Classical & Folk Music Around the World

Details

Jâca full profile / Clarinet and Guitar Duo / 2 musicians

Full program notes

Acclaimed Clarinet & Guitar Duo Jâca will be making a stop in Los Angeles on their West Coast tour, which will span from Canada to Southern California and will detour at a world music festival in Brazil!

The duo will present "Imaginary Boundaries" - a genre-pending program of original compositions, exclusive arrangements, and newly commissioned compositions from composers around the world! Jâca will perform music from their 2023 album "Breakthrough", which led the group to win the International Portuguese Music Awards "best instrumental performance 2023", performances in Carnegie Hall, and showcases and tours in North Carolina, Canada, and the Northwest. Program Includes:

Rêve de L’Enfant - Yom
Country: France
Influences: Arabic, Flamenco, Jazz, Classical

Mountain Songs Robert Beaser
I. Barbara Allen (b. 1954)
II. The House Carpenter
V. Cindy
Country: Appalachian Folk
Influences: Appalachian, Classical

The Wanderer - Mike Caudill
*Winner of Jaca's Emerging Composer's Competition 2021
Country: USA
Influences: Balkan Folk Dance Music, American Jazz

Gavilán - Carmen Marulanda
Country: Colombia
Influences: Trad. Colombian Joropo

Douce Joie - Gus Viseur
Country - France
Influences - Hot Club Jazz

Tico Tico no Fubá - Zequinha de Abreu
Country: Brazil
Influences: Brazilian Chôro

Romanza - Michele Mangani
Country: Italy
Influences: Italian, Classical

Taistealaí Ama - Ferreira/Williams
Country: USA
Influences: Celtic, Scottish

Sevillanas - Paco Cortés
Country - Spain
Influences: Flamenco, Spanish Folkloric

Tamacún - Rodrigo y Gabriela
Country - Mexico
Influences - Rumba, Mexican Trad.

Historical context

"Classical" Music is nothing without drawing from the rich influences of Folk Traditions. Whether it's melodies, harmonies, rhythms, or a combination of the three, folk music has been influencing classical music heavily since the Western European Art Music tradition began.

A Baroque dance suite by Bach draws from various European folk dances. Classical symphonies often use folk melodies as source material, like Haydn's London Symphony, which uses a Croatian folk song as its theme. Renaissance French Chansons, like those of Guillame de Machaut, were some of the first to use secular melodies of the people to create music that endured the centuries. Even in the 20th century, composers like Stravinsky drew from both folk melodies and rhythms to create something beautiful and new, like the Rite of Spring. Unfortunately, over time, the narrative around classical music has diminished the importance of these rich folk music traditions.

Imaginary Boundaries intends to highlight the folk influences found in classical music and bring them from backstage to center stage. The program draws from the historical traditions of the guitar and the clarinet themselves, as well as from the artists' own multicultural heritage and traditions.

Videos from this player

Audio from this player

Tamacun - Rodrigo y Gabriela arr. Jâca