By Rodrigo Ricardo @hhdrums
Before I begin writing about the content of this article, it is necessary to mention to the reader that my musical influences have been quite diverse: I grew up between San Nepomuceno (a town in northern Bolívar where the region known as the Montes de María begins) and Cartagena de Indias. Therefore, I had the great opportunity to come into contact with diverse musical expressions, changing over the course of a few kilometers. Thus, vallenato, bolero, Cuban son, porro, bullerengue and African genres such as soukous, funaná, mbaqanga (which originated the criolla champeta) all had a place in the formation of my musical ear (despite having ended up being a rocker… What a paradox!).
Having said that, it gave me great joy to have come across a band called Carolina Oliveros and the Nation, founded in 2015 by a woman from Barranquilla living in New York, who presents her album Mountain, which It's as fun and enjoyable to listen to as it is difficult to categorize.
It is very common nowadays, encountering Afro-Latin fusions in music, especially in Colombia, where there are groups like Colectro, Tribu Baharú and Bazurto All Stars that are "making waves" on the national scene and making its way internationally. What is not common is to come across a band like the one mentioned above, as they take this type of musical style to dimensions unimaginable to many music lovers, and They force us to expand our minds to enjoy what they are producing.
The album in question, produced independently, It contains an amalgamation of genres like bullerengue, cumbia, Panamanian tamborito, Cape Verdean funaná, jazz, and soul (although, if you listen closely, you can perceive hints of porro sabanero or Atlantic merecumbé). The powerful voice of the leader of this band She is markedly influenced by singers such as the Martínez sisters (Irene and Petrona) and Totó la Momposina., Giving a strong bullerengue feel to the performance, singing litanies of beautiful melodies in traditional language. Powerful wind instruments, vernacular rhythms, sophisticated guitars and a keyboard that takes us back to the psychedelia of the 60s They are part of the almost religious richness of this great work, with which Carolina Oliveros and the Nation They hit a grand slam home run to position themselves within the major leagues.
It remains up in the air, after listening Mountain, A feeling of exquisiteness. There remains the satisfaction of knowing that there are musicians from our land. capable of breaking free from established patterns and commercial cycles to create bold and tasteful music. I hope that, with the knowledge of this group, the horizons of many of our artists will broaden, and that we music lovers, Let's turn our eyes inwards.
