Music

de: Eliana Arévalo

Un país pequeño en Sur América: Uruguay

Uruguay se ve en el mapa como el país más pequeño de Sur América con excepción de las Guyanas y Surinam. Está rodeado por dos países muy grandes: Argentina y Brasil. Su costa da al océano Atlántico y al sur, limita con Buenos Aires por el Río de la Plata. Sus playas son hermosas, el pueblo muy gentil y se los puede reconocer porque toman mucho mate y casi siempre, tienen un termo bajo el brazo para que no les falte en el día, su dosis de esta bebida tradicional.

Durante las colonizaciones, España y Portugal se pelearon estas tierras y la influencia de ambos países, se puede apreciar en la arquitectura. Hasta allá también llegaron los esclavos africanos reasentando sus tradiciones, destacándose en este caso, un género musical y una forma de vivir llamado Candombe que hoy es la presencia ancestral africana en el Uruguay.

de: Eliana Arévalo

Algo de Ecuador

Ecuador es conocido por la belleza natural de sus Islas Galápagos, un conjunto de archipiélagos con islotes volcánicos y animales exóticos, y porque es uno de los países por donde cruza la línea ecuatorial que divide al planeta en dos hemisferios.

También es una de las regiones a donde fueron llevados grupos de africanos a partir del siglo XVII, para trabajar como esclavos en las minas y en las plantaciones de caña de azúcar, ejerciendo, además del trabajo fuerte, una influencia en la cultura local que va desde la comida hasta las expresiones artísticas. Así surgió un ritmo musical creado en las sierras del norte del país, conocido como Bomba del Chota.

La Bomba del Chota

Spanish singer Bebe is perhaps best known for her award winning song Malo (below), although I enjoy nearly every song on her sole album Pafuera Telarañas. Her songs are full of emotion but fun to listen to without being overly poppy. Her voice evokes the feeling of Southern Spanish flamenco while staying modern and unique. She isn't promising a new album anytime soon, although I look forward to what's next.

Although they met in Mexico City, this guitar playing duo emigrated to Dublin because of its openness for international musicians. The high energy double tours extensively and is truly appealing to an international audience. A great group to see live, Rodrigo y Gabriela are masters of their instruments. Their only downside? Their entirely instrumental sound doesn't allow Spanish-learners the chance to practice.

Although his music in undeniably influenced by his home, Buenos Aires, Federico Aubele describes his own sounds as a hybrid of music throughout the Americas, inspiring the title of his 2007 album Panamericana. His music is nostalgic and tranquilo, often featuring the haunting voice of Natalie Clavier against flamenco guitar, tango bandoneón, and electronic beats. His music offers wide appeal, and if his YouTube comments are any indication, his listeners are not defined by a single language. I truly don't know how you couldn't like his music.

Jorge Drexler's name became just a little more familiar when his ballad Otro Lado del Rio, written for the film Motorcycle Diaries, received an Academy Award for best original song in 2004. The Uruguayan guitar player and singer created a little stir when he accepted his award by singing a few lines from the song as a small protest to the fact that Carlos Santana and Antonio Banderas had performed his song earlier in the night, rather than him. The episode provides an interesting view into what it takes to cross-over into the US music industry, and how Americans tend to have a narrow perception of Latin music with only the big stars like Santana and Shakira.

Jorge Drexler is one of my new favorites, with his thoughtful lyrics, skillful guitar playing and memorable melodies. His song Todo se transforma has a great what goes around comes around message:

cada uno da lo que recibe
luego recibe lo que da,
nada es mas simple

Much like Ojos de Brujo, Chambao provides an interesting twist to traditional Flamenco music from the south of Spain. Their music brings to mind the hot dry days in Andalucia, with a clear influence from the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. The group originally formed in Málaga including three members, now includes two: María del Mar Rodríguez "La Mari" and Eduardo Casañ, "El Edi". Their name itself is indicative of southern Spain, a chambao is an improvised tent used on the beach to shelter users from the wind and sun, both strong in the area.

The group has created the genre Flamenco Chill, although their music is pretty high energy and more dissonant that one might imagine the new musical style. La Mari's, with her beautiful and unique voice, often performs with other musicians, including Jarabe de Palo (like the song below, Dejame vivir), Bebe, and even Ricky Martin.

escrito por Eliana Arévalo

En las costas del río de la Plata, se respira tango todas las noches. Al tango tradicional se suma un estilo que se ha vuelto muy popular: El tango electrónico o neo tango. Esta música que se hizo conocida gracias a Carlos Gardel a principios del 1900, hoy se escucha y baila de manera más informal, relajada y acondicionada a los nuevos tiempos.

Los grupos importantes

El tango electrónico, surgió de la fusión entre instrumentos tradicionales como el bandoneón y sonidos sintetizados por samplers y computadores. Gotan Project le dio pie a esta música con “La Revancha del tango”, CD que se posicionó en los famosos after hour de las discotecas.