Tunes for Tuesday; Songs Most Colombians Will Recognize #5

By -
This list wouldn't be complete without a song written by one of the most prolific musical minds of Colombia, Jairo Varela.

Back in the early 90s, I remember anxiously tuning in for an interview he gave on Colombian National Television. Jairo Varela was at the zenith of his career then, and having been witness to his musical success, I was ready to finally meet this impressive musician. There are two things about that interview that remain with me to this day. First, he was a man of few words, almost shy. The interviewer had a difficult time prodding for more than just single word answers. I was expecting him to be just as eloquent as his music. Second, he said that at the time he had written and composed more than 300 songs, most of which had remained unpublished. I guess that, in a way, my second observation helps explain the first: He communicated better through his songs.

Jairo Varela, from Quibdó, Chocó, Colombia, might not be as well known as is his band, El Grupo Niche. Varela started Niche sometime between 1979 and 1980. In 1984, Niche released its fifth album appropriately titled, No Hay Quinto Malo (There's No Bad Fifth, an expression borrowed from the art of bullfighting and somewhat akin to "The Fifth time is the Charm"). The fifth track on Niche's fifth album is our fifth and final pick in this series:

Cali Pachanguero by El Grupo Niche

This song became the Official Song of the Feria de Cali that year, the unofficial Official Song of the Feria de Cali every year after that, and the unofficial City Anthem of Cali, period. Not a small accomplishment considering that Cali is the Salsa Music Capital of Colombia (and the Salsa Music Capital of the World). Since the rest of the country doesn't even question Cali's reputation, we just went with it, and this song is an Anthem for all Colombians. I have a recording of Niche playing it at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, in front of a very loud crowd of mostly Colombians, I'm guessing, since they all seemed to be able to sing along.

The song, of course, is simply about Cali being so cool, happy, and Salsa oriented. Some say that the singer is Tito Gómez, a Colombian from Puerto Rico (we claim him!) who also had sung with La Sonora Ponceña and Rubén Blades. While Tito Gomez sang a lot of Niche's best known songs, he actually didn't join Niche until 1985. He left Niche eight years later and ironically, during a reunion with the band in 2007, he passed away of a heart attack in his adoptive homeland of Cali, Colombia. Niche was a launching pad for several other great musicians who left the band to form their own, including Alexis Lozano who spun off to form Orquesta Guayacán.

Finally, I am not sure what Jairo Varela had in mind when he named his band. Niche (pronounced KNEE chay), according to the Spanish Royal Academy, is a word reserved to denote something of poor taste or conduct. When said about a person, it refers demeaningly to his or her black race. I'm sure, however, that he has taken the word and turned its meaning upside down. Yes, he is black like almost one third of Colombians. He is also a remarkably creative human being and what tasteful music he has written. So, here's to Jairo Varela and his very own brand of Salsa, Niche's "Cali Pachangero":






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Popular Colombian Names

By -
Recently, I was asked to write a post on Colombian names, and popular Colombian names. I had a hard time finding a list, but eventually I did find one. According to I.N.E. - Instituto Nacional de Estadística, -- unfortunately, when I found this it doesn't say the year -- the most common Colombian boys names across all ages are: 1 JUAN CARLOS 2 CARLOS ALBERTO 3 ALEXANDER 4 ANDRES FELIPE 5 LUIS FERNANDO 6 DIEGO FERNANDO 7 JHON JAIRO 8 CARLOS ANDRES 9 ALEJANDRO 10 JUAN DAVID The girls are: 1 SANDRA MILENA 2 LUZ MARINA 3 CAROLINA 4 PAULA ANDREA 5 CLAUDIA PATRICIA 6 MARIA EUGENIA 7 PAOLA ANDREA 8 DANIELA 9 LILIANA 10 MARTHA CECILIA Just as here, names go through ebb and flow. Fourteen years ago when we were married, I attended several baby baptisms and met numerous friends of my husband. At the time, it seemed like everyone was naming their kid Juan CAMILO (boy) or Maria CAMILA (girl). I met dozens of them. Then, about 7 years later, I heard tons of SANTIAGO, JULIAN, SEBASTIAN and FE
Read more

Muisca Indigenous Names, from Hunza (Tunja)

By -
In response to this week’s posts on names, I have received several e-mails asking about the names of famous Colombians and their stories and about Indigenous names. I plan to spend the next three days sharing some of them. Also, I will continue to post more in the future and you will be able to find them all by clicking on the NAMES link the LABELS section to the right of the blog. Name: AQUIMÍN ( pronounced: ah key MEAN) or AQUIMINZAQUE (pronounced: ah key mean ZAH kay) When the Spanish arrived on the plains of Bogotá, 1536, they found a great nation. In fact, it was the third largest group of indigenous inhabitants in America. They called themselves the Muiscas , which meant ‘the people’. Their language was called Chibcha . The Muiscas were not a united group, but rather a collection of city states. The majority of the power was held by two main cities – what today are called Bogotá and Tunja (in Boyacá). These two cities were mortal enemies and each enlisted the loy
Read more

La Madremonte

By -
Image
The myth of the Madremonte (Mother Mountain), and I do say myth though many campesinos in Colombia believe in her today, has it's roots in the indigenous cultures of Colombia and is known throughout much of Colombia including Antioquia, Caldas, Arauca, Caqueta, Amazonas, Guainia, and perhaps more departments. The Madremonte looks like a large woman. She has large, bony hands, large teeth and Betty Davis Eyes -- which on closer examination glow. Her body is covered in leaves and moss. Her hair is a tangled mess of plants and moss which often covers her face. She lives in the mountains and jungles, (in Antioquia and Caldas she lives in swamps where streams are born. People who claim to have seen her, usually report to have done so near thickets and bushes in jungle like areas. Others report having heard her bloodcurdling screams and groans on stormy nights. She rules the winds, the rains, and all the vegetation, and her role is to protect nature. She punishes those who invad
Read more