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Reaching Out to the World
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The New York Post, Reaching Out to the World >>
REACHING OUT TO THE WORLD
By ERNESTO LECHNER
October 6, 2004 -- Music is sacred," says venerable cumbia vocalist Tot¢ La Momposina, her rich voice marked by a distinct Colombian accent. "It may have been turned into a business by man, but it's still sacred. "Those of us who honor the roots of traditional music don't do it for the money. We bring joy to people's hearts. We'll stop at nothing when it comes to expressing un sentimiento - a feeling." Commercial success may not be a priority for Tot¢, but the veteran singer's illustrious career has earned her a well-deserved place in Latin music as the Queen of Cumbia. Mind you, this is not the trashy kind of cumbia favored by poppy outfits such as La Sonora Dinamita. La Momposina performs the real thing: a bouncy rhythm that overflows with swing, showcasing the genre's fleshy combination of African roots with indigenous South American sensibility. Tot¢ will be bringing her authentic brand of cumbia to New York as part of an intriguing tour entitled "Latinas: Women of Latin America," presented by World music label Putumayo. The tour, which also includes Chilean songstress Mariana Montalvo and Brazilian singer Belo Velloso (the niece of tropicalia legends Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania), will stop at Symphony Space on October 12. The three women perform strikingly different types of music. But the talented trio are united by their lifelong search for catchy popular sounds that go beyond the expected clich‚s that you inevitably find on commercial Spanish radio. 10/06/04 >> go there
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