The following is information that can be used in a program:

Cascada de Flores:

Arwen Lawrence de Castellanos
voice "prima", guitar, jarana (Veracrúz), vihuela, claves, zapateado (dance)

Jorge Liceaga
guitar, tres cubano, guitarra de son (Veracrúz), bajo sexto, improvised verse

Jorge Mijangos
tres, "Guitarjón" -baritone guitar of his own creation-, jaranas, cajón, improvised verse

Sabra Weber
voice "segunda", flute, maracas, marimbol (a bass lamellaphone), donkey jaw bone

"Cascada de Flores explores the musical traditions of Mexico and Cuba with grace and sensitivity.  Their music is strongly rooted in folkloric forms, yet they steer clear of anachronistic mimicry of the past, instead interpreting their repertoire in their own subtle way.  The result is rich, delicate, and lovely."   Sing Out! Magazine   

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Cascada de Flores' performance will include a selection from the following song styles:

Trova Tradicional Cubana:  Born in the eastern side of Cuba (Santiago) over 100 years ago, trova was attributed to the repertoire of small groups and individuals who orally composed and performed different popular song styles, such as the habanera, punto, clave, criolla, bolero, bambuco, guaracha, and son.  As it migrated from the countryside of the eastern province to urban Habana, trova steadily developed into professional performance and the original small groups expanded to become trios, quartets, sextets and septets.  Composers, who were also interpreters, who have influenced Cascada de Flores include María Teresa Vera, Manuel Corona and Dúo Los Compadres.

Bolero: Born out of the trova tradition, the Cuban bolero met with enormous success in Mexico, where composers such as Agustín Lara, and much later Álvaro Carrillo were responsible for the explosion and long-lasting popularity of this "sentiment made rhythm".  The radio movement of the 1930's attracted foreign musicians and composers such as Puerto Ricans Rafael Hernández and Pedro Flores, who bequeathed many song gems to the genre.  Cubans and many Latin Americans in turn have adopted these "new" boleros, in a way, completing a circular journey.

Son of Mexico:  Traditionally an improvised musical expression of a region in 6/8 or alternating ¾ and 6/8 time.  Of Spanish, Indigenous and African influence, son is expressed through sung poetry, and polyrhythms created by instruments and zapateado (footwork), which vary by region.  Son jarocho, born in the countryside of southern Veracruz, is played on various stringed (requinto, jarana) and percussion (jaw of a donkey, marimbol, zapateado) instruments.  In son huasteco (from the Huasteca area of the North-East Mexican states), the violin takes the melody line and the percussion is played on the guitar varieties: jarana, and huapanguera and zapateado.  Son istmeño (from the isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca), can be played in many configurations, including reed flute and drum, an orchestra of metals and drum, or sung with guitar.

Son of Cuba: Son cubano is a dance genre in duple meter performed by different ensembles, such as trios, quartets, sextets, and septets.  Classic sextet instrumentation generally includes guitar, tres, double-bass, maraca, clave and bongó. The Septeto Nacional de Ignacio Piñeiro and Septeto Habanero were two important interpreters of son in the early 20th century.

Canción Ranchera: Song of the countryside, el campo, in ¾ time.  Considered to be the music of the Mexican pueblo, the working class, the campesinos.

Canción Mexicana: Song dating back to the turn of the 19^th Century in Mexico.  Roots in the Mexican Countryside, European song and Cuban Trova.  Popular composers and arrangers of this genre were Manuel M. Ponce, Manuel S. Acuña and Esparza Oteo.

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For recordings and information about Cascada de Flores:
www.cascadadeflores.com or 415.999.3340