Pacifico Colombiano

Colombia is a land blessed with a rich variation of musical tradition. Well known to the international world for its cumbia, vallenata and salsa from the Atlantic coast, the Pacific coast has remained a well kept secret until now. In the past decade in Colombia itself Pacific music has made significant inroads into the national music culture as a new generation of musicians and producers carry on the traditions of pioneering musicians. These are all featured on Pacifico Colombiano. This album offers a tantalizing glimpse at a cross section of rural and urban music from older and younger generations from the cities of Buenaventura and Cali and the Choc region with the marimba threading throughout the album like a musical snake. The tracks on the record were all taken from local productions on the Pacific coast between 1998 and 2008 and aptly illustrate the growth and development of its recording industry and characteristic Pacific sounds of currulao, marimba and chirimia (the Afro-Colombian fanfare).