We have two new bands!

Chonta Records is thrilled to announce the signing of two bands, La Cumbiamba eNeYe and Coba, who are integral members of the flourishing Colombian music scene in New York. Chonta will release La Cumbiamba’s first CD, Marioneta, in December, and Coba’s second CD will be released in early 2006.

La Cumbiamba eNeYe is the greatest crowd-pleaser of the NYC Colombian scene, which includes fellow Chonta artist, Pablo Mayor – Folklore Urbano, as well as Chesky Records singer/songwriter Marta Gomez and harp virtuoso Edmar Castaneda. La Cumbiamba’s music, built on sophisticated compositions and an ebullient live show, draws from the rhythms of Colombian folkloric music, especially from the Afro-Colombian rhythms of the country’s Caribbean and Pacific coasts. This is the same area that has spawned such international stars as Toto la Momposina, Grupo Bahia, and Cabas.

Marioneta allows fans to experience the band’s highly praised live show at home. This live show, which has moved audiences in such prestigious venues as Symphony Space, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, and Central Park Summerstage in New York, has won them a following among many young fans of danceable Latin music. Each show is a party, but it is also an homage to the masters in Colombia who invented and wrote many of these rhythms and songs. La Cumbiamba’s frontman, Martin Vejerano, has recorded with master musicians such as Gaiteros de San Jacinto and Jose “Guajalo” Torres.

Coba is the brainchild of composing wunderkind and guitarist Sebastian Cruz, a Colombian from Bogotá who creates beautiful songs by combining Colombian sounds with modern elements. The lyrics tend towards the personal, which gives a unique depth for Colombian music. Cruz works extensively with giants of Colombian music, such as Ivan Benavides and Lucia Pulido, who both contributed to his self-titled first album.

With these signings, NYC-based Chonta Records cements itself as a leader of the promotion of a fresh and innovative music scene that stretches from New York to Bogotá and throughout Colombia.

For more information, please contact:

Robert Kelley
Chonta Records
{contact} (at) {chontarecords} [dot] {com}