Sones de Mexico
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
"...serious artists who have chosen to renew and embellish their heritage..." - Sing Out Magazine
"Sones de Mexico play traditional Mexican music with passion and a reverent knowledge of their roots." - Dirty Linen
"Forget Cuba, birthplace of the son. The best son happening right now is Mexican, and the group that's taking it up a notch is Sones de Mexicos" - Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
"The first set was kind of a history lesson...During the second set the group got down to some serious playing that got many audience members moving on their feet." - La Prensa de Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
"Like the best of the international folk revivalists of the past three decades, the ensemble aspires to advance the tradition with interpretative performances of music native to distinct regions of Mexico." The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, OH)
"This is the music that all the bandits were jamming to before the Cisco Kid rode into town and busted up the party" - The Charleston Gazzette (Charleston, WV)
"The group moved seamlessly between styles and instruments, playing with rock 'n' roll energy without sacrificing cultural authenticity." - Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
"Over the years, Mexican folk music has been eclipsed by mariachi, which has grown from a regional style to essentially the national music of Mexico...Sones de Mexico has taken on the task of showing audiences that regional styles can encompass as much excitement as mariachi." - Philadelphia Weekly (Philadelphia, PA)
"Ataviado en un colorido atuendo indigena, Rene Cardoza presidio la ceremonia como todo sacerdote Azteca para luego robarse el espectaculo con una demostracion de sus diestros zapateados." - Exito Newspaper (Chicago, IL)
"This is hardcore stuff, the kind of workout that destroys ligaments." - Chicago Tribune (Chicago, IL)
"Tip of the Week. Sones de Mexico: A performance by Sones de Mexico Ensemble Chicago during the winter months is like an oasis in the Gobi desert." - New City (Chicago, IL) - -
Discography
Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land) (2007)
Fandango on 18th Street (2002)
Que Florezca (2000)
Photos
Bio
Chicago's premier Mexican folk music group, Sones de México Ensemble Chicago(est. 1994) specializes in son, a rich and lively Mexican music tradition and its many regional styles, including huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho and the roots of mariachi music. Over twenty-five folk string, percussion, and wind instruments are featured along with four-part vocal arrangements and acrobatic dance demonstrations.
The group recreates the atmosphere of a traditional fandango (dancefiesta), where the most colorful, joyous and upbeat sones are played and danced until sunrise. The groups cross-cultural view of music links son to the diverse ethnic roots of Mexicos mestizo culture: Native American, Spanish, and the often overlooked influence of Black music in Mexico. The group is formed by director Victor Pichardo (formerly with Amparo Ochoa and Zazhil), dancer and musician René Cardoza (previously a dancer with Mexicos Amalia Hernández National Folkloric Ballet Company) ethnomusicologist Juan Díes (Director of Community Outreach at Chicagos Old Town School of Folk Music), lead vocalist Gonzalo Córdova (well-known singer of nueva canción in artistic circles of Chicago), percussionist Raúl Fernández (innovative world music drummer and certified school teacher), and multi-instrumentalist Renato Cerón (newest member of the group).
Sones de México Ensemble has performed throughout the United States in New York, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Sones de México work has included concerts, dance parties, street festivals, private and corporate functions, jingles/studio work, accompaniment and/or choreography of Mexican folkloric ballets, K-12 school programs, music and dance instruction, workshops, lectures, and residencies. A special childrens program includes audience participation, a masked dance, important lessons about Aztec cosmology, the ecosystem, musical concepts of tempo and polyrhythms and the most famous Mexican son "La Bamba".
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