Son de Madera....Live
Megan Comstock , Staff Reporter

Music filled the World Theater on the evening of Sept. 21.  Three-stringed instruments and three pairs of feet belonging to the members of Son de Madera, melted together to create a melodically enchanting sound. 
The group, from Vera Cruz, Mexico, played a 90-minute set of Son Jarocho-style music infused with different sounds including African beats.
The minimal set consisted of sound equipment, two small, wooden square dance platforms and a large drop screen which slowly changed into different bright colors. The group spoke Spanish to the crowd and was very well received with many applause, whistles and shouts.
One of Mexico’s oldest surviving musical traditions, Son Jarocho, brings together Spanish, Indian and elements of African music. Through a combination of research and innovation Son de Madera has developed their own unique style of music.
A member of the group did a solo in which he played his tiny stringed instrument rapidly followed by a stomp dance on his platform. When he was finished he had that kind of smile only present when someone is doing something they truly love.
Fandango is not only a way to buy movie tickets, it is also the style of dance and when translated it means “go dance.”  Son de Madera uses the Fandango to bring beats into their music. The instruments the group plays include small guitars called the Jarana and the Requinto as well as a double-stringed bass.
Introducing it as, “difficult, but beautiful,” the group played La Bamba. The song and lyrics were fast and the crowd whistled the entire time as the members took turns wiggling their hips and shaking their bums.
The show ended with an encore before which one member declared, “four muchachas,” inviting four ladies to come on stage to dance.  Danielle Walker, an ESSP freshmen said, “It was a really neat cultural experience, especially dancing on stage.”  Much of the crowd lingered around to purchase CDs and had them signed. Dorothy Martinez, 28, thought the show was, “Fantastic.”  While Silka Saavedra, CSUMB alum, said of the experience, “It was great.”