#NewsFlash | ¡Órale! Cambalache brings lively Mexican music to Queens
BY QEDC It's In Queens
Let’s make a deal!
The Chicano-Jarocho band Cambalache performs at Flushing Town Hall on Saturday, May 5, at 2:15 pm.
Cambalache, whose names is a slangy Spanish word for “exchange,” consists of musicians from East Los Angeles (the word “Chicano” means “American of Mexican heritage”) who play rhythms from Mexico’s Veracruz, whose natives are called “Jarochos.”
The region is known for folk music that fuses indigenous (Huastec, Otomi, Olmec), Spanish, and African elements with small guitars, a plucked key box bass called a “marimbol,” and percussion instruments such as the quijada, which was originally made from a donkey jawbone, and the cajón box.
Cambalache promotes traditional Son Jarocho in the spirit of the fandango, a traditional community celebration with music and percussive dance that brings audience members of all ages to their feet.
Founded in 2009, the band’s leader is César Castro, who is actually a native of Veracruz. In 2001, he started working with Chicanos in LA through an exchange program, and in 2003, he moved to the City of Angels to teach the genre. Other band members include Xochi Flores; Chuy Sandoval, whose background includes punk rock and church music; and Juan Perez, a widely respected upright bass player.
Prior to the show, Cambalache will lead an interactive dance workshop with a lesson on Son Jarocho’s history, starting at 1 pm.
Tickets to the workshop are $8 and $5 for children. Tickets to the performance cost $14 and $8 for children. However, teenagers with proper identification can attend for free as per the venue’s ongoing “Teen Access Program.”
Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Banner image: Todd Dudek; Post image: Flushing Town Hall
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