On a personal note..........
In 2002 I was recommended for a duo performance in Pasadena, CA
I played percussion of India and the other musician played breath and string
instruments from various parts of the world.
It was the first time we had met
i.e.,
at the performance.
1 year later I received a phone call asking if I would be a guest musician
for a concert performance in Ventura with an ensemble he was in.
The ensemble at that time also included Malik Sow of Senegal
and Martin Espino of South Central Los Angeles,
two musicians that I had also never met prior to this.
On the drive there from East Los Angeles with Martin we spoke about many things.
It turns out that we had a lot of musical friends in common, but our names had never
been mentioned about or to each other. We had been traveling in 2 very different worlds
and our circles had never intersected.
After that performance and long discussions about music, Martin and I collaborated
in two very different musical endeavors between 2003 and 2012 whenever I was in Los Angeles,
as I was touring 90 days a year at that time in 28 countries on 5 continents.
CLICK ON BUTTON for additional information
In 2002 I was recommended for a duo performance in Pasadena, CA
I played percussion of India and the other musician played breath and string
instruments from various parts of the world.
It was the first time we had met
i.e.,
at the performance.
1 year later I received a phone call asking if I would be a guest musician
for a concert performance in Ventura with an ensemble he was in.
The ensemble at that time also included Malik Sow of Senegal
and Martin Espino of South Central Los Angeles,
two musicians that I had also never met prior to this.
On the drive there from East Los Angeles with Martin we spoke about many things.
It turns out that we had a lot of musical friends in common, but our names had never
been mentioned about or to each other. We had been traveling in 2 very different worlds
and our circles had never intersected.
After that performance and long discussions about music, Martin and I collaborated
in two very different musical endeavors between 2003 and 2012 whenever I was in Los Angeles,
as I was touring 90 days a year at that time in 28 countries on 5 continents.
CLICK ON BUTTON for additional information
The ensembles we collaborated on were either
MEXIKA -
performing traditional and new music for indigenous instruments of Mexico
from various regions of Mexico
MEXIKA did not incorporate "traditional" danza rhythms or drumming
it was mostly soundscapes and some traditional songs from non MEXICA/AZTECA cultures
and/or
QUE TAL -
breath instruments of Mexico and percussion of India and Mexico
Each of us knew how to read and write western notation and had practical performance
experience playing these and other instruments and improvising in different contexts,
(Martin has studied classical guitar at Immaculate Heart College and I attended
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS on a full scholarship studying western music
and percussion of India) but I also had the incredible opportunity to play with musicians
from Africa, China, India, Japan, Lebanon and as well as jazz and rock musicians)
and we started to incorporate other musical aspects of music to the indigenous ones that we knew.
Traditions are ALWAYS in a state of flux, and change constantly, when one circle intersects
another things change, they always have and they always will
MEXIKA performed at a number of concerts and educational lecture
demonstrations throughout mostly in California
(but never outside of the United States)
for various educational levels - middle school to the university level,
sharing what we have learned and continue to learn about instruments,
and various cultures of indigenous Mexico.
Information gleaned through study, and personal contact with various musicos, danzanates, and artisans,
thru playing, collaborating, and lots of reading, research, studying and verifying of that information
and more playing.
Any danza rhythms or drumming I learned was from the following drummers
as MEXIKA never utilized danza rhythms in our performances
CLICK ON LINK for their names
MEXIKA -
performing traditional and new music for indigenous instruments of Mexico
from various regions of Mexico
MEXIKA did not incorporate "traditional" danza rhythms or drumming
it was mostly soundscapes and some traditional songs from non MEXICA/AZTECA cultures
and/or
QUE TAL -
breath instruments of Mexico and percussion of India and Mexico
Each of us knew how to read and write western notation and had practical performance
experience playing these and other instruments and improvising in different contexts,
(Martin has studied classical guitar at Immaculate Heart College and I attended
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS on a full scholarship studying western music
and percussion of India) but I also had the incredible opportunity to play with musicians
from Africa, China, India, Japan, Lebanon and as well as jazz and rock musicians)
and we started to incorporate other musical aspects of music to the indigenous ones that we knew.
Traditions are ALWAYS in a state of flux, and change constantly, when one circle intersects
another things change, they always have and they always will
MEXIKA performed at a number of concerts and educational lecture
demonstrations throughout mostly in California
(but never outside of the United States)
for various educational levels - middle school to the university level,
sharing what we have learned and continue to learn about instruments,
and various cultures of indigenous Mexico.
Information gleaned through study, and personal contact with various musicos, danzanates, and artisans,
thru playing, collaborating, and lots of reading, research, studying and verifying of that information
and more playing.
Any danza rhythms or drumming I learned was from the following drummers
as MEXIKA never utilized danza rhythms in our performances
CLICK ON LINK for their names
After 2012 I had the great fortune to be invited to work, record and perform
with indigenous MUSICOS not only from Mexico City but also from the Yucatan,
Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Musicos who lived with the indigena of Mexico, Central and South America,
for years at a time who had learned about their culture, language, traditions, instruments
and music while living and making music with them since 1980 thru the present.
It has been an eye, ear and spiritual EXPERIENCE to be invited to work with,
learn, and MAKE MUSIC with them as it is a very different inflection than
what is done inside the United States by modern day practitioners.
Of all the musicians I know who play these instruments in the United States
none of them are fluent speakers of Nahuatl, Maya, and as of this writing
they have never been invited to perform or lecture in Mexico.
I have been more than fortunate to be invited to perform my compositions
for indigenous instruments of Mexico/Mesoamerica several times in Mexico since 2006
personal highlights for me were performances at Teatro de la Cuidad in 2006
and again at
Castillo del Bosque in 2015, San Miguel de Allende in 2017
as well concerts in Costa Rica, Europa, Korea and the United States.
THANKS to the many anthropologists, archaeologists, dancers,
drummers, educators, filmmakers, instrument makers, musicians,
scientists, who continue to share and discuss information
in regards to the instruments, the music, culture and history
in order to learn, research and corroborate the info via books,
personal experience, and modern day practitioners.
There are literally thousands of modern day practitioners
who utilize the instruments in various primarily traditional formats,
most of them being trained through the oral tradition.
My hope is that all the circles mentioned above will continue to interact and intersect
and share their information.
My youngest daughter is currently working on her Masters degree in Mesoamerican
history and anthropology and has twice worked on Mayan archaeological digs in Belize .
She keeps me up to date on the most current discoveries, which still have not
been made public and are being catalogued and documented daily.
The Codices I have only read about for years and shown her as replicas,
she has actually held in her hands. (with gloves on, of course)
The work is never ending and there is ALWAYS so much more to learn about,
which is why this site was created so that people who are interested do not start
where I started, but start from where I left off.
INFORMATION is to be learned, discussed, questioned
and KNOWLEDGE is to EXPERIENCE the information
with those who know far more than us
what little I know I gladly share thru the creation of this site.
THANK YOU
PAZ y NAMASTE
Christopher Garcia
with indigenous MUSICOS not only from Mexico City but also from the Yucatan,
Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Musicos who lived with the indigena of Mexico, Central and South America,
for years at a time who had learned about their culture, language, traditions, instruments
and music while living and making music with them since 1980 thru the present.
It has been an eye, ear and spiritual EXPERIENCE to be invited to work with,
learn, and MAKE MUSIC with them as it is a very different inflection than
what is done inside the United States by modern day practitioners.
Of all the musicians I know who play these instruments in the United States
none of them are fluent speakers of Nahuatl, Maya, and as of this writing
they have never been invited to perform or lecture in Mexico.
I have been more than fortunate to be invited to perform my compositions
for indigenous instruments of Mexico/Mesoamerica several times in Mexico since 2006
personal highlights for me were performances at Teatro de la Cuidad in 2006
and again at
Castillo del Bosque in 2015, San Miguel de Allende in 2017
as well concerts in Costa Rica, Europa, Korea and the United States.
THANKS to the many anthropologists, archaeologists, dancers,
drummers, educators, filmmakers, instrument makers, musicians,
scientists, who continue to share and discuss information
in regards to the instruments, the music, culture and history
in order to learn, research and corroborate the info via books,
personal experience, and modern day practitioners.
There are literally thousands of modern day practitioners
who utilize the instruments in various primarily traditional formats,
most of them being trained through the oral tradition.
My hope is that all the circles mentioned above will continue to interact and intersect
and share their information.
My youngest daughter is currently working on her Masters degree in Mesoamerican
history and anthropology and has twice worked on Mayan archaeological digs in Belize .
She keeps me up to date on the most current discoveries, which still have not
been made public and are being catalogued and documented daily.
The Codices I have only read about for years and shown her as replicas,
she has actually held in her hands. (with gloves on, of course)
The work is never ending and there is ALWAYS so much more to learn about,
which is why this site was created so that people who are interested do not start
where I started, but start from where I left off.
INFORMATION is to be learned, discussed, questioned
and KNOWLEDGE is to EXPERIENCE the information
with those who know far more than us
what little I know I gladly share thru the creation of this site.
THANK YOU
PAZ y NAMASTE
Christopher Garcia
