20 (Mad River Records)
Although Castilian music is not as well known as flamenco or Spanish Celtic music from Galicia and Asturias, several contemporary folk bands are taking the ancient musical traditions of Castile to international audiences. La Musgaña is an outstanding Madrid-based band that has been around for many years, bringing its infectious vision of Spanish folk to new heights.
La Musgaña has become a seminal musical school for many of today’s finest folk musicians and some of its recordings are available outside Spain. Mad River Records has released 20 in North America, the compilation album that celebrates the 20th anniversary of La Musgaña.
On 20, La Musgaña provides lively contemporary portraits of the traditional songs and dances of Zamora, Salamanca, Segovia, Burgos and even neighboring Portugal, as well as original material. In addition to their best known pieces from previous albums, 20 adds two bonus tracks recorded at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis in 2007.
The band’s current line-up includes Jaime Muñoz on clarinets, flutes and gaitas (bagpipes); Carlos Beceiro on zanfona (hurdy gurdy), cistro (cittern) and guitar; Diego Galaz on violín; Jorge Arribas on accordion; and Sebastián Rubio on percussion.
Buy the CD or MP3 download:
- In North America: 20. Other albums available: Temas Profanos
Upcoming Shows:
May 28 2009 8:00P
Aranjuez. Compañía Ibérica de Danza Aranjuez, Madrid (Spain)
Jul 4 2009 8:00P
Toulouse Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées (France)
Jul 11 2009 8:00P
Viso del Marqués Viso del Marqués, Ciudad Real (Spain)
Jul 17 2009 10:00P
Motilleja Motilleja, Albacete (Spain)
Jul 30 2009 8:00P
Miranda do Douro Miranda do Douro, Bragança (Portugal)
Aug 8 2009 8:00P
Aldeamayor de San Martín Aldeamayor de San Martín, Valladolid (Spain)
Aug 28 2009 8:00P
Burgos (Spain)
Oct 9 2009 8:00P
Sala Galileo, Madrid (Spain)
Oct 14 2009 8:00P
Moscow (Russia)
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.
