Mexcla Music – Music for String, Percussion, and Breath Instruments of Europe, India, and Mesoamerica

MEXCLA MUSIC
MUSIC FOR STRING, PERCUSSION AND BREATH INSTRUMENTS
INDIA, INDIGENOUS MEXICO/MESOAMERICA and EUROPE
JXEL RAJCHENBERG DMA
acoustic guitar, prepared guitar,
charango, ​requinto jarocho,
​huilakapiztli, misc percussion
CHRISTOPHER GARCIA
atecocolli, ayacaxtli, baa wehai, chililitli, huilacapiztli, kanjira,
Raramuri drum, North Indian tabla, tawitol, tlapan huehuetl,
tlapitzalli,
“There’s really nothing like it, these gentlemen have done their homework, they know about music from all over the world and they have taken from different cultures and then let the instruments speak to them, how they want to be played and make these EXPERIENCES, it’s not even music it’s an EXPERIENCE, sometimes you don’t even hear it, you just feel it. This is magical stuff …………….. ”
GLOBAL VILLAGE KPFK
“an innovative, eclectic, and intimate navigation and exploration of rarely charted musical waters, sharing a profound reverence and appreciation for deep musical traditions while enjoying the fruits of an open-minded and remarkable musical chemistry. ”
OPEN GATE THEATER
“Garcia and Rajchenberg are a multi cultural musical match. Rajchenberg plays the strings – from a guitar to a South American charango and a requinto jarocho. The evenings program will feature modern compositions the duo have written that give their ancient instruments new life. Their set transcends time…. from a song about Buddha to a melancholy melody that pays homage to the 43 students who went missing in Iguala Mexico last year.”
DEUTSCHE WELL
“the music these two gentleman create is organic, while at the same time being virtuosic, and compelling on many different levels. Garcia and Rajchenberg continue to draw on a number of musical AND cultural traditions in a seamless manner as each member shares a deep history of traveling, composing and performing with musicians from various cultures ………..
MEXCLA’s performances and interactions are virtuosic, to say the least, and both seem to be able to have their instruments take on different responsibilities throughout their performance – rhythm, melody and harmonic roles are tossed back and forth without letting you become aware that this is what they are doing.
Is it MAGIC?
Or is it MUSIC?
Or is it both as has been claimed by KPFK’s Global Village John Schneider.
Many years ago these terms where interchangeable, and MEXCLA MUSIC
takes us back to a time and place within ourselves utilizing instruments of various cultures in an organic way to remind us of who and what we once were before radio, television, cassettes, vcrs, dvds, mp3s became our entertainment.
When the only soundtrack to our lives was our own heartbeat, breath and the songs our mothers and elders sang to us as children.
If you have not made an opportunity to experience this, you should!”
LATINOLA.COM
“The fascinating musical duo, MEXCLA MUSIC create an atmospheric sound world through an unusual combination of guitars and percussion instruments. In a visually spectacular performance, the music evokes primal sounds such as the heartbeat mixed with indigenous melodic materials, a wide range of percussive sounds (forceful, scary, bell-like), delicate harmonics and a mix of brilliant rhythmic guitar strokes. Christopher Garcia and Jeronimo Jxel Rajchenberg include a musical bow and duo ocarinas producing an entire orchestra of unique sound.”
ST JAMES PRESBYTERIAN SPRINGTIME CONCERT SEREIS
“Christopher Garcia and Jeronimo Rajchenberg. Fascinating Music and fascinating instruments to say the least. This is gorgeous, these amazing indigenous musical instruments from Meso America, Mexico and all over the world. Truly a world music experience and Chris that is always what you bring to the music that you bring together. This is just extraordinary. Truly a cosmic experience.”
KPFK
“While he has devoted much of his life to learning indigenous music Garcia also revels in playing the new and unexpected…..Garcia’s musical vocabulary not only spans centuries and cultures it’s also spontaneous.”
DEUTSCHE WELL
“Garcia is a most uncommon percussionist ….known for precise execution of difficult time signatures at blazing tempos; a hand percussionist with a deep background in Indian and Latin American music. No mere timekeeper, he always seems to elevate whatever musical situation he finds himself in.”
PASADENA WEEKLY