Galiza (Folk Musica, 2013)
Celebrated accordionist Kepa Junkera is one of the best funded artists in the Basque region of Spain. In 2008, the Basque Autonomous government gave him a 702.000 euro grant. This has enabled Junkera to finance costly productions. This album comes in a deluxe hard cover book+CD format.
Galiza is his tribute to the folk music traditions of Galicia, the Spanish region in northwestern Spain. Junkera weaves his diatonic accordion with traditional Galician instruments such as gaitas (bagpipes), pandeiretas (tambourines), Galician-language vocals and occasionally the Basque chalaparta.
Most of songs and instrumentals selected are traditional songs and dances from Galicia, including alalás, jota de guia, muiñeiras, valses and other folk genres. At times, the pieces stick to the most traditional forms, while on other tracks, Kepa Junkera ventures into the contemporary folk field by adding more modern arrangements and cross-cultural fusions.
The list of Galician guess is truly impressive, with some of the finest acts in the area, including Cristina Pato, Emilio and Daniel do Pando, Budiño, a Banda das Crechas, Leilía, Luar na Lubre, aCentral Folque, Davide Salvado, Treixadura, Susana Seivane, Radio Cos, Xabier Díaz and Adufeiras de Salitre, Os Cempés, Pandereteiros de O Fiadeiro, folk orchestra Sondeseu, Uxía, Manuel Pazos de Medexo and Ceo de Sil, Centro Galego de Barakaldo and Alberte San Martín.
The 23 x 23 cm hard cover book contains two CDs and 50 pages with illustrations, photos and credits.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
