Piraguas Y Piropos, Rosalba Valdez, Emil Rojo Band

Marcos and Jose created Piraguas y Piropos in 2021 after performing in duets in Chicago for about 5 years. Piraguas y Piropos came from an absence in musical representation locally to have an ensemble that actively performs Jibaro Music (also known as Puerto Rican Folkloric Traditional Music) in Chicago. Outside of its presence in mainland Puerto Rico, the music we play is not only an act of performance but an essential piece of keeping alive a severely underrepresented form of music. Both musicians were raised and taught in the Puerto Rican tradition with an ample background studying and performing jazz to incorporate elements of jazz into Jibaro music without losing the essence of it. A lot of Jibaro music has a classical music background but also offers the flavor and syncopations of the Caribbean, bringing a dance element that makes it well received by a large audience. We’ve landed on a format that allows us to revere our origins while incorporating an openness to improvise in a way that keeps it fresh every time it is performed.