MEXIKA "The Sounds of Ancient Mexico"

MARTIN ESPINO
42 years professional musician, classically trained B.Mus with Honors from Immaculate Heart College 1978 in classical guitar, lute performance & Renaissance and Medieval music. Since 1975, I began research and have been playing the instruments of my Mexican ancestors not because I saw someone else doing this; because there was NO ONE to copy…but because I had inspired myself. The main thought I had was: “I’d love to help bring these instruments back to life” and so, for the last 33 years of my life (back then it wasn’t cool to play these instruments). I have conducted honest scholarly research into my ancestral Mexicano heritage, which includes not only my Hispanic but my Indigenous heritage. I am Tepehuano (Durango), Yaqui (Sonora) and Spanish = Mexicano.Since age 13 I have been a professional performing musician but since the 80’s: I pioneered combining education, culture, performance and teaching methods into something that I call “Interactive Performance”. Since then, I've gained heavy experience working with all ages, ethnicities and abilities which allows MEXIKA performances to be accessible to ALL ages, yes even preschoolers. Back in the early 80's I was also in the forefront of the Andean music movement, playing for many solidarity events with Bolivian folklorist, Mario Torrico in Grupo YATIRI. We just celebrated 25 years of performing together! Since the early 90’s I helped revive/preserve such little known Mexican instruments as the “Water Drum” (Yaqui/Huichol etc.); the “Tawitol” (Hunter’s Bow instrument of the Tepehuano/Cora etc.). Both the Water Drum and the Tawitol are instruments of my heritage. I also invented such instruments as the “Jaguar Voice” and the “Arco de Lluvia”. Since the 90’s: I have toured throughout the U.S., mostly California, and Mexico (Baja California, Colima, Guerrero, Tabasco and Chiapas). Since the 90’s: I have been making instruments, becoming an expert with gourd and bamboo. I have made more then 35,000 instruments in workshops and those that I play and sell. I am honest with my art, myself and to others.
About the Artist:
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA

Chris, Mexicano, is a percussionist and classically trained musician. Chris plays all manner of ancient Mexican percussion instruments, sings and plays impossible things on the spot! He played drum set for several years when he received a full scholarship at Cal Arts in order to study the North Indian hand drum tabla where he studied with Pandit Tarnath Rao, Leonice Shinemann, John Bergamo and Swapan Chaudhuri. From his training in the music of India he also learned Kanjira and Ghatam.This training along with performance experiences in percussion ensemble under the direction of John Bergamo, enable him to play multiple time signatures, metric modulations and superimposed metric modulations with ease, making MEXIKA able to play more complex music which always grooves. When Chris plays it sounds like several people playing. He also plays a very mean marimba and drum set in various styles as well being familiar with a vast variety of "world" hand percussion. Dang!!!!He currently performs/tours the world with groups/people like:

DEMANIA trio with acoustic guitar genius, Alex Degrassi and bass idol/Jaco's protege, Michael Manring.
the MICHAEL VLATKOVICH QUARTET
Frank Zappa alumni "THE GRANDE MOTHERS RE:INVENTED";

Chris also leads his own groups:

QUARTETO NUEVO

and

CONTINUUM

Chris and I also have an experimental sound project we call

QUETAL

which utilizes instruments from India and Mexico and 10 string guitar and electronics! We are also members of ANCIENT GROOVES with Malik Sow. John Zeretzke, and Houman Pourmehdi... .. .. .. .... plain layout powered by HOT FreeLayouts.com / MyHotCommentssrc="http://www.snapvine.com/images/gadget/vp_t op.gif" border=0 style="display:block;">
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