Day 9: Cumbia con Arpa

Published February 9, 2011 Cumbia , Latin Roots 2 Comments

In Colombia, Los Llanos (the plains) are the vast agricultural lands of savannah that stretch all the way to Venezuela. Both the vallenato and cumbia originated in the northern Caribbean coast – whereas a different type of music from the plain region developed around the instrument of the harp. Musica Llanera, or so it’s called, never really got the attention that other musical genres did of the day. However, Ernesto Torrealba seems to have melded the two genres together quite well.

Cumbia Sobre El Llano is a quasi-reflection of what typical Musica Llanera is about: music with a rhythmic drive and vocals that verge on over sentimentality. But what other instrument can actually sound like the wind hitting the brush and savannah like the harp can? Possibly a testament of how bounded a music is to its own environment. Enjoy!

1. Ernesto Torrealba y su Conjunto: Cumbia Sobre El Llano

2 Responses to “Day 9: Cumbia con Arpa”

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1 danigb February 10, 2011 at 6:39 pm

This is incredible! Thanks for sharing! More on this!!! (and i’m curious about Luis Bullion…)
Bests,

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2 Mole May 20, 2011 at 4:25 pm

This record has changed my life. It is perfect. Thank you.

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