Sonidos Colombianos

After a luxuriously relaxing week in Virgin Gorda, of the British Virgin Islands, I'm back in New York. And already Colombian music is everywhere (I missed it so much!) Last night, Folklore Urbano played to a packed house at S.O.B.'s, and it's clear that this band keeps picking up more and more fans. They're playing Philly next month, and we're trying to line up some festival gigs for the spring and summer. Also, La Cumbiamba has finished the remastering of their debut CD, and we'll have a release date set for sometime next month.

But if you can't wait that long for new Colombian music, try the great program, "Sonidos Colombianos," on 89.9 WKCR Columbia University Radio, from 10-11 p.m. every Sunday night. Hosted by my friend, Sadys Espitia, it's a great mix of all the styles of Colombian music. New Yorkers, just tune into 89.9. To listen to WKCR on your computer, just click here.

Here's a description from the WKCR website:

Sonidos Colombianos presents the music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Every Sunday night join us as we explore the sounds from the legendary town of "Macondo". Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only "cumbia", but also the guitar-based "bambuco" from the Andean region, the harp "llanero" music from the Eastern Plains, and the accordion-driven "vallenato" of the North Atlantic Coast. Sonidos Colombianos also features the big band music from the 50's, to the newer afro-caribbean music called "champeta". And let's not forget the "salsa" from Cali, the "salsa capital of South America". The last program of each month focuses on one specific musical genre, group or composer.