices de compartir la noticia de que el segmento “Nueva York” de CUNY-TV acerca de Radio Jarocho ha sido nominado para los premios Emmy 2012. Transmitido en marzo del 2010, el video presenta entrevistas con los miembros del grupo Gabriel Guzmán y Julia del Palacio, porciones de una presentación en el Shrine de Harlem y escenas de un fandango en Santiago Tuxtla, Veracruz. El video invita a la audiencia a aprender acerca del son jarocho, la música tan rica culturalmente que tocamos. Felicitaciones a nuestra amiga Gisela Alcantara, la realizadora de este filme.
We’re honored to have received such great press over the years! Check out an archive of some of our press hits, including a feature in Time Out New York and coverage in leading news outlets such as El Diario La Prensa, The Wall Street Journal, Letras Libres, NY1′s Contraportada, Milenio, and El Universal.
Click on links below to read more.
12.2.11 Diario La Prensa NY
10.6.11 Diario La Prensa NY (print)
9.20.11 Letras Libres
6.23.11 Hora Hispana del Daily News (print)
6.21.11 Interview in NY1′s Contraportada
5.23.11 Changing New York
9.15.10 Milenio (Mexico)
9.15.10 New York Daily News
9.01.10 Diario de Mexico (print)
8.27.10 Somerville News (MA)
8.16.10 El Universal (Mexico)
5.20.10 The Wall Street Journal
5.27.10 Time Out New York (print)
5.14.10 The Brooklyn Paper
4.11.10 Diario de Mexico (print).
3.04.10 CUNY-TV documentary on Radio Jarocho
9.10.09 National American Indian Magazine (print)
9.08.09 El Universal (Mexico)
6.23.07 The New York Times (Semilla)
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