Chuchumbé is a Mexican folk music and dance group that seeks to preserve and extend the son jarocho tradition of their native Vera Cruz. They got a chance to do this on their US tour, which ended October 22 in Flint, Michigan. Brought to the heart of the US’s ageing industrial belt, their vibrant melodies, poetry, and rhythm captivated audiences during a one week stay. At Flint’s Whiting Auditorium, Chuchumbé gave a command performance that was well received by audiences unaccustomed to the musical tradition of Vera Cruz. From the Midwestern US, the group flew to Hong Kong for yet another series of performances.
Brought to the US with support from Arts Midwest – a Minneapolis-based arts project partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts – Chuchumbé provided free workshops to area schools, artists, and churches, in an effort “to share culture and music and knowledge of the world to the people of our region” according to Midwest Worldfest programme director Ken Carlson. On this tour, Chuchumbé visited nine US states, including Ohio and Michigan, where they jammed with local musicians, gave dance instruction, and mingled with local Latino and non-Latino communities. In Flint, they were also feted by the University of Michigan-Flint chancellor, Dr. Juan Mestas, who invited local cultural and community leaders to meet the members of Chuchumbé and to hear a sampling of their music. Also in Flint, they were welcomed by the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, Rev. Timothy Nelson, and members of the congregation at a church dinner.
Chuchumbé was founded in 1991 by group members Félix “Liche” José Oseguera Rueda and Patricio Hidalgo Belli. Naming themselves after an Afro-Mexican dance that was suppressed by the Spanish some 300 years ago, the group has since released two albums of their music that is based in the Afro-Hispanic-Aboriginal tradition of son jarocho that is, however, open to the most contemporary music trends. To their earlier CD release ¡Caramba Niño!, Chuchumbé has added Contrapuntea’o. These are inspired by the tradition of fandangos – which in Vera Cruz is a nighttime party incorporating dancing, music, and verse-making (think: stir rum, African rhythm and a tropical setting into a high-powered Irish céili).
Chuchumbé uses traditional Mexican instruments, such as the: jarana, requinto, and leona, which are similar to the guitar; a tambourine-like pandero; the marimba and marimbol, which is a box-like bass instrument that resembles the African mbira. In their performance, they add the zapateado –percussive dance on a raised wooden sounding box – which is performed by
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