Tentemozo

Due to certain stylistic similarities, Galician music is often lumped together with Celtic music and presented as two branches of the same tree – a conception popularised by Carlos Nunez’s collaborations with The Chieftains and Sinead O’Connor. This irks many Galician purists who see fusions of the two different styles as sacrilege, and contributing to the decay of this particular Spanish music tradition. For their latest release, a celebration of 20 years as a group, Os Cempes have decided to mine much of Galicia’s traditional music, bringing moments that recall the Spanish orchestras of the 1920s and 30s that revelled in this music. Bagpipes, bouzouki, hurdy-gurdy and drums all feature prominently among Tentemozo’s 12 tracks, as do traditional (though imported) musical styles such as pasodoble, polka and mazurka. Opener ‘Mirandes’ is a dense production, with a symphonic quality that recalls Aaron Copland’s appropriations of American folk music in his Rodeo and Billy the Kid ballets. It’s a great way to envelop the listener in this highly danceable music, which is defiantly upbeat throughout the album. This is music with a skip in its step, with simple but grand arrangements and melodies full of pathos that draw you in. Most importantly, this is music played with skill and passion that is as good an advert as you’ll get for Galician music, keeping both the purists and new converts happy.