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Concert Preview
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The Black Urban Times, Concert Preview >>
We have to hand it to Colombia: Some of the most popular Latin singers today hail from the South American nation, including pop/rock superstars Juanes and Shakira.
But traditional Colombian music has an entirely different sound, a joyous, festive mix drawing from indigenous flutes, African drums and Spanish/Moorish guitars.
Its most emblematic artist is the legendary Afro-Caribbean singer and dancer Totó La Momposina, who, after a five-year absence, will play at the 13th annual Chase Latino Cultural Festival, an 11-day music, film and performance fest at Queens Theatre in the Park that kicks off July 30.
“I am an artist not for the money or the marketing or to be a star,” La Momposina, 68, said in Spanish from Bogotá, where she lives, “but because I need to make the music of Colombia a star.”
Born into a family of musicians in Mompós, a town on the banks of the Magdalena River — hence La Momposina — she said her artistry dates to when she was “conceived.”
She started performing at 12, almost six decades ago, with a group headed by her mother, who was a singer and dancer.
Her African-rooted cumbias and porros, what she calls “música de la identidad” (identity music), blend traditional pre-Columbian flutes known as gaitas with the tiple, a guitar slightly smaller than the acoustic ones, and the drums brought by slaves.
“Where there is common people’s music there’s always the tendency by the institutions and even the social structure to hide the música de la identidad,” La Momposina said, explaining her pioneering role with Colombia’s Afro-Caribbean sounds.
“The drums were [HIDDEN]in the attics of all the homes on the Caribbean coast, and I did the work of bringing out those drums.”
A fan of Tina Turner and Celia Cruz, she has released eight CDs, two this year — “La Bodega” and a compilation album, “Evolución: 20 Años de Totó La Momposina.”
“I’m not the type to have a lot of albums,” she said in a jovial tone. “I don’t count them.”
About to turn 69, she called herself “timeless” and says there’s no retirement in sight. Her life’s experience, she says, has led to just one bit of advice: “Enjoy it.”
La Momposina is traveling to New York for her Aug. 7 concert with eight of her usual 13-member band, to accommodate budget constraints, but she doesn’t seem to mind.
She looks forward to returning to the city where she first played 33 years ago during a Colombian government-sponsored concert series at Radio City Music Hall.
“I have since gone sporadically,” she said. “I feel that at this time, I have to once again try to reconquer through music and love for music the hearts of people.” 07/23/09 >> go there
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