MUSIC OF COLOMBIA – PACIFICO
Music in Colombia is a fusion of genres, mixing drums, accordions, folklore, and racial character. It is one of the most vibrant cultural expressions and a defining cultural attribute in Colombia.
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From the mesmerizing Marimba rhythms of the Pacific Coast to the Gaiteros de San Jacinto and Vallenato, with the upbeat pulse of the Caribbean, it is hard to remain still in this country. Music in Colombia never stands still as silence and calm are always broken by the joyful spirit of its people.
The Pacific region of Colombia is a unique and complicated place. It has nurtured a strong cultural identity that flourishes to this day. The geographical and social separation from the remainder of the country has predestined that its Afro-rooted heritage and traditions have been well preserved over time.
This has had a consequential impact on the Pacific’s great array of music. Much of the music features a strong connection to the African-influenced percussion. Elements of Pacifico music have transferred over the years into the region’s modern-day refrains, such as salsa and reggaeton.
Tracing the roots of music in Colombia is an almost endless task. It becomes a tour that always passes through cumbia, the most recognized Colombian music worldwide. That ever-present and all-terrain genre that is played, heard and danced in each region in its own way, in a continuous cultural dialogue with local folklore.
THE DAWNING OF MUSIC IN THE PACIFIC AREA
Music in the Pacific enclave of Colombia has its origins in the blending of African, Indigenous and Spanish cultures that arose during the 16th-century colonization of South America. It developed from the musical traditions of the African slaves who were imported by the Spanish Conquistadors to work on the Pacific Coast plantations.
Despite oppression and discrimination, these unfortunates were able to maintain their cultural practices, including those of music, which they later adapted to the new circumstances that they found imposed upon them.
Pacific Colombian music is characterized above all by African rhythms and the use of their traditional instruments. Over time, the music of the Pacific has become a fundamental element of the region’s identity and culture, which in turn has been recognized and appreciated both nationally and around the world.
SOME POPULAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS OF THE PACIFIC REGION
La Guasá
This is a percussion instrument made of hollowed-out bamboo, with seeds added, thus creating a range of sounds from opaque to high. These sounds will depend on the size and dryness of the seeds. To play the guasá, hold it with both hands and shake or strike it, creating percussive sounds with highly distinctive rhythms.
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Marimba de Chota
An instrument with percussion and idiophone modulation. This is a key instrument in Colombian music and is often played in pairs, with one person playing the high register and the other the low one. It is made from chonta and bamboo cylinders of different lengths, each producing a different musical note. It is widely used in genres such as currulao and bambuco.
To play the marimba, the chonta cylinders are struck with wooden or reed mallets, which then produce different tones and melodies.
Cununo
This is a small, cylindrical drum, made from the trunk of a palm tree with the top covered over with leather. It is played with the hands, striking the hardened leather to create fast and energetic rhythms. It is capable of high notes and it is used in folk music of the Colombian Pacific, particularly in genres such as currulao.
La Chirimía
This is the name of a woodwind instrument that is similar to an oboe and used in the chirimía genre. The chirimía was introduced to the Americas by Spanish clergy in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Chocó, the chirimía has an inherited musical influence from the traditional military bands that arrived with the Spanish.
RHYTHMS AND MUSICAL GENRES OF THE PACIFIC REGION
Currulao
This is the most emblematic genre of the Colombian Pacific region, a genre and folk dance originating there.
Currulao is a fast-moving rhythm distinguished by the presence of three instruments: marimba, cununo and guasa. The dancers move with undulating forms very sensually, representing the movement of the sea, the waves and the natural environment.
Emanating from the Afro-Colombian communities of the Pacific Coast, Currulao is a cultural expression that reflects the identity and heritage of their African ancestors.
Currulao is a musical expression whereby both participants and the audience often engage in the performance, thus creating a very personal atmosphere. It is a great favourite at local festivals and celebrations.
Famous vocalists: Grupo Bahía, Grupo Naidy and Grupo Socavon.
El Bunde
An intimate and melodic dance in which the main instrument is the guitar, accompanied by singing and at times the marimba de chonta.
El Bunde is a dance whose choreography differs from the currulao, despite being performed with the same instruments. The lyrics typically convey themes of love and heartbreak, as well as everyday aspects of the lives of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities.
Coming from an Afro-Colombian descent, Bunde has been passed down for generations in the communities of the Pacific and in particular Chocó. Being of African origin, the name Bunde is derived from the word wunde found in Sierra Leone.
Famous vocalists: Petronio Álvarez
Martina Camargo
Marcial Isturiz
The best known harmony is the Bunde Tolimense, by the composer Alberto Castilla
La Chirimía
This is music of a festive, cheerful nature that invites one to celebrate the dance. However, La Chirimía is more than just music. It is a tradition and a safeguard of the culture of those in the Pacific region of Colombia. It is a display of friendship and merriment around festivities. Often, there is a family reunion or a celebration and it is a heritage well shared among the inhabitants of the departments of Cauca and Chocó.
The best-known music of the Chocó is this lively brass band music, chirimía. This music includes such international genres as polka, danza, contradanza and mazurca, probably imported from the Caribbean, as well as local forms including abozao and levantapolvo.
La Chirimía, as a popular musical ensemble, is made up mostly of percussion instruments with drums, capachos, carrascas, guasas and wind instruments such as transverse flutes made of reed.
These instruments are handcrafted with natural materials, which makes them so traditional, not only for their unique style, but for their historicity, which comes from the time of the great liberator, Simón Bolívar.
La Chirimía was born out of a blend of indigenous, African and Spanish traditions, representing the cultural richness of the region. Individual musical techniques create the distinctive rhythm of this genre.
Famous vocalists: Grupo Chirimía
La Chirimía Contundencia
One of the best places to listen to music from the Colombian Pacific coast is the annual music festival in Cali. Like chirimía, this is Afro music, but it differentiates itself from chirimía by being more focused on the marimba and congas.
Amanecé by Herencia de Timbiquí is a wonderful song:
So too Comadre Mayeya by Grupo Socavon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjV1tFsNilg
Although both groups sing in Spanish, you feel like you are in Africa.
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