LA CUMBIAMBA eNeYé
MARIONETA
Chonta Records

Fine, raucous Cumbias and jazzy fun from a group of Colombian expatriates who have made New York their home. The CD hits the ground running with a fast-working bass and blasting bombardino solo by Rafael Malkiel. The bombardino is a euphonium but sounds quite like a trombone. There's a short burst of soprano sax then it breaks down to hand drums for a few bars. The album veers between these jazzy tracks and some more folkloric ones with flute and bass drum of the Andean "El Condor pasa" type that I don't like as much. But there's variety and many bright moments. "Chicharrón peluo" sounds more like Mexican brass band music with its boisterous hiccuping beat and thick brass. The brass arrangements are really interesting with the bombardino working a contrapuntal bass and tightly arranged descants behind the vocals. There's a taste of marimba but the emphasis is on Afro-Colombian traditions and particularly small town marching bands that would hold you spellbound if you came across them in situ (--or in Bogota for that matter!). However the skill of the musicians is apparent and it transcends mere folkloric recreations and creates something new and thoroughly engaging.