Currulao Music of Colombia

This is one of the most African influenced patterns in all the Colombia, and it has its roots among the Afro-Colombian/African-descendant/Back people of the Pacific coast.  In its most basic form, the currulao it is played by an orchestra of about four musicians.

source of picture: www.lameca.org

One of the musicians plays a 6-8 rhythm on a drum which is known as a cununo which superficially look-like the alegre drum (used on cumbia) to the untrained eye, but is narrow and taller. This Currulao rhythm is made by both striking the skin of the drum with one’s hand and tapping the side of percuss with a small stick.

The second musician keeps the time on a shaker that is known in parts of the Colombia as a guasa (goo-ah-SAH) or guache (goo-AH- cheh) which is typically a hollow cylinder made by the metal, wooden, or guadua bamboo, that is filled with light seeds, rice which is sometime used in home- made guasas.

But the main instrument of the currulao pattern is possibly the Colombian marimba, a wooden xylophone which look-like as the African balafon which is also for the style of playing. Several groups in the Colombia perform this as a traditional pattern of music, currently the most well-known groups like Grupo Socavon, Grupo Gualajo, and Grups Bahia Trio. A well well-known figure among the old marimbero of the masters in Colombia New York, on the east coast (New York) and the Aluna group in the west coast (San Francisco), in 2010, the Currulao has been added to the UNESCO repertoire of the Masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.

Other Pacific genres are;

• Abozao
•  Aguabajo#andarele o Amancer
• Arrullo
•  Bambabara Negra
•  Bambuco Viejo
• Berejú
• Boga

• Bunde Chocoano
• Caderona
• Calipso Chocoano
• Chigualo o Gualí
• Contradanza Chocoana
• Danza Chocoana
• Jota Chocoana
• Juga
• La Caramba
• La Madruga
• Makerule
• Mazurka chocoana
• Pango o Pangora
• Patacoré
• Polka Chocoana
• Porro Chocoano
• Pregón
• Romance
• Salve
• Saporrondón o Sapo-Rondó
• Son Chocoano
• Tamborito Chocoano
• Tiguarandó
• Villancico Chocoano