Amazon.com - Customer Reviews

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

Periódico El Mundo - Noche de la Canción Social

El Mundo
Domingo , 9 de Agosto de 2009



La idea es abrirle la puerta a nuevos géneros musicales en la ciudad
Canción social, también fue protagonista de la Feria.
Los sueños, las ideas, y las esperanzas, fueron la bandera de presentación de los diferentes artistas que estuvieron presentes en el Primer Encuentro de la Canción Social.

Autor: Martha Patricia Giraldo

Como uno de los grandes eventos de la Feria de las Flores se realizó el viernes, el Primer Encuentro de la Canción Social, del Parque Cultural Nocturno. El escenario fue el Parque de los Pies Descalzos, escenario que se inundó desde las 7:00 p.m de múltiples personas que querían disfrutar de un género musical que está ocupando importantes espacios dentro de las preferencias de los jóvenes.

De acuerdo con Danny Isaza Agudelo, director ejecutivo del Grupo Suramérica, y uno de los organizadores de este Primer Encuentro, es muy novedoso abrir estos espacios de reflexión en una semana como la Feria de las Flores, que siempre se ha concebido como una semana de rumba.

La noche reunió varios artistas que mostraron su repertorio y lograron congeniar con el público asistente que coreó sus canciones y unió su voz a los mensajes de vida que lanzaban los cantantes. Fueron pasando por el escenario Alejo García, Niyireth Alarcón, Pala, Frank Delgado y el Grupo Sudamérica rindiéndole un homenaje a Silvio Rodriguez, como el gran plato fuerte de la noche.

El primero en participar fue Alejo García, quien expresó que esta había sido una noche adicional con respecto a las que se han desarrollado en el Parque Cultural Nocturno.

“Para un país que está en crisis, sigue siendo importante y más vital que nunca seguir haciendo canciones con contenido dentro de los lenguajes contemporáneos”apuntó el cantante.

La unión de muchas voces

Según Carlos Mario Londoño, director general del Grupo Suramérica, es de destacar que estos grupos de la canción social de Colombia se unan entorno ala necesidad de hacer que esta canción permanezca viva y resista.

“La cultura tiene diversas opciones y es para todos los gustos, uno mismo lo puede ver, aquí hay más de ocho mil personas cantándole a la vida, a los sueños, a la libertad, eso significa que nuestra música le llega al corazón a las personas”, expresó Carlos Mario Londoño.

Así las cosas, los asistentes disfrutaron de cada nota y de cada letra de las canciones que se entonaron durante la noche, en un encuentro que no tuvo discriminaciones de edad, sexo o clase política.

Uno de los asistentes fue el candidato presidencial Sergio Fajardo, quien celebró que en Medellín se haya creado un espacio como este, un espacio para que las personas se encuentren en la ciudad.

“Esta ciudad pasa por todos los tipos de música, por toda la viversidad cultural, es por esto que la ciudadanía se debe acercar a estos artistas que hablan de lo que nos ocurre , de lo que pasa en las calles de los diferentes países, de sus sueños, por esta razón no me quería perder por nada del mundo un concierto como este “ finalizó Fajardo.

Otra de las que no se cambiaba por nada de la emoción de poder estar en este primer encuentro fue Niyireth Alarcón. “Es grandioso que se esté realizando este concierto, yo pienso que muchísima gente estaba esperando este tipo de espacios para poder disfrutar de la Feria, porque hay gente que goza con los espacios más tranquilos, que disfruta al escuchar esta música y al participar con este otro tipo de actividades” puntualizó la solista.

Fuente: http://www.elmundo.com/sitio/noticia_detalle.php?idcuerpo=2&dscuerpo=La%20Metro&idseccion=54&dsseccion=Primera%20P%E1gina&idnoticia=124175&imagen=&vl=1&r=la_metro.php&idedicion=1459

Houston Press - Houston Blog

Sonidos y Mas: Niyireth's Musica Colombiana Andina
By Ernest Barteldes in Rotation, Sonidos y Mas
Thursday, Jan. 15 2009 @ 9:27AM

Niyireth

Musica Colombiana Andina - Music from Colombia (Arc Music)

When we hear about Andean music, the first thing that comes to mind are those Peruvian pan-flute players who perform on city streets, either playing traditional tunes like "El Condor Pasa" and "Fina Estampa" or adapting American pop songs into their own style. But there is much more music that comes from the South American mountains, like this disc from UK-based label Arc Music.

Classically trained Niyireth Alarcón has dedicated her life to spreading the traditional folk music of the Colombian Andes. While danceable and electronic genres like vallenato and salsa have found a home in the U.S. via the many immigrant communities that have arrived here in recent years, somehow the more organic sounds styles like bambuco and pasillo have failed to fully make it across the border.

To make matters worse, younger urbanized generations are unfamiliar with them, hence the need to preserve these songs for posterity. On this CD - Alarcón's first to get worldwide distribution - we get some examples of Alarcon's vast repertoire. The program opens with "La Cholita," a song whose first-person lyrics describe a young mestiza's daily life and her daily struggles to take care of her ever-growing brood.

Grupo.JPGHeartbreak and longing are the themes of "La Chapolera" and "Sufro Quierendote," which appear here as a soft medley whose simple arrangement allows the listener to pay close attention to her voice, which bears close resemblance to Mexican-American singer Lila Downs (another classically trained vocalist dedicated to traditional music).

June marks the Winter harvest in several South American countries. In many communities, farmers eat, drink and dance in honor of St. John The Evangelist and St. Peter (the latter is the patron saint of fishermen in the Roman Catholic calendar). The music is always lively, and the dance is similar to the square dance performed in the U.S. An example of this is "Llano Grande," an upbeat number whose lyrics describe the party mood of the revelers eager to dance the night away.

Musica Colombiana Andina comes in a cool package that includes a detailed biography of the artist, lyrics and instruments, with text in English, French, German and Spanish - leaving no excuse for those who complain that they can't understand what is going on. Let's hope that this release motivates her to tour the U.S. in the near future. - Ernest Barteldes

Fuente: http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2009/01/sonidos_y_mas_niriyeth.php

The Independent - Reviews

Album: Niyireth, Musica Colombiana Andina (ARC)

Reviewed by Michael Church

Sunday, 1 March 2009

Niyireth Alarcon is a conservatory-trained mezzo who has dedicated her life to popularising the music of the high Andes, and what she delivers here is charming. Some of the rhythms arrived from Cuba, some from Africa, and some from Europe — in Colombia, the waltz evolved into the "pasillo". Niyireth's warm sound is complemented by lutes and exotic percussion, such as the esterilla and the rainstick. How can a handful of seeds sliding down a hollow tube sound so magical?

Pick of the Album: 'Besame Morenita', and bask in the sun

Fuente: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-niyireth-musica-colombiana-andina-arc-1634588.html

Perceptive Travel World Music Reviews

Perceptive Travel World Music Reviews

March 2009

By Laurence Mitchell

In this issue: A tone poem from Norway, Andean music from Colombia, a dance music from Mali, a Klezmatics best-of, and...Afro-Polish?!


Musica Colombiana Andina
Niyireth Alarcón
We say: Andean music from southern Colombia, no poncho required

This new release from the UK–based Arc Music label showcases the talents of Colombian Niyireth Alarcón, a professionally trained singer with a pure honeyed tone. Alarcón has been performing and winning awards in her native Colombia for over 15 years and recording for the past ten, although this is her first major international release.

While this is authentic Andean music, those expecting trilling pan–pipes and bomba–thumping along the lines of "El Condor Pasa" may be disappointed as this collection contains a wide range of styles from southern Colombia, none of which seem to require the compulsory wearing of a poncho. The songs, which also steer well clear of the familiar vallenata and salsa rhythms we tend to associate with Colombia, instead showcase lesser known styles like bambuco, which has its distant roots in Africa, the waltz–time pasillo, and danza, an Andean folk rhythm related to Cuban habanera. The single exception to this is the inclusion of an Andean huayno, "Ojos de cielo", as a closing track, which will be more familiar territory to those of the pan–pipe persuasion.

The songs deal with mestiza daily life in the Huila Department region of southern Colombia that Alarcón calls home. Songs like "Mi tierra del Huila" and "Bésame Morenita" are anthems to beautiful women and gorgeous landscapes, while others, like "Alpargatas de mi tierra", praise indigenous culture and achievement.

The musical accompaniment, which shows a relaxed virtuosity, is performed on guitar, bass and traditional stringed instruments that include charango, the 12–string tiple and 16–string bandolo. Quena flute and traditional percussion complete the line–up. Alarcón's voice is warm and emotive throughout, her classical training demonstrating excellent technique while remaining homespun and true to it roots.

Fuente: http://www.perceptivetravel.com/issues/0309/music.html