The Musical Depth of Manuel Obregon

The History of Central American Music

(In Five Easy Lessons)

     In a region that has been a melting pot for centuries, Central America has become seeped in cultures 

and traditions, some of them in regional pockets and some unilaterally across the entire area, and music is 

no exception to this historical collage. Manuel Obregon is a classically trained pianist. He took it upon

 himself to transcribe to keyboard the music of legendary Peruvian guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore’. 

He is a member of Malpais, one of Costa Rica’s most popular bands. He is one of the founders of Papaya

 Music, one of the premier recording labels in Central America. Last year, he was recruited as the Minister

 of Culture for this country. That is quite a resume’. 

     I also perceive Sr. Obregon as a musicologist and an even bigger music nerd than me, and I mean that in a nice way. And one of his passions has been to record and present a musical history of Central America. In my estimation, there have been no less than five offerings by him thus far in this vein. The first album on Papaya was Sr. Obregon directing and accompanying La Orquesta de la Papaya, which was a conglomeration of fourteen musicians from all seven Central Americans playing songs individually rooted in each country and morphed into a kind of musical Central American stew with a definite indigenous backbone. It’s a unique concept and the outcome is remarkable. The second release from the Orquesta included five female vocalists as the music, like the area, continued to evolve, and the definition and character of the music became even stronger. These two albums and the live tours promoting them put Central American music on the global map.

     Piano Malango was Obregon’s next dissertation into the area’s musical legacy and this one is borne of Manuel’s insight. An instrumental album of piano accompanied by members of Malpais on percussive, stringed and wind instruments, Sr. Obregon takes the listener on a musical journey of time and geography across Costa Rican, Nicaraguan and Panamanian terrain. One needn’t know the songs beforehand to appreciate the sojourn.

     Manuel Obregon could never be accused of being conventional, the irony being that the bulk of his work is seeped in history. His next chapter in his presentation is a duet of piano and vocals titled "Abril y Mayo", presenting thirteen traditional tunes from the working class, mostly of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. The songs cover a span of more than two centuries and were unearthed over thirty years by the vocalist, Aurelia Trejos. The result is breathtaking and indicative of Obregon’s (and Trejos’) devotion to preserving history that has been encased in music, and that would certainly evaporate without the passion and perseverance of people like them.

     The fifth chapter is a conglomerate of some of Obregon’s other recordings with Papaya Music, including his part in Malpais, a group that blends folkloric Guanacaste music with jazz and improvisation (popular in San Jose) to create a style all their own. Obregon also played on the “Wade in the Water” album gospel music in another fusion of modern and historic music that has been a part of Caribbean culture for centuries. He also appeared several times on the “Guanacaste Atardecer” compilation CD, with Malpais as well as in Cuarteto Esporadico with Fidel and Jaime Gamboa and revered guitarist Mario Ulloa, performing a fifty-year old Panamanian bolero, and on the opening cut, playing in a trio live with a flautist and Mother Nature on the Osa Peninsula.

     OK, the music/history lesson is over. There will be no test. But please do your homework and listen to any Manuel Obregon music you can find, all available at the Jaime Peligro book stores in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Nuevo Arenal.
     All comments concerning this article are gladly welcomed.