Vallenato
Accordion-led folk music from Colombia's Caribbean interior.
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Overview
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Etymology and naming
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Origins
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Musical anatomy
The Vallenato Trio: Accordion, Caja, and Guacharaca
The instrumental anatomy of Colombia's Caribbean valley music
6 min read
Accordion, Caja, and Guacharaca: The Three Voices of Vallenato
Three instruments, three continents — the European, African, and Indigenous roots of a genre
3 min read
The Four Aires of Vallenato
The rhythmic anatomy of a Colombian Caribbean song tradition
3 min read
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Technique
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Pioneers
Alejandro Durán
A sparsely documented figure within Colombia's vallenato heritage
2 min read
Alejo Durán: The First King of Vallenato
El Negro Grande — the farmhand-turned-accordionist crowned at the inaugural Vallenato Legend Festival in 1968
2 min read
Carlos Vives
Colombian singer who carried vallenato into the global market
2 min read
Diomedes Díaz
El Cacique de La Junta and the commercial apogee of Colombian vallenato
5 min read
Leandro Díaz: The Blind Sage of Vallenato
Blind from birth, he gave vallenato some of its most luminous poetry
2 min read
Los Hermanos Zuleta: Vallenato Royalty from La Guajira
Poncho's golden voice and Emilianito's accordion made the genre's most beloved duo
4 min read
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Cultural context
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Recordings
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Common misconceptions
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