As commuters walk at a fast pace through the busy station in Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, some can’t help but stop to listen to Alvaro Munoz and his partner deliver the soothing sound produced by their wind instruments. Alvaro belongs to the group Raices (Roots in Spanish) who, through their music from the Andes Mountains, wish to deliver their message of Indian pride.
“The problem nowadays is that people have no identity,” said 24-year-old Alvaro. “We try to educate people with the teachings that our ancestors left us in their music.”
Alvaro makes it very clear that their Andean music is not folklore, but a music genre very much like rock or country. “Folklore talks about legends or myths and that’s not what we’re about. We take contemporary music and make it our own.”
Raices uses wind instruments such as sinkus and quenas. Sinkus are composed of 13 to 15 tubes made out of of sugar canes which are tied horizontally together. Each tube makes a different sound. On the other hand, quenas are kinds of flutes that have six holes and are made from wood.
I have always seen men performing this kind of music at the 51st and Lexington subway. Maybe this article could be developed into an arts and culture story with a few other voices from the community.