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Rancho Aparte Chirimia
Party-ready, clarinet-propelled and political, these Afro-Colombians impress Bas Springer.
he Colombian Pacific coast region is home to a great variety of music styles and dance forms which can traced back to Europe and Africa. One of the upcoming bands from this area is the group Rancho Aparte Chirimía, seven young musicians who play chirimía, excit- ing unpolished brass and percussion music. Once they were playing in the streets of their hometown Quibdó, now they want to promote their music in the rest of the world. Their showcase at WOMEX 2015 in Budapest opened new doors, but it’s still a long way to the European and American stages and festivals.
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A concert of Rancho Aparte Chirimía is quite an event. Armed with a battery of percussion, two clarinets , a bombardino (small tuba), big drum, tambora redoblante (a snare drum) , the weathered voice of singer, director, composer Dino Manuelle and whipping chords these seven young musicians have the ability to transform each concert into a dazzling party.
Their performance at WOMEX received additional lustre through an audience that enthusiastically waved small white Rancho Aparte towels which were handed out dur- ing the concert.
Even if you don’t understand what the group is singing about, their wild and ener- getic songs drive you onto the dance floor. Their music is reminiscent of carnival and the exuberant sounds of a brass band on fire. They don’t play typical Colombian styles like cumbia or vallenato but one that’s less well known.
Singer Dino Manuelle explains: “We play chirimía, one of the musical genres from the Chocó department in Colombia’s Northern Pacific region, where 99 percent of the population is Afro-Colombian. Chir- imía was developed in the colonial era when European and African instruments and styles fused. Originally chirimía tunes were played on European brass instruments and clarinets accompanied by regional drums and cymbals. We are inspired by such styles as abozaos, polkas, danzas, rebulú, jugas and contradanzas, which originate from Central European polkas, French quadrilles and English country dancing.”
The name chirimía comes from the Spanish term for a type of primitive oboe, introduced to Central and South America in the 16th and 17th Centuries by the Spanish clergy. The chirimía and drum are used to accompany religious processions and annual commemorative dance-dramas in many remote areas of Latin America.
Rancho Aparte Chirimía has breathed new life into the unfashionable folkloric image of chirimía, which was associated with older people.
“Chirimía is music for celebration but is also played at such sad events as funerals. When we started the band in 2007 we were looking for new impulses to renovate the traditional chirimía. Our base is still tradi- tional music but we add a lot of flavours to it like hip-hop, neo-punk and other modern styles. I think we have been very successful in dusting off chirimía’s image and introduc- ing it to the new generation in Colombia.”
Award-winning hip-hop group, whose members are originally from Chocó but which formed in Cali. Although Choc- QuibTown is more hip-hop and electronica oriented, both bands share their Afro- Colombian roots and critical lyrics.
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Dino Manuelle: “Chocó is usually associ- ated with unemployment, violence and poverty. It is a region where a large popula- tion of Afro-Colombians live. Many arrived there escaping slavery during the Spanish colonial period, and many others arrived after abolition. We are very aware of our history and our lyrics are very political. We sing about history, political and social prob- lems but at the same time we sing about joy and our culture. Inspiration for my songs comes from the daily life of my friends and my own history, so real life stories.”
“At the moment the political situation in Colombia is quite good, our country is making progress. In the past life in Colom- bia was very complicated with guerrilla, paramilitary groups and refugees from the city. The situation is much better now but there are still a lot of problems. The biggest problem in our region is the unemployment among young people.”
“My musical heroes are the masters of the traditional music from Chocó, but I also like Rubén Blades, Oscar D’Leon and other Latin music, punk and bands like Rage Against The Machine and Green Day. A Colombian journalist called our music ‘Colombian punk’. I love that term.”
Why is there’s still no CD of the group available ? “Chocó is in the middle of the rainfor-
est and it’s difficult to access. We don’t have proper studios over here. Our first album will finally be released later this year. After that we want to give concerts in Europe. Together with our manager we have come up with a strategy for develop- ment but it’s not easy. In Colombia we play for young and old people, everybody likes us here. But our music is not played on the radio because in Colombia you have to pay to be played on the radio. This system is called payola. Officially it’s forbidden but everybody works like that. We will never pay DJs money to play our music. We pre- fer to connect with the people who like us, that is much better for us.”
soundcloud.com/rancho-aparte-chirimia facebook.com/ranchoaparte.chirimia F
he best-known band from the province of Chocó is Choc- QuibTown (sometimes written as Choc Quib Town), a Latin Grammy
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