Veracruz Harpist
On Sunday, I was lucky enough to get together with my wife, my girlfriend, my kiddos, and two of my very best friends (the aunties) for brunch at a relatively new spot in town. The food and wine were delicious, the weather was beautiful, in the shade of the trees over head, and the music was phenomenal. A friend of mine plays guitar and sings there every Sunday, and he gets various musicians to join him each week. Today, one of the guest musicians had our whole table spellbound. Check out this quick little video I took to see why.
According to my social media sleuthing, this is Xocoyotzin Moraza (@xocoloco). In this clip, he is playing an instrument called a requinto jarocho, which he is playing with a special pick made from a bull’s horn. I’m kicking myself for not getting any footage of him playing the other instrument on the ground before him. It’s called a veracruz harp or una arpa jarocha. Here’s an old video I found of him playing it on Youtube.
It was such a treat to watch and listen to. He gave a little history of the instruments, which are fundamental in son joracho music. His father was a crafter of the harps, which he made by hand, and some of the songs that Xocoyotzin played were classics that his father taught him. He also said that the requinto he was playing was carved from a single piece of wood, which is baller. I’ll definitely keep my eye out for more of his performances.
