Let the music play! Max and Sam, known in the Verde Antequera as the Zapoceltic Duo, walk the cobblestone pedestrian street of Andador, a famous tourist attraction in Oaxaca. As they go, they are greeted by those who have listened to them play and are familiar with their musical fusion.
The story of how a Mexican Zapotec accordionist partnered with a British violinist began in the street of Alcalá, outside the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was a mutual friend who introduced them, after Samuel told him he was looking for an accordionist to exchange musical experiences and launch a project.
“At first, we began to play songs we both knew and then each contributed with their own songs,” said Max, the Oaxaca native.
Their current musical repertoire is a fusion of Oaxacan and European music and in 2014 they adopted the name Dúo Zapocelta (Zapoceltic Duo) .
“People like to hear us playing together. Our style is something you don't hear often in Oaxaca and that has made us known around here,” he said.
The self-taught musician.
Maximiliano Cruz was born in Oaxaca and only studied elementary school until the third grade, after a visual impairment forced him to drop out of school.
He arrived at the capital city of the state 17 years ago but it was when he was 9 that he met a blind musician from Guanajuato who played the accordion in the streets. Captivated by the sounds of the musical instrument, Max saved to buy his own and once he got one he practiced until he became a master accordionist.
“My blindness got worse but I became familiar with the city and its streets,” he explained.
The traveler musician.
Samuel Patrick was born in England and although he never studied music professionally, he played the violin since he was a kid. In 2013, curiosity brought him to Oaxaca as he was traveling across Chiapas.
“Someone asked me if I wanted to visit Oaxaca…and I said, 'Sure, why not?'”, he explained.
Jewish music, music from Eastern Europe, as well as Balkan and Gypsy music became part of Samuel's musical passion.
“When I met Max I spoke little Spanish but it was enough to ask him what he liked to play. We discovered we both liked Tango; he played "Bésame Mucho" and pieces from the film "Amélie", and we started from there,” remembers the musician.
The fame this duo has achieved has been hard-earned and came, most notably, from their first official presentation on a weekend at the once organic market El Pochote de Xochimilco, where they became the weekend's guest artists.
In 2014, after one of their presentations in the market, a local producer invited them to record 10 songs in a studio. Although their record was a good opportunity to gain more popularity, without a team dedicated to promoting the record, it was Sam who had to manually design record cases and this left him with little time to practice.
Righ now, they have a shared dream: to play one day at the Guelaguetza Auditorium.
“We're beginning to play with a violoncello player and we're curious as to what can happen from here. We want to try smaller forums first, though,” says Max.
However, the most important thing for both is not the size of their forum but the connection each has with music and with the people who listen to their work and like their performance.
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