A Spanish-derived music genre from the mountain regions of Puerto Rico is a rare sound in Hawai‘i — and local musicians worry it might be fading away.
Carlos Arguinzoni-gil, who has been singing and playing guitar since he was 8 years old, performed Jibaro music with his band at the first Puerto Rican Festival earlier this month.
He said the genre is played throughout New York, California and other states with a high Puerto Rican population. However, he said there are only two bands in Hawai‘i who can play Jibaro music, the traditional folklore of the Caribbean island.
“The older people got older and older, and they were not able to teach,” he said. “Basically you don’t see too many kids playing this (music).”
In the early days of the genre, instruments included the cuatro, a 10-string instrument; guido, a percussion instrument; and guitar. Now there’s base, conga and bongo drums, and maracas.
Many attendees from the Puerto Rican Festival said it was a treat for them to hear live Jibaro music.
Oʻahu resident Kelli Goto, who is Puerto Rican, said the genre is a way for the old-school generation to tell their story.
“You don’t have to understand the language to get the storytelling behind Jibaro,” she said. “It’s rare because it was the elders almost telling their story.”
Puerto Ricans have a long history in Hawai‘i. The first immigrants arrived in 1900, a year after two hurricanes devastated the island. They came to work at the sugarcane plantations and brought with them many cultural traditions, including music.
Over time, Jibaro music has drawn more locals to learn the genre.
Van Delere is a base player in Arguinzoni-gil’s band. He said the genre was different for him because he’s of Filipino descent.
“Learning this kind of music keeps me going,” he said. “I love it. I don’t care how tired you are, you’re going to get up and dance.”
Arguinzoni-gil said he hopes to teach the next generation how to play the genre by offering guitar lessons, but he needs help teaching the other instruments.
“It’s my duty. I want to keep it going. I don’t want it to die,” he said.
