Un Fuego de Sangre Pura (2006)
14 tracks, 53 minutes
Spotify · iTunes
Cumbia is the most recognisable sounds of Colombia and one of the biggest party sounds in world music: catchy horns, ripe for fusions with psychedelia, club and pan-Latin styles, and all of it with that unique shuffling rhythm. But that wasn’t always what cumbia was: those horns and rhythms have their roots in the traditions of the indigenous people of Colombia’s Caribbean coast mixed with those of African slaves.
The original sound of cumbia continues today – and is having somewhat of a resurgence – as a folkloric style, and Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto are one of its leading exponents. The group have been going in some form or another since the 1940s (some say 1930s), and their music captures the original spirit of the cumbia and other related forms. As their name suggests, their sound is based on the gaita wooden flutes, which are played in pairs, one providing the higher-pitched melody, the other giving harmonies and counter-melodies. They are accompanied by sets of traditional drums, shakers and other percussion and usually sung poetry.
With so many interlocking rhythms and melodies, the overall result is quite complex but just as danceable as this style’s modern relatives. Listening to this type of cumbia is important in recognising the indigenous roots of a lot of modern Latin music, and it’s interesting to hear the folk sound that became today’s pop – much like blues is to rock. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto are the masters of this traditional cumbia and this album, released on the always fantastic Smithsonian Folkways label and a Latin Grammy winner in 2007, is a great place for you to start.
(Side mention: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto also did a few collabs with dubmaster general Adrian Sherwood, called Dub de Gaita. They’re a fun set of sonic experiments with some groovy, if unexpected outcomes. Available on Bandcamp in Vol. I and Vols. II & III flavours.)
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