Ailá is a folk music band that developed during the vibrant foliadas (Galician celebrations and sessions of folk music) at Casa das Crechas, a popular folk music bar in Santiago de Compostela, located in northwestern Spain.
Ailá’s musical project draws inspiration from reverence for tradition and Galician heritage music, as well as an inclusive vision infused with scents, rhythms, and hues from diverse global cultures.
Additionally, Ailá is part of the new Galician Tradis Tribes movement, a genre that transcends music, combining dance and music as a way of perceiving life and existing in the world.
Their first album, self-titled Ailá, was developed through intimate music sessions where they performed songs and melodies influenced by archival sounds, traditional songbooks, and vintage recordings. Gradually, a band was formed around this collaborative creation, led by the seasoned accordionist and firefighter Xan Pampín, who brings extensive musical experience from groups like Radio Cos and Banda das Crechas. Pampín assumes the roles of researcher and arranger for the material.
Ailá’s repertoire encompasses lively jotas, muñeiras, waltzes, and pasodobles, inspired by various locations such as Laxoso (Ponte Caldelas), Santa Marina del Barro (A Baña), Abeneiros (Ordes), Coles (Ourense), San Martiño de Gallegos (Frades), and Los Seixedos (Covelo).
The band also aims to reintroduce unique musical instruments like the gaita rosca, also known as rosca, which is a shepherd’s bagpipe. Unlike the conventional elder reed pipe, the rosca features a cow horn resonator at its lower end. Additionally, the quartet employs tarrañolas (a type of castanet with two separate wooden, stone, or tile tablets), seashells, and frying pans, offering a captivating musical journey through Galician folk traditions.
Manuele Pardo, one of the vocalists, also contributes with pipes and percussion. Pardo has extensive musical background with groups like Os da Porfía, Enxebres de San Lázaro, Arequinta de Xián, and AC a Mámou de Luou. The other vocalist and percussionist is Ángela Carou, a talented artist from Rianxo, trained in A.C. Brincadeira, A.C.Fogo Fátuo, and the Fonetix Vocal Group.
Abel Gañete, coming from the esteemed tradition of marching bands in Galicia, showcases his skills on the trumpet and flugelhorn. Gañete has performed with Teo’s Cultural Music Band, Marcos Pin’s Big Band, and Pablo Castaño’s Charanga TNT.
Through their performances, Ailá presents a repertoire that pays homage to the legacy of their mothers, grandmothers, folk groups, and collectors who have preserved parts of their history. The band actively involves artisans, seamstresses, painters, and individuals who contribute to the vibrant ecosystem of tradition.
Ailá understands that each generation strives to infuse new life into the musical tradition. They align themselves with the traditional, which holds more significance than a mere label for them. It represents a way of perceiving and comprehending life from a holistic perspective, where music acts as the backbone of the community, fostering intergenerational connections.
The name Ailá is a word that encapsulates the emotion of popular joyful and festive songs, represented by the neologism “Ailalelo ailalá,” commonly used in traditional Galician folklore.
The band consists of Angela Carou on vocals and percussion; Manuele Pardo on vocals, percussion, and bagpipes; Abel Gañete on flugelhorn and trumpet; and Xan Pampín on accordion and bass drum (bombo).
Guest musicians on the debut album include Manuel Amigo on seashells and tarrañolas; Pedro Lamas on gaita de rosca; Nikolai Velikov on violin; Pedro Pascual on mandolin and viola amarantina; Pablo Carpintero on vocals; Andrés Villán on caixa; Fernando Saá on can and frying pan; Andrea Pérez López on alto sax; Maria Prado López on trumpet; and Maritza Ruan López on French horn.
Ailá celebrated the arrival of spring 2023 with the premiere of their second album, Sansolimón. The album offers a renewed repertoire with finely crafted arrangements, with music from the four corners of Galicia. Ailá intends to bring its root music (jotas, muñeiras, waltzes and pasodobles) to the new generations without losing its essence and providing a broader vision of the musical universe in the current scene.
(headline image: Ailá – Photo by P. Pastor)
Discography:
Ailá
Sansolimón (Karonte, 2023)
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.