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Urban Andes, February 24, 2009

By Dr. Debra Jan Bibel "World Music Explorer" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Most Americans think of music of the Andes as either panpipes with a ukelele-sized lute, the charango, or the funky popular dances, the cumbia and chicha. But there are also sophisticated, urbane songs of other rhythms. This album features the award-winning Colombian singer Niyreth Alarcón, with a rich and warm mezzosoprano voice, and supporting musicians, whose survey of rhythms include the bambuco, pasillo, danza, sanjuanero, guabina, and the very familiar pre-Columbian huayno. The instruments are also of interest, being the tiple lute with four sets of three strings, the middle of the set tuned one octave lower than the adjacent two; the bandola, similar to the mandolin but with double and triple strings; flutes; and percussive shakers. These recordings, whose music reflect the influences of native Indian, European, and African peoples, are fine listening. The beautiful, enjoyable, foot-tapping songs give us a wider perspective of Andean music, particularly that of Colombia. Good dinner music, too.

Fuente: http://www.amazon.com/Musica-Columbiana-Andina-Music-Colombia/product-reviews/B001OBBRP6/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending