The Original Sound of Cumbia

These two generous CDs of Colombian cumbia, remastered from 78s, 45s and 33rpm LPs, are glorious. The subtitle, The History of Colombian Cumbia and Porro as told by the Phonograph, 1948-79, may be cumbersome but sums it up. Those who can’t make out the Spanish lyrics have compiler Will ‘Quantic’ Holland’s passionately lengthy liner notes to provide some background. Cumbia is a sensual, swinging dance played mostly on accordion, which involves shifting your hips from side to side, preferably with a partner to hand. Underpinned always by a shuffling one-two lope and ‘shuck-shucka-shuck’ beat, it has micro-rhythms layered up by instruments such as maracas, drums and riffing brass. Plaintive high voices waft over the rhythms, as heard on Grupo Costa Brava’s winsome ‘A Baranoa’, in which women chant the chorus and the accordionist plays a superb virtuoso solo. The original throaty sound of the indigenous wooden flute is there for Toño Fernández’s ‘La Guacharaca.

The whole thing kicks off beautifully with ‘La Cumbia Está Llamando’ (Cumbia is Calling You), by singer Gastón with El Conjunto de Jaime Simanca. Its lyrics set the scene for the range of sounds that follow, running the gamut from combo to riotous town brass band outfits like the Banda 2da de Laguneta Córdoba (sic) playing ‘Traicionera’. The collection predates cumbia’s later modernist urban period, relishing no-nonsense, un-fussy playing. This is a vast stream of virtuoso performances, full of musical wit. The welcome message seems to be that whatever happens, life is worth living if you are dancing to cumbia.