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Grupo Canela is a family ensemble that plays jibaro music -- a style of folk music first developed in the rural, mountainous interior of Puerto Rico. A blend of Spanish, West African, and Taino influences, this is music that is sung and played at weddings, festivals, and other communal gatherings. Traditional pieces include seis, danzas, and Aguinaldos. The group has been performing for twelve years and is led by guitar and cuatro player Ismael Santiago. He and his wife Carmen run Santiago's Family Restaurant in Westfield, Massachusetts, which offers authentic Puerto Rican food. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the group comes out of the kitchen, plays a couple of pieces, and then goes back in to cook and serve. After a certain point, they all come out to play again.
Born and raised in Corozal, Puerto Rico, Carmen and Ismael grew up and went to school together. Soon after graduating high school in 1967, they left Puerto Rico for Hartford, Connecticut in order to find work. After a few years, the Santiagos moved to Holyoke and eventually settled in Westfield. They have been running the restaurant in its current location since 1999. Like many immigrants, they had every intention of going home but with six children and seven grandchildren, they have built a life here. "We thought we'd go back home," Carmen says, "but the family grows."
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