New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Shore Fire Media) On Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM Smithsonian Folkways Recordings celebrates its new album release - "Los Gauchos de Roldán: Button Accordion and Bandoneón
Music from Northern Uruguay" together with the Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts in the "Sala de las Artes" at the
Embassy of Uruguay located at 1913 I (Eye) St. NW in Washington D.C.. The event is free to the public and those interested in attending are asked to RSVP:
[email protected].
Event Details:
A group led by button accordionist José Curbelo, protégé of Uruguayan accordion master Walter Roldán (who is featured on the new album) will perform music from the album. Curbelo, an International Affairs student at The
George Washington University and well-versed in this traditional style of Uruguayan dance music, was also the co-producer of the album. A short Smithsonian Folkways-produced documentary film on the making of the album will be presented, followed by a reception with light refreshments, raffle for Smithsonian Folkways prizes, and sale of CDs.
Curbelo's group includes Uruguayan percussionist Washington "Pampa" Martínez, Paraguayan guitarist Pedro Báez, and
George Washington University bassist Dominic Martínez. Note - Walter Roldán will not be present at the event.
About "Los Gauchos de Roldán: Button Accordion and Bandoneón
Music from Northern Uruguay"
With this album Smithsonian Folkways shines a spotlight on the South American country of Uruguay and its much-loved, yet little-known, down-home rural dance music. Born in the gaucho ranching homelands of northern Uruguay, the multiracial genre combining accordion and guitar has been an important social tradition for families since the late 19th century.
Listen to the milonga "Como mí suegra" (Like My Mother-in-Law) - https://snd.sc/qCAafd
Watch a mini-documentary about Los Gauchos de Roldán - https://youtu.be/mIG7kvdV5H0
Purchase this recording at https://www.folkways.si.edu
The protagonist of the album, button accordionist and bandleader Walter Roldán, hails from Tacuarembó, Uruguay, a melting pot of Spanish creoles, indigenous descendants, Afro-Uruguayans, Brazilians, and European immigrants. It's also a center of rural northern Uruguayan traditional music, notable for the two-row button accordion and the bandoneón, a complex accordion-like instrument with a lush sound that is also a symbol of the urban Tango tradition.
"Los Gauchos de Roldán: Button Accordion and Bandoneón
Music from Northern Uruguay" is the 34th release in the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions series since 2002. The series, a co-production with the Smithsonian
Latino Center, showcases the diverse musical heritage of the 50 million Latinos living in the USA. Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the national museum of the U.S., producing recordings and educational materials that strengthen an appreciation of musical and cultural diversity.
Also in celebration of the new album, Los Gauchos de Roldán will be featured at the main stage of the traditional and wildly-popular Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha in Tacuarembó, Uruguay on March 8th, 2012.
This Smithsonian Folkways album was also supported by Uruguay's Fondo Nacional de Música (FONAM), and the Comisión del Bicentenario Uruguay. The Ministerio de Educación y Cultura of Uruguay has also declared the project of Cultural Interest.
https://www.ochobajos.com
https://www.folkways.si.edu
https://www.uruwashi.org
