A Taste of World Music: Cascada de Flores

Cascada de Flores, an ambassador of world music, shares and preserves folk music originating from regions of Mexico and the Caribbean. To bring the music to the masses, the professional ensemble performs two kinds of shows, an educational program for children and a concert for adults.

The members–Jorge Liceaga, Arwen Lawrence and Sabra Weber–are ethnomusicologists as well. To study the traditional son of Mexico and Cuba, they've ventured abroad to learn from the masters themselves.

"We love to travel to learn and immerse ourselves in a tradition in order to learn the musical language of it," said Arwen Lawrence, vocalist, rhythm guitarist and dancer based in Oakland. "Often that's music, dance and rhythm, and, of course, find our own voice in it." 

Take son jarocho, for example, which originated from the Mexican coastal state of Veracruz, located near the Caribbean and characterized by influences from its neighboring island nations.

To perform the music, the group had to acquire a marimbol, a percussion instrument found in son jarocho, and then learn to play it.

"You get inspired. First you hear someone doing it. You hear a recording. You see a band. Then we had the good fortune of traveling to Mexico and Cuba where we were studying with different masters of the traditions," said Sabra Weber, a professional flautist based in Santa Barbara. Through a youth music program, Weber is spreading the son jarocho culture with about 20 jaranas, traditional folk guitars from Veracruz.

The three musicians met more than a decade ago in the Bay Area accompanying the Ensambles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco, a dance group dedicated to preserving traditional folk dance from Mexico.

"When we came together, we realized we shared a passion for the variety of music from Mexico," said Lawrence. "We kind of had this nerdy way of wanting to explore everything possible about music that isn't necessarily popular." 

"What's so wonderful about these traditions is that it's a way to express yourself, but with these old musical values," she said. 

Free family performances:

• , Wednesday, July 27, 7 p.m. 

• Fremont Main Library, Saturday, September 10, 2 p.m. 

• , October 29, 1 p.m.

For older audiences: 

• De Young Museum, San Francisco, Sunday, October 16

• Wisteria Ways House Concert, Oakland, Saturday, October 29, 8 p.m.