The Original Sound of Cumbia - The History of Colombian Cumbia & Porro As Told By the Phonograph 1948-79 (Compiled by Quantic)

iTunes Review

To say that British musician/DJ Will “Quantic” Holland has a great love for the music of Colombia—the country where he now lives—is an understatement. He spent years researching and compiling The Original Sound of Cumbia, a superb collection that presents 55 tracks of cumbia and porro. Accordion is the star here, but there are plenty of spirited vocals, mesmerizing clarinets, scratching guacharacas, and other sounds. The album opens with El Conjunto de Jaime Simanca & Gastón’s “La Cumbia está Llamando,” which features trombone playing that's both eerie and funny. Baldomero Urieles & Efrian Burgos y su Conjunto’s “Amor del Magdalena” is one of the few cuts that includes acoustic piano in the mix. Los Cumbiamberos de Chorrera’s “La Millera” is a fierce clarinet-and-percussion workout, while Banda Bajera de San Pelayo’s “Descarga en Cumbia” spotlights trumpet backed by rowdy horns. The album closes with Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto’s “El Niño Llora,” which features lovely gaita—a cane flute of pre-Columbian origin.