Alejo Duran sings and tells his life (Colombian archives, 1986)

Alejo Duran is a legend in Colombia, as king of the most popular style: Vallenato. This day of 1986, going out the recording studio where he comes back to events of his life, Alejo Duran said to the interviewer: "I would like this reel to be kept up to the day I die... supposing this day ever happens". He died three years later and this LP was released in 1989.

Marimba rhythms from Colombia Pacifico

Marimba traveled from Africa (balafon) to Central America and the Caribbean several centuries ago. This percussive and melodic instrument had time to spread and can be found along the Pacific shore from Mexico to Ecuador, where it became an integral part of local folklore (and even national pride in Guatemala).

I had opportunity discover how marimba is played in Central America, but influence of african rhythms is not as significative as in Colombia. In Chocó region, the main folkloric style is the currulao (dance and rhythm), where marimba transmits a unique deep swing. So just a post to share some rough recordings, which will probably sound familiar to you as these rhythms are still source of influence in some modern productions today (and still the base of actual folkloric music from the Pacific area). 

Toto La Momposina and Baranquilla Carnaval Live in La Habana (2013)

Afrocolombian spirit gliding over La Habana, could be a good summary of this unique night, beginning in the Teatro de America, and ending in the streets as an improvised carnaval...

On their way back from Santiago de Cuba (where Fire Festival 2013 had Colombia as special guest), colombian artists including a Baranquilla folkloric group and Toto la Momposina were booked for a concert to share afrocolombian culture, carnaval music and dance. The venue was one of La Habana numerous theaters, Teatro de America, which was open in 1941 (Avenida de Italia, locally know as Galiano) and still transmits the majestic atmosphere from this golden era.

MIX /// Tropical Roundtrip Selection (from Colombia to Africa)

(Muzzicaltrips TRT019).

A real tropical roundrip, beginning in colombia with classy 60s cumbia, guiro y guaracha, merecumbe, maracumba, currulao, afrocolombian...
A selection warmly advised to people still convinced that all latin music is more or less salsa... Actually we begin with few examples of the countless styles having emerged in Colombian regions, as merecumbe, being a blend of merengue+cumbia initially popularized in the 50s by Pacho Galan, and here played by Lucho Bermudez.

Pico Culture #04 - Soundsystems aesthetics (Baranquilla)

Above painted wood piece is an original decoration from the pico "El Solista", carefully conserved by a fanatical pico lover.

From the 70s each pico developed his own aesthetics through colorful paintings and decorations on the speakers and the control tower. This transmits a real identity to each pico, and can be inspired from pure psychedelic figures (El Dragon, El Cobra), or from personal experiences (for example, El Coreano was created by a colombian man who went to fight in Korea war), or from musical artists (El Pijuan), or from revolutionary figures (El Gran Che, El Gran Fidel). The visual identity personifies the pico, and usually transmits a message of power ("indestructible", "la potencia africana", "guerrillero de la salsa").

Ritmo Calipso - Winsop (Tropical jazz from Panama, 60s?)

(Ecoll 001).

Another mysterious 7 inch... Found in Colombia but including 2 nice jazzy calypsos sounding like caribbean 60s. It might be a colombian bootleg, as they regularly did with foreign productions, sometimes changing name to avoid any traceability or just because it was unknown. I guess the original track comes from Panama, as Ecoll label released another miscredited 7 inch from De Briano with the Alonso Wilson Quintet (originally on AWB from Panama, check Musica del Alma here).

Pedro Laza y sus Pelayeros - Fandango (and Porro from Colombia, 60s)

(Fuentes LP 0011).

This early LP recorded by Pedro Laza for Fuentes label consists of 2 kind of styles widely played in Colombia: Fandango and Porro. 

Fandango is originally an old spanish ternary rhythm, but being brought early to Colombia, it integrated local influences, african drums, brass bands (bandas papayeras), to become a successful style for record industry in the 50s.

Climaco Sarmiento - Bombo y Maracas (Colombia, 60s)

(Fuentes LP0061).

This heavy record is the second Cimaco Sarmiento released for Fuentes. It includes cumbia, gaita, porro, plena and also palenque, as is tagged the "Bombo y Maracas" hit. Hanging around in Baranquilla bars can reveal great record collections, and even in some small places, attention is paid to play the music with original vinyls...

Caribbean Rhythms from San Andres (Folklore, 1957)

(Folkways FW 8811).

San Andres is a caribbean island with english west indies influence. This is noticeable musically, but this island having being part of nicaraguan and now colombian territory, it also integrates latin culture and spanish language.

Los Doggers de Colombia - Saca tu Pareja (Colombia, 70s)

(Benny LP001).

As I received several questions about a track selected for the Muzzicaltrips en Colombia mix, i post here another catchy track from Los Doggers.

Palenque culture #01 Palenque de San Basilio

Palenque de San Basilio is a village not far from Cartagena in Colombia (here), which represents a really unique cultural space. At the dawn of the17th century, several groups of african slaves escaped from spanish settlers, building fortified villages called "palenques". San Basilio village, led originally by african king Benkos Bohio, is the only one who survived up to nowadays.

Living during centuries away from occidental and spaniard influences allowed to maintain alive in the community many aspects of the original african culture: social organization (for example age group structures called "kuadro"), rites and believes (based on 3 different worlds) , creole language (taking his roots in bantu language), hairstyles (plaits, supposed to be originally designed in order to reproduce a map of the trails around the village), traditional medicines...

For sure, the drum tradition in the village  is fully representative of these african roots, and is articulated around the three main drums as follows:  

- llamador (small drum, for the tempo)

- alegre (bigger drum, for the solos)

- tamborera (bass drum with sticks)

(additionally, funerals can include a huge drum called pechiche)

Pico Culture #03 - Mysterious records (Colombia)

In order to maintain exclusivity of tracks played on each pico (and thus gain loyalty of the public who has to go to the party to listen to specific exclusive hits), it was common to tear away or paint the label sothat no one could read the original track. The result is some really unique beautiful pieces, but also some unidentified hits (everyone knows the song but no one knows who was the artist, so the track is only known by his spanish surname). That's the case with the following 7" played by the pico El Dragon, but originally from the famous pico El Coreano.

Eliseo Herrera, Trabalengua and the folkloric group Los Malibus (Colombia, 1960s)

(Fuentes Delujo LP 400168).

Eliseo Herrera (1924) played with various formations including one of the greatest at Fuentes: Los Corraleros de Majagual. He imposed his specific way of singing which became a style called "Trabalengua" (tongue-twisting). You'll recognize directly listening to following tracks, but basically it consists of producing a dense jerky flow, very fast, adding syllables, without any pause for breathing.

MIX /// Muzzicaltrips In Colombia

Colombia is surely one of the most impressive country in Latin American, notably due to importance, diversity and quality of his music. Regionalism and opening to numerous influences being two particularities, listing and studying every styles (and sub-styles) becomes quickly a full time job. 

Pico Culture #02 - MIX /// Terapia Africana Mix (A selection of pico african hits)

From the 70s, while the soundsystem culture was developing, more and more african records arrived on the colombian coast due to increasing commercial exchanges between international harbors.

Some african songs became hits, african styles being surnamed: nova for highlife tracks, rastrillo for kenyan tracks... It was such a big success for the youth of Cartagena and Baranquilla that even each popular song received his own surname. Also several tracks have been bootlegged in terapia/champeta  compilations (which leads to find improbable records including a pure benga followed by an awful 80s techno), and not always credited the original artist/title, but just the local surname known by everybody.

Pico Culture #01 - Introducing "El Pico"

A very interesting cultural aspect on the colombian caribbean coast, particularly in Cartagena and Baranquilla  is the Pico Culture. A Pico is a soundsystem that usually plays vinyls (very loud!) during weekends. It developed on the coast from the 60s and evolved up to now with different influences during each decade. The caribbean coast has always been for Colombia the "front door" for other countries, so Baranquilla as principal harbor, received influences (and records) from all around the caribbean and also from Africa. As result, big proportion of the music played is african vinyls from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zaire, Angola (some DJs play 100% african music). But the selection can also be very diverse (cumbia, gaita, guaguanco, pachanga, tumbele, calypso, reggae... ), demonstrating importance of this crossroad within black atlantic interconnections. In parallel, it also developed a local style played on the soundsystems, initially called "Terapia" then "Champeta". Althoug corresponding more to a "80s sound" (including effects and new technical possibilities), it reveals amazing soukous influences which contributed to a kind of renewing of the african consciousness in popular areas of Cartagena and Baranquilla.

Perico Langosta y sus Tropicales - Pan con Pescao (Peru, 70s)

(EPIC 46478).

This 7" is made in Colombia but the music comes from peruvian label Sono Radio (Also on the B side are Los Diablos Rojos). Irresistible track with perfect jazzy feeling guitar . Enjoy!

Codiscos: "Un mundo de musica para un mundo feliz"

The colombian label Codiscos found a really nice catchphrase: "A world of music for a world of happiness". The map showing different collaborations with foreign labels is just a slight illustration on how open to external influences Colombia was (the map is from 1970).

Conjunto Miramar - Carruseles (Early Colombian cumbia, 60s)

(dia 1505 - Grabaciones Ondina).

Let's follow the trip in Colombia with a cumbia from Medellin. This record is the LP from Conjunto Miramar (from the early 60s, then the band was renamed Sexteto Mirarmar), where the accordion takes his place not only on cumbia songs but also on a variety of great afrocaribbean rhythms played by the conjunto (guaracha, guajira, porro, pregon, son montuno).

Los Revolucionarios de Alfredo Gutierrez - Esa Mulata (Colombia, 70s)

(Costeño LDZ-20516).

Just coming back from Colombia, a huge musical country... Many investigations and many interesting material to share on the blog, particularly on african influence in the caribeean coast.