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More Colombians (Jessie Reyez)

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Captain 2020 Hindsight here again – this time hoovering up musics from a throwaway link from @Kaisfatdad in his one hit wonders thread – 35 best Colombian albums from 2020.

For now, Jessie Reyez (no.11 in the list) has found that sweet spot between my ears that Dua Lipa was the last to claim. As I often do when finding a new artist, a quick [artist theafterword] Google shows if anyone’s shared their enthusiasms on the forum already. In this case, it’s the estimable @Bingo-Little who put the case for Jessie – loving her phlegmy vocals. Happy to follow in your trail once more, Bingo.

This track is perfect for me – distinctively clear, beautifully harmonious vocals that soar and growl, coo and hum, tickle and breathe and even do that ickle girl sound Morwenna Banks copywrote. All set off against a wonderful confident dynamic musical backdrop of rhythm guitar, oozing bass sound tinctured with drops of Bollywood violin.

And the lyrics are thoughtful and heartfelt, whose boldness and startling intimacy is well expressed in the video.

As the poll says, “Jessie ha sabido hacer de su voz una experiencia trascendental, reflexiva e inconfundible”

I may post other Colombians from the list as I listen to them an the fancy takes me. For now, I am happy to savour Jessie’s bold music. Hope I can infect a few others while I am at it.

https://www.shock.co/lo-mejor-del-2020/los-35-mejores-discos-colombianos-del-2020

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Comments

  2. This thread is going to be great fun, even if there may not be so many contributors,

    Here is Jessie singing a duet in Spanish.

    Perfect for a snog at the end of the Bogota end of term school disco.

  4. I got confused there for a moment when I Googled.

    Jessie’s parents are both Colombian but she was born in Canada.

    Not that it makes any great difference. I am pleased to be listening to her.

    • Yes she’s Canadian with Colombian parents. But I like the idea of the Colombian theme – it’s my navigation tool. Here she is with a Colombian legend (34 years of recording)

      and for contrast, something disturbing and dark – she’s got range.

  5. I’m going to be a fuddy duddy now…..

    If we are going to talk about Colombian music, I want to propose a toast to record label, Disco Fuentes, who did so much to spread the word about about cumbia and other latin styles.

    Here’s a review of a fine double album of their most popular tracks.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discos_Fuentes

    And then we have to get on to Rodolfo y su Tipico.

    La Colegialia is one the catchiest pop songs, I’ve heard.

    And Senor Rodolfo Aicardi is still mighty popular.

    I love those enthusiastic Latin audiences!

    • Columbian cheese straight from the Fast Show Channel 9. OMG, KFD – you leave me with a list of Colombian music from 2020 and dive straight back to early 80s coffee advert music?
      Let’s bring things up to date with Alexis Play:

      • Alexis Play is excellent.

        My apologies for reverting back to the Fast Show, Sal. But it has been SCORCHIO here today and my brain just melted.

        I was actually listening to some of those Discos Fuentes tracks this afternoon and I think they hold up very well. Wonderfully timeless

        Here’s some melodic, romantic pop with lashings of accordion from Fonseca.

        He could definitely be a grower for me but I am not hoping for much company!

        Over to the dancefloor.. How can one not love a salsa vocalist who rocks a Ramones T shirt? Not many could get away with that scandalous breach of dress code. But the band are so magnificent.

        I am no dancer but who can possibly sit still to the wonderful La 33??

  7. New Latin music goes under my radar these days, unless it’s issued by one of my favourite labels. In this case BBE (Barely Breaking Even) issued a fine collection of “twenty tracks of slow to mid-tempo sunshine grooves, many of them heavy doped-out beats sprinkled in dub, traditional vocals and instruments combined with haunting echoes and synths” which will appeal to fans of Quantic.

    It’s called Colombian Soul. The CD is only a fiver on Bandcamp.

    https://bagarakatrickyd.bandcamp.com/album/colombian-soul

    I didn’t know which track to choose, but this slice of modern Cumbia gives a good flavour of the album.

    • That is excellent. A very agreeable mixture of ancient and modern.

      I can very easily imagine travelling on a rusty old bus and Sunka coming up on the radio.

      Here he is live doing a release party.

      Over to NPR for a very different, bouncier, poppier side of Colombia…

      Monsieur Periné.

    • I agree with KFD – any album with Systema Solar is something I want to be listening to and that taster promises good tunes. Here’s something from last year, Frente Cumbiero with Mad Professor – Cumbia with dub – good for me.

      • Yes indeed! That Colombian Soul compilation opens the door to many interesting new lines of exploration.

        “I realised that there is no compilation of Colombian downbeat music, so I decided to dig deep and get together collection of dubby, downbeat, minor tuned songs. The result is this collection of 20 spacey, soulful songs recorded by well recognised Colombian artists, many of whom I’ve collaborated with over the past few years.”

        And it’s on Spotify if you want to give it a try.

      • IIRC that Mad Professor album is on Palanque records who specialise in Afro Colombian music. It is mostly modern music but more rootsy than electronic and very African influenced. It might even appeal to those strange people who like African music but don’t like latin music.

        One of my favourite acts of theirs is Abelardo Carbono. There is a live version of this on Youtube that could be a 60s surf record that the guitar on the studio version only briefly hints at.

  9. Would you like some sugar with your morning coffee?

    This traditional song performed by Aida Boss hit the spot for me. But I confess I do have a weakness for sensual, willowy Latinas who wear flowers in their hair.

    And here Aida is singing in Palenque, the Spanish based Creole which is spoken in Colombia. I’d never heard of it.

    While we are talking charismatic singers, let’s have a blast from the past from Toto El Mompesina.

    This clip was posted by a Spanish speaker. For him, I suspect “Reading, Inglaterra”, where the concert took place, probably sounds impossibly exotic, sexy and exciting just like these Colombian places do to me.

    I fear he will be disappointed.

    • Nice idea to have morning music to breakfast to – thanks.

      Aida Boss is new to me – nice music in the first video – but confusing as clearly not matching the video, which was distracting. The middle clip was better – lovely relaxing guitar and vocal combination.
      Toto La Monposina is clearly a Colombian queen of music – but a touch too much of the frumpy rather than the flighty Victoria for me – to much regal disdain.

  10. Well I never!

    Dean Bagar aka Tricky D who made the Colombian Soul compilation started his musical career as a punk rocker in his native Croatia. He now divides his time between Berlin and Colombia.

    https://dereksmusicblog.com/2019/06/05/colombian-soul-compiled-by-bagar-aka-tricky-d/

    Here’s another track from the Colombian Soul compilation.

    De donde vengo yo by Los Transatlanticos

    And here from ten years ago are ChocQuib Town with a song with the same name. Wonderfully joyous music.

    • ChocQuibTown were one of the stars of my first Colombian thread last July – fantastic music – joyous, as you say. They are still active and their tiny desk concert from this year is worth watching if you have a spare 15 minutes.

      • I always have 15 minutes for a Tiny Desk. That ChocQuib song I posted really won me over on the spot.

        I felt the same as you about Senor Vives. How pleasing to be proved wrong!

        Another blast from Bogota’s past: Grupo Niche. Well actually, Cali. After a minute or two, this really got under my skin and I was shuffling rhythmically around the kitchen.

        Yikes! There was a whole army of them! For anyone tired of “blokes with a laptop”, Grupo Niche are the perfect antidote,

  11. KFD – I didn’t post the ChocQuib Town tiny desk clip as I didn’t want to overwhelm our little tete-a-tete with too much. but it led next to Carlos Vives with his band doing a tiny desk (home) concert. I had thought he was a bit of a bland Colombian superstar, like Juanes (my own prejudice), but these 4 songs are magical, so I’m sticking this here:

  12. I went into the archives to look at last years’ Colombian thread and refresh my memory

    Lot of wonderful tracks and 72 comments. A Colombian hamper was almost yours!

    Colombian music

    Herencia de Timbiquí almost made an appearance but didn’t quite manage before Last Orders. We’ll make up for that now.

    Very agreeable indeed.

    • Oh God, KFD – 10 more minutes of brief excursion to the past?

      I’m trying to keep this thread in the 2020s. It’s fruitless. Thank goodness, nobody else is watching.

      Do we need Colombia’s answer to Acker Bilk? What did he ask the poor country?

  15. I should do less sniping and more posting. This is the no. 1 in your Colombian hit parade from 2020, KFD. Lido Pimienta, who claims to still be in her teens, puts out a remarkable display of dance and vivacious colours in this video

  21. This travelogue about a visit to Cali was an enjoyable read.

    https://soundsandcolours.com/columns/lulacruza-and-vincent-moon-in-colombia/chirimia-del-rio-napi-cali-unexpected-lullaby-4716/

    It mentions another new name to add to our list; marimba maestro Hugo Candelario and his Trio Bahia

    At a festival in Carthagena.

    And now, Hugo doing a wonderfully mellowversion of the that Buena Vista Social Club fave
    Chan Chan

    And here he is on a visit to Stuttgart to play with Magnus Lindgren and the SWR
    Big Band. Delightfully playful!

    • Speaking as another fan of the marimba, the tracks on the Colombian Soul album are those where there is a marimba alongside electronic beats are the ones I like best.

      As it’s old and Ecuadorian I won’t post anything from it on this thread, but would recommend checking out the album Andarele by Carmen Gonzalez and Koral Y Esmeralda which is a great salsa album featuring marimba.

  23. I like that Palenque hip hop collective. Very confident, good beats. Taking it back from the Pacific to the eastern Caribbean for some bullerengue. Tambor Hembra appeared in last year’s thread. it’s good to see them still going with this lovely voice and response piece

  25. Here are La Perla from Bogota. High energy, acoustic, radical percussive girl power.

    And now here they are together with Tambor Hembra in the latter’s home city of Manizales, a coffee growing metropolis in western Colombia.

  26. Today is Colombian Declaration of Independence Day – it is good that the thread has lasted until now. Here are some celebratory women – much less sedate than Tambor Hembra and La Perla, Loud and proud and strong voiced!


    La Batucada Guaricha
    I think Arrechas is Spanish for horny.

    • Great stuff. You are going from strength to strength.

      Here’s a golden oldie from Chimizapagua from Bogota: Colombia’s finest purveyors of Andean folk music. Just to remind of the size of the country and its culture.

      Momentary detour. One of my strongest memories of when I visited Colombia in the early 80s, was this remarkable place.

      Both the statues and the scenery are stupendous.

  29. This might interest you @Salwarpe. A solar physician with a love of music.

    http://solar.physics.montana.edu/munoz/AboutMe/ColombianMusic/NaturalRegions/Amazonia/English_Amazon.html

    A real labour of love with lots to browse though. For example:

    http://solar.physics.montana.edu/munoz/AboutMe/ColombianMusic/NaturalRegions/Pacifico/English_Currulao.html

    I know you’ve investigated a lot of this stuff previously but there is always something new to hear.

  30. I was trying to find out if any of those Colombian caucanos violin ensembles had made any albums when I stumbled across this lot, Septofono. They are like a Colombian Swingle Singers.

    Very old-fashioned but rather charming. Bet they go down a bomb with the pensioners in Bogota.

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