Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
Encyclopedia
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto are a Colombia
n traditional folkloric cumbia
group formed in the Caribbean Region of Colombia which have been active since 1940. Their folkloric music preserves the traditional rhythm
s and sounds product of a mixture of the Colombian Indigenous
, Spanish
and Afro-Colombian
heritage.
The gaiteros meaning those who play the gaita
flute and San Jacinto for the town the group originated from San Jacinto in the Colombian Department
of Bolívar
.
On November 9, 2007 the group won a Latin Grammy award
in the category Folkloric Music for their album "Un Fuego de Sangre Pura: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto from Colombia
" (A Fire of Pure Blood), released on Smithsonian Folkways
Recordings.
of Bolívar
in the 1940s. Miguel Antonio Hernández Vásquez also known as "Toño" Fernández, assembled a group of San Jacinto musicians including Juan and José Lara, Pedro Nolasco Mejía and Manuel de Jesus "Mañe" Serpa who formed the group's official line-up.
From the 1950s onwards, they began touring Colombia, managed by writer and researcher Manuel Zapata Olivella. As decades passed, the group began incorporating a second generation of musicians, among whom can be found some of the sons of the original line-up.
En 1982, due to Toño Fernández's health problems, Joaquín Nicolás Hernández Pacheco, Fernández's nephew, took the role of director of the band.
In 2006, the group recorded an album for the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings label. In November 2007, the group won a Latin Grammy Award for the best Folkloric Music album. During the award ceremony, they appeared on stage with Puerto Rican group Calle 13
.
Currently, the group is headed by four of the original members, Nico, Toño, Juancho and Rafa Rodríguez, who perform with a new generation of gaiteros: Gabriel Torregrosa (son), Fredys Arrieta, Dionisio Yepes, Gualber Rodríguez and other young musicians who occasionally play with the group.
Rumors have circulated online that they might collaborate with Shakira
.
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n traditional folkloric cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
group formed in the Caribbean Region of Colombia which have been active since 1940. Their folkloric music preserves the traditional rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
s and sounds product of a mixture of the Colombian Indigenous
Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The indigenous peoples in Colombia comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.-Origins:...
, Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
and Afro-Colombian
Afro-Colombian
Afro Colombians refers to Colombians of African ancestry, and the great impact they have had on Colombian culture. Notable Afro-Colombians include Colombian scientists like Raul Cuero, writers like Manuel Zapata Olivella and politicians:...
heritage.
The gaiteros meaning those who play the gaita
Gaita
Gaita may refer to:Musical instruments*Various types of bagpipes common to Spain and Portugal such as:** Gaita asturiana, a bagpipe used in the Spanish provinces of Asturias, northern León and western Cantabria...
flute and San Jacinto for the town the group originated from San Jacinto in the Colombian Department
Departments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Bolívar
Bolívar Department
Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was named after one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. It is located to the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the Magdalena River, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.Its...
.
On November 9, 2007 the group won a Latin Grammy award
Latin Grammy Awards of 2007
The 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 8, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.The show aired on Univision. Juan Luis Guerra was the nights big winner winning 5 awards including Album of the Year...
in the category Folkloric Music for their album "Un Fuego de Sangre Pura: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto from Colombia
Un Fuego de Sangre Pura
Un Fuego de Sangre Pura is an album by the Colombian folkloric cumbia group Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto released in 2006 in the Smithsonian Folkways label...
" (A Fire of Pure Blood), released on Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
Recordings.
History
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto were born in San Jacinto in the Colombian DepartmentDepartments of Colombia
Colombia is an unitary republic formed by thirty-two departments and a Capital District . Each department has a Governor and a Department Assembly , elected by popular vote for a four-year period. The governor cannot be re-elected in consecutive periods...
of Bolívar
Bolívar Department
Bolívar is a department of Colombia. It was named after one of the original nine states of the United States of Colombia. It is located to the north of the country, extending from the coast at Cartagena near the mouth of the Magdalena River, then south along the river to a border with Antioquia.Its...
in the 1940s. Miguel Antonio Hernández Vásquez also known as "Toño" Fernández, assembled a group of San Jacinto musicians including Juan and José Lara, Pedro Nolasco Mejía and Manuel de Jesus "Mañe" Serpa who formed the group's official line-up.
From the 1950s onwards, they began touring Colombia, managed by writer and researcher Manuel Zapata Olivella. As decades passed, the group began incorporating a second generation of musicians, among whom can be found some of the sons of the original line-up.
En 1982, due to Toño Fernández's health problems, Joaquín Nicolás Hernández Pacheco, Fernández's nephew, took the role of director of the band.
In 2006, the group recorded an album for the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings label. In November 2007, the group won a Latin Grammy Award for the best Folkloric Music album. During the award ceremony, they appeared on stage with Puerto Rican group Calle 13
Calle 13
Calle 13 is a Spanish cable/satellite television channel. Owned by Universal Studios Networks Spain, Calle 13 promotes itself as a channel of suspense and action and its available on Digital+ satellite TV platform and on all Spanish cable TV platforms....
.
Currently, the group is headed by four of the original members, Nico, Toño, Juancho and Rafa Rodríguez, who perform with a new generation of gaiteros: Gabriel Torregrosa (son), Fredys Arrieta, Dionisio Yepes, Gualber Rodríguez and other young musicians who occasionally play with the group.
Rumors have circulated online that they might collaborate with Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
.