Putumayo World Music has teamed with the non-profit organization United for Colombia in a fundraising effort to help rehabilitate child victims of landmines in the Putumayo River valley and throughout Colombia.
Putumayo will contribute $1 from the sale of each Radio Latino CD to United for Colombia, with an overall expected donation of more than $200,000 to benefit the country that now has the second highest number of landmine victims in the world after Afghanistan.
On Radio Radio Latino, Putumayo – named after the aforementioned river valley – returns to its Latin roots with this collection of contemporary musicians standing at the forefront of the thriving “Rock en Español/Latin Alternative” movement. Most of these musicians are household names within their home countries, but have yet to realize their full potential in the rest of the world.Cuban hip-hop group Orishas is included with the song “Reina de la Calle,” which fuses traditional acoustic Cuban instruments playing son and guajira rhythms as a foundation with layered hip-hop samples, R&B vocals and rap verses to create a sound that is truly unique.
An accomplished singer-songwriter and one of Spain’s brightest n-.w stars, Bebe emerged from relative obscurity in 2005 to become one of the most talked about Latin performers, after five Latin Grammy nominations made her the year’s most nominated artist. On the track “Men Senara,” the simple acoustic vibe of the opening phrases slowly grows into a sonic groove with pulsing beats and electronic effects that add a new dimension to Bebe’s waif-like vocals.
Closing the album is Latin Grammy winner Jorge Moreno, who won the distinctive “Best New Artist” award in 2002. Not since Santana has a U.S.-based Latin performer captured bicultural sensibilities in such a seamless, accessible and original way” On “Candelita,” Moreno is inspired by the traditional instrumentation and rhythms of his parents’ homeland, Cuba. Including brass band accents, flute, and a cacophony of percussive sounds, Moreno ties in contemporary flavors of American pop, funk and electronica.
While acknowledging their heritage by intertwining traditional rhythms and instrumentation with elements of popular music, Latin musicians are demonstrating that you don’t have to sacrifice your cultural roots to appeal to a mainstream audience.
On “Princese” the Sacha Nairobi weaves melodies from a cuatro (a small guitar typically used in Venezuelan folk music) over catchy Latin pop.
Artists such as Javier Garcia, Raul Paz, Kelvis Ochoa and Los Pinguos, among others, realize the musical benefit of weaving the old with the new.
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Author: World Music Central News Room
World music news from the editors at World Music Central
