“The music of Tembembe illustrates an explosive 17th-century moment when the Baroque sensibilities and instrumentation dominant in Europe collided with New World colors and rhythms”  The Metropolitan Museum of Arts

Tembembe Ensamble Continuo is a group that explores, recreates and promotes the links between the music from the Hispanic Baroque guitar and traditional Mexican and Latin American music, through a performance that involves music, singing and dance, recreating the festive spirit of Fandango, both contemporary and from 18th century New Spain’s tradition.

Formed in 1995, while conducting a musicology research project funded by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Tembembe plays baroque guitar music pieces gathered from Spanish and Mexican tablatures, and links them with traditional sones jarochos, Huastecos Tixtlecos, Colombian, Peruvian and other Latin American sounds.

This musical overlapping demonstrates how and why the Baroque, Jarocho, Huasteco and many Latin American musical expressions are two faces of the same coin, distant in time and close in spirit. That’s the essence of Tembembe.

Comprised of Enrique Barona, Leopoldo Novoa, Eloy Cruz, Ada Coronel and Ulises Martínez, Tembembe blends music for Hispanic baroque guitar with today’s Mexican and Latin American “Son”, through a performance that involves music, singing and dance, recreating the festive spirit of Fandango, both contemporary and from 18th century New Spain’s tradition.

The ensemble has performed with great success in Austria, China, Germany, France, Washington D.C., New York, Colombia, Spain, Puerto Rico, among others.

The presentation of Tembembe Ensamble Continuo is possible thanks to the support of  METLIVEARTS Program and additional support from AMEXCID, Consulado General de México en Nueva York,  The Mexican Cultural Institute of New York and FONCA