Conjunto Jardin members Libby Harding (L rear) & Gary Johnson (R rear) with Jan Tucker, Estela, Melanie & Mia
Conjunto Jardin (http://www.conjuntojardin.com) is one of my all time favorite groups (not to mention friends). They played at The Talking Stick (1411 Lincoln Blvd. Venice CA 90291) on Sunday evening. Conjunto Jardin specializes in Son Jarocho, the musical genre of Veracruz, Mexico. Because most African slaves were brought into Mexico through Veracruz, the music retains a distinctly African touch along with the Latin influences.
Rick Moors who plays bass (known as “El Tiburon,” the shark) guitar is the catalyst between Conjunto Jardin and Stefani Valadez World Ensemble, with whom he also performs.
The World Ensemble plays an amazingly eclectic cacophony of Brazilian, Turkish, and to my delight, Sephardic Jewish songs in Ladino, which is also the title of one of their CD’s with Ladino and Hebrew songs. I’d never heard Ladino sung before and it helped bring me in touch with the culture of my Sephardic relatives, ancestors I didn’t even know until I had my DNA tested. The songs help to complete a puzzle of all the heritage that goes into my genes.
Tags: Conjunto Jardin, Gary Johnson, Ladino, Libby Harding, Rick Moors, Sephardic, Son Jarocho, Stefani Valadez, Talking Stick, Veracruz, World Ensemble