The Mexican group La Mixanteña took the world a piece of Mexico after participating in the New Orleans Jazz Festival. The wide range of musical styles of the whole is inspired by the music of the mountains and the Pacific coast of Guerrero and Oaxaca.
Listen to Betto Arcos’ full special
Betto Arcos
More than half a million people attended Jazz festival of New Orleans which ended last Sunday, May 4. Every year, the renowned Jazz Fest Invite a different country to participate not only with music, but also with dance, crafts and gastronomy. This year the guest country was Mexico. Musical journalist Betto Arcos attended the festival and sent a profile of one of the Mexican groups that participated in the Jazz Fest.
The mixer of Santa Cecilia He could not have lacked the New Orleans Jazz Festival. His music is cheerful, contagious and very festive.
The Mixantña touches a wide range of musical styles of the mountains and the Pacific coast of the states of Guerrero and Oaxaca As Chileans, Sones, Cumbias, Boleros and Merequetengues. The nine-members wind band was co-founded in the Mexico City 15 years ago for a couple: the trumpeter Fredy Campos and the tubist Mitzy Dávalos.
“We got some friends, he said he wanted to make a band like his people’s, he is from Guerrero’s mountain. I understand that Fredy wanted like this, how to keep listening to this music that he heard all his childhood.
As we could get our instruments, we could not make a band like that of his people but, of his father, but as as the people of his mother, of the coast, Mountain of Guerrero, already these band are called ‘Bands of Frito Chile’.
Fredy Campos47 -year -old trumpet, says the name “Frito Chile” It comes from a story they read in an old newspaper in the region. According to the story, these bands enlivened all kinds of celebration.
“Thus and Tur, after touching and with all, because that wear of energy, they were going to eat and the fried Chile was therefore part of the food, but also gave you that energy to continue again at the party.”
Historical and cultural parallels
Valerie Guillet coordinates the Cultural exchange pavilion of the festival, where hundreds of people will listen to the holiday sounds of The mixer and many other Mexican music groups.
-“The Pavilion mission is to connect the culture of New Orleans with the world, whether historical or cultural parallels. That African, indigenous and European mixture that makes New Orleans such a special place exists in other places.”
Guillet says that Jazz Fest tries to present a sample of the Musical diversity of the guest country, in this case Mexico. At the same time, they are also interested in presenting less known groups in Mexico, so that people can discover something new about a country they think they know.
“The Mixanteña has a perfect format for the festival; they are young passionate about their culture, the music they represent and obviously, the element of wind instruments is very important. And women, the importance of women in this group, they are the leaders.”
About the band …
The Mixanteña is formed by five women that touch the trombone, trumpet, tuba, saxor and drum. The four men play high saxophone, trumpet, trombone and percussion. This is not a typical formation of a wind band from that region of the state of Guerrero. The trumpeter ANA MEIXUEIROhe affirms that having more women than men in the band was something natural, and was not planned. when she joined the Mixante in 2016, she felt great confidence.
“But when we go to Guerrero, it always surprises them. Every time they are surprised, they approach Mitzy thinking how: ‘Ah but you touch the tuba, the tuba is very big.
In Oaxaca there are many women who play in philharmonic bands. But in the coast region it is still difficult. ”
Ancient jazz and other styles
In this regard, there is little known historical fact. In 1884the Mexican military band of the 8th cavalry was presented at the World Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exhibition In New Orleans.
The music of that giant band had a great reception and influenced New Orleans musicians, impacting the beginnings of jazz and other styles. For more than a century, New Orleans sounds have influenced music and musicians around the world. Meixueiro says that the two weeks they have been playing in New Orleans have been very enriching.
“I do believe that in the end because music travels and that there is a very large influence also on music. And that this will also have an impact on the way of playing the band, of course!”
The sounds and rhythms of the jazz cradle will accompany the mixer for a long time.
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