Can you hear me now???

One thing I have noticed about amplified music in Mexico... and it would be hard to not notice... is that they like it beyond loud.  If Spinal Tap goes to Eleven, these guys go to Thirteen.  And there are always people, mostly abuelas, sitting directly in front of the massive speakers.  OK, maybe it is not mostly abulas, but they are there along with lots of others, right in front of the speakers.  Gut thumping, teeth grinding, bone rattling, you know, nice and loud.

This band, Estrellas de Santa Cecilia, was set up to the side of the cathedral and was trying hard to exceed that "13" level.  Quite loud.

Of course, they had to be loud because directly across the zocalo, they were testing the sound setup for El Grito and they were pumping an equally loud CD, I forget what, but it did have a good beat. To say that John Cage would have been pleased, would be an understatement, as the two musics mixed together in a pretty amazing version of "Cacophony."

Of course, I was drawn to the tuba player, as his bass line was moving the ground beneath my feet.

 

Then I spotted this trumpeter, very Dizzy Gillespie like.

From the front.

And to be fair, straight ahead, guapo.

 

That reminds me.  I am going to do a post on the haircuts of Oaxaca. I think there is a Pulitzer in there.