Music of Colombia
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Modern Colombian music is a mixture of African, native and European (especially Spanish) influences, as well as more modern American and Caribbean musical forms, such as Trinidadian, Cuban, and Jamaican. The national music of Colombia is said to be cumbia.
Cumbia is a mixture of Spanish and African music, the latter brought by slaves. In the 19th century, slavery was abolished and Africans, Indians and other ethnic groups mixed more fully. Styles like bambuco, vallenato and porro was especially influential. When the waltz became popular in the 19th century, a Colombian version called pasillo was invented. International Latin, a type of pop ballad, and salsa music are best-represented by Charlie Zaa and Joe Arroyo, respectively.
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Cumbia
Cumbia is a complex, rhythmic music which arose on Colombia's Atlantic coast. In its original form, cumbia bands included only percussion and vocals; modern groups include saxophones, trumpets, keyboards and trombones as well. It evolved out of native and African influences, combining both traditions. Some observers have claimed that the dance originally associated with cumbia arose as a depiction of an African man courting a native woman, while others point to the shuffling footwork as a survival from African slaves attempting to dance while fettered by iron chains around the ankle. Still others believe it is a direct import from Guinea, which has a popular cumbe dance form.
Cumbia's form was solidifed in the 1940s when it spread from the rural countryside to urban and middle-class audiences. Mambo, big band and porro brass band influences were combined by artists like Lucho Bermúdez to form a refined form of cumbia that soon entered the Golden Age of Cumbia during the 1950s. Disco Fuentes, the largest and most influential record label in the country, was founded during this time. Fruko, known as the Godfather of Salsa, introduced Cuban salsa to Colombia and helped bring Discos Fuentes to national prominence by finding artists like La Sonora Dinamita, who brought cumbia to Mexico, where it remains popular.
Colombian salsa
Salsa music was born among Cubans in New York City and Puerto Rico, and soon spread to Colombia, popularized by Fruko and Discos Fuentes. Artists like Joe Arroyo followed, inventing a distinctively Colombian form of salsa called música tropical. Though it is salsa all the same one can hear the difference between Cuban salsa and Colombian salsa. Other influential Colombian salsa musicians include Grupo Niche, Alquimia, La Misma Gente, Los Titanes, Los Nemus del Pacífico, Orquesta Guayacán and Grupo Galeé.
Champeta and African music
Some Colombian communities, such as Chocó, Cartagena and Providencia Island, have large African communities descended from slaves. Unlike most of the country, cultural mixing with native and European influences have been rare, and, especially in El Choto, music has changed little since being imported from West Africa. Providencia Island is also home to a type of folk music which is closely related to mento, a Jamaican folk form. Most influentially, however, is the city of Cartagena and its champeta music which has been influenced by soukous, compas and ragga. Champeta musicians have included Luis Towers, El Afinaíto, El Sayayín, El Pupy and Boogaloo, while others, like Elio Boom, have incorporated Jamaican raggamuffin music to champeta. Another noteworthy band is BIP, who originally did champeta music and currently are doing reggaeton, without leaving behind their champeta roots.
Música del interior
Música del interior is an indigenous form of music also known as bambuco. Its popularity has long been limited, but was extremely popular across Colombia from the mid-1920s to the late 1930s. Artists include Estudiantina, Jaime Llano González and the Morales Pino Trio.
Porros
Porro bands are an enthusiastic form of big band music that came from Sucre, Córdoba and Sabana de Bolívar. The brass ensembles are modeled after European military bands. Influential porros include La Orquestra Lucho Bermudez, Matilde Diaz, Pacho Galan, Banda de 11 Enero, La Sonora Cienaguera, Orquesta Climaco Sarmiento and Pedro Laza y sus Pelayeros.
Música llanera
Música llanera is a harp-led form of music from Los Llanos; it's popular throughout Colombia, and is known for verbal contests called contrapunteo. Past artists include Alfredo Ronaldo Ortiz, Alma Llanera, Cimarron, Luis Ariel Rey, Carlos Rojas, Sabor Llanero and Orlando Valdemarra.
Vallenato
Vallenato arose in Valledupar on Colombia's Atlantic Coast and only gained popularity elsewhere in the country in the 1980s. Its origins are shrouded in mystery but are said to have begun with Francisco el Hombre, who allegedly defeated Satan in a musical contest. Based around the accordion, vallenato has long been connected with cumbia. Influential artists include Alejo Durán and, more recently, Alfredo Gutiérrez and Lisandro Meza. In addition to the accordion, the bass guitar has been a common part of vallenato ensembles since it was introduced by Caliya in the mid-1960s. The most recent modernization of vallenato occurred in 1993 when Carlos Vives released Clásicos de la Provincia, which made him into a star and changed the face of vallenato.
Vallenato has spawned several subgenres, including vallenato-protesta, which is known for socially aware lyrics, and charanga vallenata, which was invented by Cubans in the United States like progenitor Roberto Torres.
Rock music
In the late 1950s, Mexican rock artists like Enrique Guzmán and César Costa became very popular in Colombia. Soon, native rock bands like Los Speakers gained a wide following. Starting in 1967 (see 1967 in music), native bands like Genesis (unrelated to the more famous band of the same name) fused native musical forms (like cumbia) with rock. Today, many rock artists have become known internationally. The group Aterciopelados began as an urban punk band in the early 1990s, later combining electronic and other influences to great acclaim.
Other artists have found international acknowlegment as well. Singer-songwriter Juanes swept the Latin Grammys in 2003 with his album Un Día Normal which has become very popular in the US. Other artists like Carlos Vives, Soraya and Cabas have become known worldwide. The biggest musical star from Colombia is Shakira. After the success of her album Pies Descalzos in 1993, Shakira began working with producer Emilio Estefan Jr. and recorded ¿Dónde Están los Ladrones? which sold millions world wide. Proving hersef as more than a "studio pop-diva" in her MTV Unplugged presentation, Shakira went on to make an English album Laundry Service which debuted at #3 in the billboard charts of the USA.
References
- Burton, Kim. "El Sonido Dorado". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 372-385. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
List of musical groups
- Kraken, a heavy metal music band.
- Aterciopelados.
- Doctor Krápula, a ska group.
- Los de Adentro.
- 1280 almas.
- Coffee Makers.es:Música folclórica de Colombia
gl:Música folclórica de Colombia nl:Colombiaanse muziek pt:Música da Colômbia