2 (Mandeo Records, 2014)
Cahórnega is one or the leading folk music bands from Cantabria, a region in northern Spain, bordering the Cantabrian Sea known for its mountain and seafaring culture. The band’s second album features primarily original songs, along with a handful of new arrangements of traditional pieces.
On (Cahórnega) 2 you will find Cantabrian folk roots, along with Celtic (including Irish-style arrangements), pop and global music elements, mixing lively dance tunes and wonderful instrumentals with love songs. The lead instruments throughout the album are the bagpipes and whistles.
The musical instruments reflect the various influences of Cahórnega. The group uses Spanish instruments like the guitar and gaita (bagpipe), Irish whistles and bodhran (frame drum), Breton bombard, and the Greek bouzouki which has been adopted by many European folk bands via Irish folk music.
Cahórnega current lineup features Bruno Pasanisi Pérez on vocals and bombard; Jose Higuera on vocals and bouzouki; Pablo Gonzalez on vocals and whistles; Sergio Higuera on acoustic guitar and vocals; Fernando Gomez on gaitas and vocals; and Antonio Romero on bass. The Ronda Pico Cordel Cantabrian folk ensemble makes a guest appearance on the traditional song ‘Soy Vaquero’ (I’m a cowboy).
Cahórnega’s 2 is a well-crafted album of cross-pollinated Cantabrian folk by a group of talented and passionate artists.
You can purchase the CD from regiocantabrorum.es
Digital download of 2 available at amazon.com
More information about the band at cahornega.com
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.
