Totó La Momposina

by Steve HueyTotó La Momposina exemplifies the living tradition of Colombian folk music, having carefully studied and performed her native song and dance for several decades. Colombia's indigenous music is a heavily rhythmic hybrid of Spanish, native South American, and Afro-Cuban influences, and La Momposina mastered its different styles and rhythmic variations so well that she was invited to perform at the 1982 Nobel Prize ceremony for Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Totó La Momposina was born in the village of Talaigua, on the island of Mompos, located in the Magdalena River near Colombia's northern coast. Not only was her family musical (her parents were fourth-generation musicians, her father a drummer, her mother a singer and dancer), but her village was blessed with the presence of Ramona Ruiz, a skilled, veteran cantadora (female peasant singer) who helped train La Momposina in her teenage years. La Momposina traveled up and down the Colombian coast, learning as much music and dance as she could -- from village celebrations to the common, everyday songs sung as accompaniment to daily labor. During this extended research period, La Momposina was honing her vocal and performance skills as well, discovering a rich power in her voice that soon made her extremely popular locally. In 1968 (somewhere in her twenties), La Momposina formed her own band, continuing to perform at smaller local functions but now also expanding her horizons in hopes of building a professional career. Word of her vocal prowess spread quickly, and by the '70s, she had begun making international appearances, touring Europe and most of the Western Hemisphere. In 1982, she performed at a ceremony honoring Garcia Marquez with the Nobel Prize in Literature, and subsequently spent four years in Paris studying the history of dance at the Sorbonne. During this time, La Momposina recorded her first album, 1985's Totó La Momposina Y Sus Tambores (released on Auvidisc). She returned to Colombia in 1987, reconnecting with her roots by touring in the more immediate region, and also traveled to Cuba for further musical study. In 1991, La Momposina was invited to join Peter Gabriel's WOMAD concert festival; she toured the world once again, and subsequently recorded a second album for Gabriel's Real World label. La Candela Viva was released in 1993 to much acclaim, and helped put La Momposina in great demand at music festivals around the world. The follow-up album, Carmelina, appeared in Europe in 1996. She continued to perform across the globe, now incorporating her grandchildren, as well as her children, into her large performing troupe and elaborate stage show. Her fourth album, Pacanto, was released in 2000.