Os do Fondo da Barra – BâNZô (Os do Fondo da Barra, 2024)
The Os do Fondo da Barra (OFB) is a Galician music group from northwestern Spain that originated within the Cultural Association Xacarandaina in the city of A Coruña. This association has been active for 45 years, serving as one of the main pillars of the region’s folklore due to its efforts in the recovery of Galician Cultural Heritage. OFB includes 15 male members who perform s expressive, emotive and joyful songs collected from across the Galician territory, aiming to represent the time-honored male songs of Galicia’s intangible art.
Their album BâNZô features memorable traditional songs with a fresh, contemporary folk treatment, closer to current trends. It includes tavern songs, sea shanties, medleys, and dance accompaniment songs, utilizing various percussion instruments such as frame drums alongside accordion, bagpipes, saxophone, and Turkish cymbals. BâNZô is a product of the legacy of ancient Galician choral groups and the men of the sea and land. Song and dance genres include pasodobres (pasodobles), xotas (jotas), muiñeiras, rondas, and waltzes.
Vocalists and percussionists include Santiago Pardo, Martín Río, Pablo Herva, Manolo Fernández, Pablo Rivas, Xoan X. Casanova, Fernando Freire, Moncho Dono, Quique Péon, and Xulio Amaro, while the instrumental section features Fran Barcia on accordion and vocals; Ismael Marcos on saxophone, bagpipes, and tambourine; Manu Seoane on saxophone and bagpipes; and Andrés Boutureira on bass drum with cymbals.
Buy BâNZô.
Author: Iliana Cabrera
