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Mi Patria, a Few Songs, & What I Am

It started quite simply with a song. A friend from Mexico invited me to have a few beers over the weekend, so we decided to visit one of the local Mexican bars that is frequented by many native Mexican people. The usual deal. Live nortena, banda and of course Cumbia. Now anyone who knows anything at all about Colombian music, has to know that the music known as Cumbia, can claim Colombia as its origin. While I have tremendous admiration for some of Mexico's premium beers, I have equal disdain for what my neighbors to the South have done with what can truly be called one of Colombia's folklores...her music....her Cumbia. The rhythm is the same (well almost). But the instruments and that horrible electric piano unnerves me to no end.

What particularly distorts the Cumbia and thus offends me most, is that they play and sing our songs. Don't misunderstand me. There is nothing intentional here. I suppose I should appreciate the fact that in spite of all the other music that is uniquely Mexican (Nortena, Banda, and Mariachi)I suppose I should be very flattered by the fact that they have chosen Cumbia as an export that they admire so much, that they dance their hearts out into the wee hours of the night celebrating our Colombia in the process. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Therefore, how can this Colombian American not be flattered when they such songs such as "La Mucura", "La Pollera Colora", and even.....believe it or not "Colombia Tierra Querida".

These songs bring a renewed sense of vigor when they are played and sung in the form that any Colombian, or many other Colombian admirers (like you Kernow) on this forum would easily recognize.

The other day though, I just could not adapt. I could not get myself enthusiastic about our music while sitting in that bar. So, after only two beers (honest), my friend drove me home and I had to get my fix of the real thing. But was it really a fix? Or was it a teaser? Just like I feel that listening to Cumbia Colombiana in a Mexican bar is like wearing a tuxedo in an old rusted car on the way to a wedding, sitting in my home, while providing me some relief, was making me sad that I was not able to be in the land and with the people that created it all. So that was my choice; anger at how Cumbia gets trampled on in both form and substance, or sadness that sitting alone in the sterility of my home, void of anything (with the exception of my chiva that my house keeper dropped) that really makes me feel like I am of Colombian origin.

Well, time has taught me to adapt and get accustomed to the continuous cycle of anger and sadness. Maybe I just need to be gracious that I have that piece of folklore to hold onto to begin with. It is after all, aside from my poor Spanish speaking skills, what makes me feel what it is really like to say with pride, in spite of all the stereotypes, that I am from Colombia and I am proud of it !!

By Gomezman5 on Aug 10, 2005, 11:50 in Friendly Talkzone.

Estefania says on Aug 10, 2005, 12:04:

I totally agree with you. Well i feel the same as you sometimes when i hear my vallenatos in bachata. I mean it disappoints me that they take our music and say they are GREAT MUSICIANS, when in fact all they did is copy our music and put it in another rhythm that most people here in the US are used to. Alot of people i know say that maybe they took it out in bachata becasue more people listen to it ...and that in that form more people listen to it...but i disagree...people are just not open to our music and thats why they dont really appreciate it.

I think Colombia is the country with most musical culture, because we listen to everything and dance to everything. BUt i mean we cant discriminate against mexicans with their nortena, banda, etc, or Dominicans with their Bachata because we ourselves discriminate between cumbia cachaca and cumbia costena. IM costena and even when i go to barranquilla alot of people dont like cumbias that people from medellin and cali listen to, but rather they like the tambor cumbias which are the ones that represent colombia culturely.

The bottom line is...i guess the only thing we can do is appreciate eachothers form of music...even if it pisses us off. In a way it should make us happy that they are listening to our music.

But in my opinion nothing compares to our music...and when i hear a cumbia....la pollera colorada, or even grupo niche....i get nostalgia...and it just makes me want to go back to colombia. I guess thats something that only we understand.

*~* Nany *~*

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Colombiche says on Aug 10, 2005, 12:17:

What really Ticks me off... Going to the most happening Latino club here in Toronto (it is frequented by about 50% latino, 50% non-latino).

When they play Cumbia, you should see these people (Latinos and Non-Latinos alike) trying to show off, dancing Cumbia doing Salsa steps, complete with spins and dips. I get so mad, I feel like walking up to them and telling them "Hey, this is cumbia, not salsa, and this is not a freaking ballroom".

I can spot another Colombian in the club right away when I somebody dancing cumbia as it should be: shoulder vibrating, hip movements, mimicking holding up the pollera and the candle, slightly crouching you upper body down as you go under your partner's lifted arms. Then I know I am looking at a couple of colombianos, no matter if they are cachacos or costeños. When they are costeños, they usually have much more body movement than the stiffer cachacos.

To complete my aggravation, the DJ plays Carlos vives and says "more cumbia de Colombia... for you rumberos".. and then you see the wannabe salseros keep going with their spins and dips, totally unaware that the music just switched from Cumbia to Vallenato. At least the DJ should have known better.

No me den trago extranjero, que es caro y no sabe a bueno.... (Rafael Godoy)

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Peter Miami says on Aug 10, 2005, 12:41:

You guys have made me want to listen to this music. I do not know if I have heard it but I will find out when I am in Colombia this Friday. G5 you are my main man, I do not want to see you down. Cheer up that you have to hold the fort while I am gone.

Peter Miami

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kernow62 says on Aug 10, 2005, 14:45:

G5, I have been reading up a bit on Mexican versions of cumbia. From what I have read Colombian artists brought the sound to Mexico where it underwent a change to suit local tastes and instrumentation, except in Monterrey (sp?) where they continue to play cumbia with Colombian instrumentation. I notice that they even use the button accordeon as they do in Colombia rather than the key type more popular in Mexico, they even have the same tuning applied to the instrument.

I know the purists will not agree with me, but I think some pretty interesting cumbia comes out of Mexico, specifically some of the stuff Celso Piña has done, he has incorporated more modern sounds teaming up with groups such as Cabas, Control Machete and others.

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Gomezman5 says on Aug 10, 2005, 15:38:

I agree with you Kernow I did not mean to say that I disapprove whole heartedly with the stlye and approach. Look, I dance it, but I do try to teach this Mexican girls to dance it correctly. You cannot use a Salsa rhythm to dance cumbia. Mexicans use the same rhythm and steps to dance to all the music, with the exception of Banda where they sort of look like they are hopping and jumping around. (Watch Univision)

I guess what I am saying is that as a person of Colombian origin, it is sort of nostalgic to hear my (our) cumbia played differently than the way I am accusted to hearing it when I grew up....

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platano says on Aug 10, 2005, 16:05:

Colombiche, Kernow, G5... I hear you. It is not the same cumbia and salsa steps are not called for. The Mexicans may have no knowledge of our "authentic cumbia" but, on the other hand... sometimes you just got to swallow the purism, go with the rhythm of the corrupted cumbia, and have a good time.

Once at a street dance in New Mexico they started in with the "cumbia" and I thought WTF this is NOT cumbia. But then I noticed that people were dancing (in there own style of course) and they were smiling and laughing... there were even kids and dogs at this street dance and everyone was having a good time. so I swallowed my Colombian cumbia purism and just danced and my steps were not like their's 'cause I was doing it right... as I learned in Colombia... "pero a la vez dejándome ir con la cumbia corrumpida mejicana"

Plátano, el banano verde
Oxigeno Verde ¡Libertad por Ingrid y los demás!

plátano

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kernow62 says on Aug 10, 2005, 17:23:

You want to see some funky dancing watch people who know how to dance to música llanera, they are hopping around all over the place!

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Gomezman5 says on Aug 10, 2005, 17:38:

Right again Kernow Especially the style of llanera called Jorropo. It is faster and even more rhytmic. It is actually quite interesting to watch them dance. While llanera exists in Colombia, most of the top artists are from Venezuela.

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platano says on Aug 10, 2005, 17:48:

Indeed, G5, the grassy plains of the southeast are... geographically and culturally linked to the Venezuelan grasslands and heartland of the courtship dance known as joropo, which is associated with the cowboy culture of the region. Performed on harp, bandola, cuatro, and maracas, joropo is a dynamic, polyrhythmic mestizo style that fuses Andalusian, African, and indigenous elements.

Plátano, el banano verde
Oxigeno Verde ¡Libertad por Ingrid y los demás!

plátano

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Gomezman5 says on Aug 10, 2005, 17:58:

Platano....Great description of that bea Great description of that beautiful music. My only problem with this music is that I can't understand what they are singing much of the time. They sing those songs faster than any music that I know!!

Two of the best artists are Reynaldo Armas....(what a voice) and Juan Vicente Torrelaba. I really like the joropo (more upbeat) better than the pasaje (more melodic and less rhytmic).

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rona says on Aug 10, 2005, 18:03:

ánimo G5 . . . sounds like you've got a little guayabo - nothing the beach, una hembra and some Aguilas can't fix - " . . . no hay cosa mas sabrosa que abrir una enevera, y destapar una cerveza pa' curar un guayabo . . ." = 'Los Recuerdos de Ella' - Diomedes Diaz

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Gomezman5 says on Aug 10, 2005, 19:43:

Listo.....!! I am ready. Mi corazon esta en Colombia. Pero no me gusta la playa. Tengo muchas otras cosas hacer.....por dia y por la noche

Colombia.........te extrano mucho

Ya voy pronto

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Gomezman5 says on Jul 4, 2007, 14:37:

How about that?

This thread is almost 2 years old, and it did not get much attention at the time. Considering the flack I often take here for some of my posts, I think this thread, did not seem to get too much attention. I think a few of you guys, especially those that were not members of this forum at the time, shold take a couple of minutes of your time, and give it a good read. Most of the others who commented above are not participating much here anymore, so fresh faces should see who I am, and what my heart felt feelings are about the country I am from.....

BTW, I did not look for this thread, I was just playing around with the different options for viewing thread, and when I scanned all the ones that I authored, I felt it was appropriate to reactivate this one again......

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manINred says on Jul 4, 2007, 19:37:

Colombiche-

" Going to the most happening Latino club here in Toronto (it is frequented by about 50% latino, 50% non-latino). "

What club would that be then (I'm in Toronto)?

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manINred says on Jul 4, 2007, 19:39:

oh... hmm. this thread is old. I doubt Colombiche will respond, but anyone else who knows such information feel free.

Gomezman5, why would anyone question your patriotism to Colombia? Your unabashed criticism of them in Copa America could only be born out of a strong desire to see them succeed... trust me, i know from supporting England my whole life. Damn Steve McClaren....

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Gomezman5 says on Jul 4, 2007, 20:54:

ManINred, you tend to understand my line of thinking. Most other don't, they think that if you say something bad about Colombia, you're a bad Colombian. That thinking is absurd. I have to say however, that England has consistently been a better team than Colombia. Colombia cannot hold a candle to England. England, while having a few "off" years from time to time, has been consistently considered a top performer, and can never be counted out of any international competition. Colombians are living in the past. they had a run of about 10-12 great years, all of which ended several years back (missed 2 World Cup competitions) and therefore cannot in any way shape or form be considered a powerhouse team that can be compared to England. Players like Owen, Downing, Cole, Beckham, Gerrard, and Dwyer, and of course that miracle man Neville are in a class by themselves. Colombia would not stand a chance against that crew. Look at the US. When you consider that they only qualified for the World Cup in 1994 because they were the host country, you can say the opposite about them. They are now a force to be reckoned with despite their poor performance in the Copa America. They clearly are surging. Colombians have to recognize that we have a problem and with the eliminations starting soon, it's going to be a long two years. On the other hand, they could end up looking so bad, that the second year of eliminations will be perfunctory since they will have no chance of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. With only the top 4 teams assured a position from COMNEBOL, how can Colombia beat the likes of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and even Ecuador? It's not happening with the current team?

You are right. I am a proud Colombian. I want peace, then end to the civil war, and a better soccer/football team. Is that asking for so much???

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manINred says on Jul 5, 2007, 15:18:

That is very nice of you to say about England. I often get discouraged because England are continually underperformers. They outplayed Portugal with 10 men but didn't finish, losing on penalties. I guess 5th place in the WC isn't bad, and when you compare them to Colombia it does look pretty good. Yes we have some amazingly world class players, and you listed a few of them. Downing has yet to develop, and current England manager puts too much faith in him, but the rest you listed are some of my favourite players.

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