Review Herencia De Timbiqui – Tambó
I’m the kind of person who likes to classify music by what I can do with it. There’s music I like to hear when running. There’s music I like to hear while driving long distances. There’s even music that fits in perfectly when I’m cleaning my apartment. Herencia de Timbiquí’s latest album, Tambó, fits into all of the above and more.
Hailing from the small town of Timbiquí in the department of Cauca, Herencia de Timbiquí is an ensemble of 11 singers and musicians who creatively fuse African music tradition with sounds typically heard in the Colombian Pacific.
Tambó is chock full of Colombian Pacific percussion instruments, such as the marimba, cununus and guaza. Songs have deep, melodic vocals and lyrics, mixing currulao and alabao with funk, jazz, timba and rock.
While the entire album is reminiscent of a walk on the beach (it’s tough to hear marimba and not envision being on vacation), Herencia de Timbiquí does not ignore the issues that have long plagued the Cauca region.
The track “Coco por Coco” is about coca cultivation, which makes Cauca a hot spot for violence.
“Hoy en lugar de coco / Today instead of coconut
Se cosecha coca / Coca is harvested
En lugar de amores / Instead of love
Hay enemistad / There is enmity“En lugar de guacuco / Instead of clams
Se come bazuco / You eat bazuco
Y en lugar de guarapo / And instead of juice
Marihuana dan / They give marijuana”
“Rumba **This is Gozar**” is easily the album’s most upbeat, party track. And “Pacifico” pays homage to Colombia’s Pacific:
Que bueno es nacer en el pacifico
Que bueno es vivir en el pacifico Se vive lo natural
Y se disfruta lo mágico
Tambó won the Colombian 2011 Shock Prize for Best Recording Album. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more awards for this band in the future.
Tambó is available from iTunes. You can find out more about Herencia de Timbiqui at soundcloud.com/herencia-de-timbiqui and facebook.com/Herenciadetimbiqui
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW8JNQrMSBQ&feature=related
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