New Music From Costa Rica on Calabash Music

Walter Ferguson

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

Costa Rican calypsonian Walter Ferguson is probably one of the last calypsonians in Central America who developed his art in verbal confrontations, duels of words and improvisations. He is not only a musician but also a great humorist, the greatest and more prolific calypsonian in Central America today. His songs honestly reflect the idiosyncrasy of the Afro Costa Rican community and a part of the country´s culture most ignored by institutions. Mr. Ferguson jokes about the calypsonian´s naïve spirit, often misunderstood and persecuted, taken advantage of by glamour girls who call him “sugar candy” or bullied by policemen, and portrays Afro Costa Rican life with simplicity and creativity.

Manuel Monestel

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

There's a revial of Calypso from Limon underway and Manuel Monestel has been instrumental in promoting this revival. In "One Pant Man", Monestel sings songs by Costa Rican calypsonians Walter Ferguson and Lenky, as well as original compositions, which touch on a broad range of Latin American styles.

Manuel Obregon

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

An intense desire to experiment best defines Manuel Obregón

William Cepeda & Grupo Afro Boricua

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

William Cepeda is a member of the royal family of Puerto Rican traditional music...

Juan Carranza

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

Guitarist Juan Carranza's vibrant blend of traditional and nuevo flamenco is driven by a spirited undercurrent of Latin and North African rhythms.

Malpais

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

We come from Malpais-from the dry forests and dusty roads of the northeast where the ocean explodes on a pristine shore. It's the source of our language and songs. Malpais is our vision of music-a meeting place where the roads ends.

Soledad Bravo

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

Soledad Bravo was born in Spain and grew up in Venezuela and is an outstanding singer

Papaya Orchestra / La Orquesta de la Papaya

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

La Orquesta de la Papaya, the Papaya Orchestra, was born in 2002 and since then it has carried Central America´s new sound and its musical images to global stages. The Orchestra is made up of 19 musicans from the 7 countries of the isthmus that combine the sound of Nicaragua´s ancient marimba de arco, Garífuna drums from Honduras, turtle shells from Belize, Pre-hispanic clay drums from Guatemala, mejoranera and peasant violins from Panama with more conventional instruments such as piano, electric guitar, bass, drums and accordeon.
Papaya´s music is cheerful and festive. It mixes traditional sones and pasillos from the Pacific coasts with calypsos, bullerengues, cumbias from Panama, parandas, zapateados and a wide range of rhythms, from punta-rock to jamming jazz.
This Orchestra has appeared with enormous success before audiences in New Orléans, Mexico´s Cervantino Festival, Barcelona´s Forum, International Arts Festival in Costa Rica and, in April 2005, they took on their first Central American tour performing in theaters and public spaces in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Belize. They were also the main attraction in the first ever Central American Folk Festival Papaya Fest, held on February, 2006 in San José.

Miriam Jarquin y Blues Latino

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

Blues Latino is the union of original and defined sound

Max Goldemberg y Odilon Juarez Con el Grupo Malpais

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:15:26 -0600

Son of a Russian immigrant and a Guanacaste woman, Max Goldenberg grew up listening to the a cappella songs of his grandmother Isolina. Uncle Adan Guevara, poet and primary school teacher, put her songs to music. With this exercise, he became one of the peninsula’s most important folklorists.

Bonifacia, Odilón Juárez’s mother, had twelve children, and in her scarce free time, learned to play the marimba and guitar. She used to entertain with duets performed with her husband or her brother Blas Obando. Once they grew up, several of her sons became devoted musicians and Odilón went on to form the “Trío de los Hermanos Juárez”, the Juarez Brothers´ Trio.