Pocas Palabras (2003)
Pocas Palabras (Few Words) celebrates the innovation and imagination of Mexican music, weaving together centuries-old musical traditions with contemporary sounds of the world stage. Its original and traditional music mixes contemporary and ancient Mexican styles using instruments such as the jarana (strummed 8-string guitar from Veracruz), and quijada (jawbone), percussive zapateado dancing, Afro-Cuban bongo, drums, violin, and saxophone. Styles featured include a lilting pirekua sung in the indigenous language of Michoacán; a sultry Columbian cumbia, a ranchera in the raucous conjunto style; and a rare ritual danza of Jalisco. Los Cenzontles are joined by legendary Cuban rumberos Gregorio ‘El Goyo’ Hernandez and Lazaro Rios with a classic Mexican ranchera in the rhythm of the Cuban guaguanco as well as an Afro-Cubanized son Jarocho from the tropics of Veracruz.
