Charlotte based record label Cumbancha is teaming up with Burlington nightclub Higher Ground and world famed music label Putumayo World Music to present concerts by some of the world's most exciting talents. The concert series will feature leading figures and rising stars of the world of music in an effort to promote the multicultural music offerings of the popular Burlington nightclub to a wider audience.

Music label Cumbancha was founded in 2006 by Jacob Edgar, an ethnomusicologist and music explorer who for the past nine years has been the music researcher and liner notes writer for Putumayo World Music, an acclaimed record label whose compilations have introduced millions to the appealing sounds of music from Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and more.

The main motivation for Cumbancha sprung from Edgar's desire to work more closely with some of the most extraordinary artists he has gotten to know over the years. "We used to say at Putumayo that doing compilations was like dating, and signing artists was like getting married," says Edgar. "After years of flirting with some of my favorite artists, its nice to finally make some commitments and settle down!" This fall, Cumbancha will be releasing the first studio album in seven years by the legendary Malian guitarist Habib Koite. The headquarters for Cumbancha is in an 1830’s farmhouse in the town of Charlotte, Vermont, which is also home to one of New England's most prestigious recording studios, Charles Eller Studios.

The Putumayo and Cumbancha World Music Series at Higher Ground will present its debut event on August 2, 2007 with a concert by Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective, a multi-generational band with members from Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. Andy Palacio is the foremost musical ambassador for the music of the Garifuna, a unique culture that has consists of descendents of shipwrecked African slaves who intermarried with the Carib and Arawak Indian populations in the Caribbean and developed a distinctive and threatened language and music.

Andy Palacio and the Garifuna Collective's album Watina, which was released by Cumbancha this past February, has received praise around the world for its soul-stirring and appealing songs that blend elements of African and Caribbean flavors. Palacio was featured in a lengthy interview on the NPR’s program All Things Considered as well as on PRI’s The World and Afropop Worldwide, Currently number one on the world music charts in Europe, Newsday called Watina "As revolutionary as Paul Simon's Graceland or die Buena Vista Social Club.” The Boston Globe raved "Palacio is blessed like reggae mystics with the kind of deep, soulful voice that the ancestors select to convey their wisdom...Brimming with the Buena Vista-ish elegance and dignity."

"While Andy Palacio has never performed in the Burlington area and is relatively unknown here," says Edgar, "I'm convinced that with the right outreach and promotion we can get the word out that this is an artist that people should discover. Their concerts are a magical experience." While many world music artists perform in Burlington, it can be difficult to draw the same types of crowds that attend Higher Ground's rock and pop events. "I know the audience is out there," says Edgar, "they just need some special attention in order to get them to take a chance on something new."

Putumayo is well-known to listeners of local radio stations WNCS The Point, through its daily Putumayo World Music Spotlight. 'Putumayo has always been about introducing people to music they might not otherwise be familiar with," Edgar continues, "and this concert .series is just a continuation of that mission." Edgar will apply the same discerning choices that go into the Putumayo compilations in making selections of who will appear at the Putumayo and Cumbancha World Music Series at Higher Ground. "You might not have always heard of the artists that will be appearing," Edgar asserts, "but I guarantee they will all be exceptional performers that will provide a truly memorable concert experience." As an added incentive, Putumayo will be providing copies of its award-winning CDs as door prizes and giveaways at series events.