Yerba Buena Gardens Festival: Maestros of the Joropo Oriental + Venezuelan Music Project June 20, 2009

Twelve extraordinary musicians contributed to the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings 2009 release Y Que Viva Venezuela, showcasing the best of Venezuela’s regional music known as Joropo Oriental. This summer, the recording’s core ensemble launches its premier tour to the United States. String instruments drive the sound of the joropo oriental, music resembling a fast-paced waltz and accompanying a couples dance infused with African and European influences. The joropo oriental is rooted in Venezuela’s eastern region and shares similarities with other joropo forms found across a broad swath of flatlands in Venezuela and Colombia. Virtuoso singers and players of cuatro, maraca, guitar, bandola, and mandolina will transport you to the heart of Venezuela’s eastern plains.

The Bay Area’s dynamic Venezuelan Music Project, led by Jackie Rago, will be celebrating the Tambores de San Juan as part of the Venezuelan summer solstice festivities.

Official Website: http://www.ybae.org/cgi-local/Calendar/calendar.pl?selected_datestring=20090620&datestring=20090620&template=event_detail.html&event_id=443