La Calavera's Musica

There’s a spirit that awakens within La Calavera when he hears a mixture of the accordion, congas, and guitar, that sound that stirs emotions that lay deep within his roots. Si mi amgio y amiga, La Calavera grew up with this music, watching my tia’s y tio’s dance the night away to the beautiful rhythm , but back then I had little appreciation for it. Now I can't get enough! CUMBIA. That sound that originated in South America in a place that is now known as Colomiba and eventually found it‘s way to Mexico and other Latin American countries. Es un estilo de musica that is great, with an interesting background. Let La Calavera impart some knowledge to you with the help of his friend Mr. Wiki:

"Cumbia is a variant of the African Guinean cumbe music. Cumbia started in the northern region of Colombia, mainly in or around Cartagena during the period of Spanish colonization. Spain used its ports to import African slaves, who tried to preserve their musical traditions and also turned the drums and dances into a courtship ritual. Cumbia was mainly interpreted with just drums and claves.

The slaves were later influenced by the sounds of Amerindian instruments from the Koguis and Kuna tribes settled between the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the Montes de María; like the millo flutes, gaita flutes, and güiros. Africans and Amerindians working together as slaves created a mixture from which the gaitero (cumbia interpreter) appeared, with a defined identity by the 1800s. (These gaiteros are not to be associated with the Venezuelan Zulian gaiteros.) The European guitars and accordions were added later, through Spanish influence."

Thank you Mr. Wiki. Well enough with the writing, I hope you will enjoy this and go out and check out other cumbia artist. For the time being here are two videos from Celso Pina.

Hasta La Proxima ves,

La Calaveras #42