Son Jarocho
Stylistic origins	Son Jarocho (Not to be confused with Son)
Cultural origins	18th century Veracruz
Typical instruments	Requinto, Jarana, Arpa jarocha, Pandero octagonal, Quijada, Marimbol
Mainstream popularity	Popularity of this Mexican genre has grown much.
Other topics
Charro - Jarabe tapatío - Zapateado-Mariachi-Huapango-Son Huasteco

Son Jarocho is a traditional musical style of Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state and Veracruz state, hence the term jarocho, a colloquial term for people or things from this region. It represents a fusion of indigenous (primarily Huastecan), Spanish, and African musical elements, reflecting the population which evolved in the region from Spanish colonial times. Lyrics include humorous verses and subjects such as love, nature, sailors, and cattle breeding that still reflect life in colonial and 19th century Mexico. Verses are often shared with the wider Mexican and Hispanic Caribbean repertoire and some have even been borrowed from famous works by writers of the Spanish "Siglo de Oro". It is usually performed by an ensemble of musicians and instruments which collectively are termed a "conjunto jarocho".

The instruments most commonly associated with Son Jarocho are the jarana (a small guitar-like instrument with strings arranged in a variety of configurations), the requinto jarocho (very similar but usually tuned to a higher pitch and with a full complement of six strings), the harp, and sometimes a minor complement of percussion instruments such as pandero, cajón (a small drum) and quijada (an instrument made of a donkey or horse jawbone). Son Jarocho is often played only on jaranas and sung in a style in which several singers exchange improvised verses called decimas, often with humorous or offensive content. The most widely known son jarocho is "La Bamba", which has been popularized through the version by Ritchie Valens and the American movie of the same name.

More recently, instruments and rhythms from son jarocho have been used by rock groups such as Café Tacuba, Quetzal, 22 Pesos,Ozomatli, and Zack de la Rocha. East L.A. rockers Los Lobos have also recorded in the Jarocho genre.

Related genres are: Son Huasteco, Huapango, Son Jaliscience, Son Chiapaneco and Son.

Well-known artists playing the genre are: Mono Blanco, Siquisirí, Tlen Huicani, Chuchumbé, Los Cojolites, Conjunto Jardin and Son de Madera.

[edit] External links

• The History of Son Jarocho on the website of an American Conjunto Jarocho

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