VARIOUS ARTISTS

Ayombe: The Heart of Columbia's Musica Vallenata

2008-08-09

This disc presents "musica vallenata" ("music of the valley"), traditional to northeastern Columbia. There are four forms presented: two tend to be faster paced (puya and merengue) and two generally slower paced (son and paseo). The accordion playing on the puya numbers is extraordinary -- hard to imagine playing all of those keys so swiftly! Two other instruments you will hear on many of these numbers are the caja, a single-headed conical short-bodied drum, and the guacharaca, a percussion instrument similar to a stick with notches cut into the wood. Another glimpse into the talent and tradition of another corner of our amazing musical world. MJVD 08/08 W-Latin (Columbia)

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #World

  • reviewed 04/2010

    GOTAN PROJECT
    Tango 3.0

  • reviewed 05/2007

    EMILIE SIMON
    The Flower Book

  • reviewed 04/2005

    Karan Casey
    Chasing the Sun

  • reviewed 09/2007

    ANOUSHKA SHANKAR and KARSH KALE
    Breathing Underwater

  • reviewed 10/2006

    ARCHIVE
    Into the Light

  • reviewed 03/2009

    Luminescent Orchestrii
    Neptune's Daughter

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.