Tambolero

by Totó La Momposina y Sus Tambores

Overview

Since the 1970s, Colombian singer and dancer Toto La Momposina has been dancing and singing the music of Colombia's Caribbean coastline on stages and in music halls across the globe. She comes from the village of Talaigua on an island in the great Magdalena River. Her 1993 album, La Candela Viva, issued on Real World, was produced by Phil Ramone and John Hollis, and is an enduring classic of Colombian, South American, and Afro-Latin traditional sources. It has been sampled by everyone from Timbaland to Michel Cleis. In 2009, after a request from the latter, Hollis (by then Momposina's son-in-law) sought the masters at Real World Studios and discovered a wealth of forgotten material, some 20 songs and 40 takes. In December of 2014, he remixed, re-imagined, and re-created the album with support and assistance from Real World's Amanda Jones. He and Momposina added new unreleased songs, scraped down some mixes to the core, and used alternate takes. He added backing vocals and handclaps from Momposina's granddaughters Maria del Mar -- who was a toddler at the original sessions -- and Orianna Melissa. In Bogota the following February, Momposina's son Marco Vinicio and Nestor Vanegas added bass and guitar tracks to emphasize the groove quotient, and came up with what amounts to an entirely different album; it's sparser and rawer, more immediate. The percussion on Jose Barros' cumbia "El Pescador" is more up front, as is the backing chorus; this take is slightly slower, adding to the celebratory feel in a narrative that celebrates returning fishermen. On "Chi Chi Mana," a guitar has been added to the tipple, creating an interplay that underscores its Afro-Latin heritage. "Gallacinto" is a traditional chant from Talaigua that didn't make La Candela Viva. In call-and-response, Mamposina directs the changing rhythms (it's a dance). She is accompanied by handclaps, percussion, and the vociferous chorus. "Curara" finds the gaita flutes mixed to the very front of the song. They flesh out the dimension of the tale's lovers and dialogue with the chorus, while Momposina is the poet who narrates their unresolved desire. The closing title track is a funeral dirge that contains several rhythms -- from cumbia to negro, mapale to Afro. The bomba and tambor drums hypnotically engage with the chorale as Momposina simultaneously moans in grief and offers tribute to the song's absent subject. It gathers in dynamic force until it explodes in celebration. The handsome package contains three sets of liner notes (one an essay from Momposina), many wonderful photos, an English translation of the lyrics, and track by track annotations. It doesn't matter if one has heard La Candela Viva, Tambolero is an inspired, masterful re-interpretation from an artist who has learned much more about these songs and their origins since the '90s. It is an exercise in pure joy.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/07/2015
Label:	Real World
UPC:	0884108003183
catalogNumber:	80031
Rank:	102576

Tracks

1. Adios Fulana
2. El Pescador
3. Chi Chi Mani
4. Curura
5. Gallinacito
6. La Sombra Negro
7. Dame la Mano Juancho
8. La Candela Viva
9. Dos de Febrero
10. Malanga
11. La Acabacion
12. Tambolero

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Totó La Momposina y Sus Tambores   Primary Artist
Angelica Maria   Choir, Chorus,Dancer
Totó La Momposina   Vocals
Eduardo Martinez   Maracas,Claves,Gaita Hembra,Gaita Macho
Mayte Montero   Gaita Hembra,Gaita Macho
Marco Vinicio Oyaga   Maracas,Choir, Chorus,Bombo,Guache,Tambor Hembra
Paulino "Batata" Salgado   Bongos,Maracas,Choir, Chorus,Tambor Hembra
Dario Castro   Choir, Chorus,Tambor Hembra,Llamador
Avelino Sanchez   Choir, Chorus,tiple
Rafael Ramos   Guitar,Choir, Chorus,Bombo
María Del Mar Hollis   Choir, Chorus
Eurídice Oyaga De Hollis   Choir, Chorus,Dancer
Oriana Melissa Hollis   Choir, Chorus
Nestor Vanegas   Double Bass
German Vargas   Maracas,Choir, Chorus,Dancer,Guache

Technical Credits

Totó La Momposina   Sleeve Notes
Richard Blair   Producer,Engineer
Antonio Fernandez   Composer
Phil Ramone   Producer
Eduardo Martinez   Arranger
Mayte Montero   Arranger
Richard Chappell   Engineer
José Barros   Composer
Marco Vinicio Oyaga   Producer,Sleeve Notes
Josh Pulman   Cover Photo
Avelino Sanchez   Arranger
Tatiana Spencer   Sleeve Notes
Juan Lara   Composer
Antonio Maria-Peñalosa   Composer
Pacho Cobilla   Composer
John Hollis   Producer,Liner Notes,Sleeve Notes
Silvia Contreras   Composer
Rafael Ramos   Arranger
Eurídice Oyaga De Hollis   Sleeve Notes
Totó La Momposina y Sus Tambores   Arranger
Oli Jacobs   Engineer
Paulino Salgado   Composer
Francisco Bolaños   Composer
Nestor Vanegas   Engineer