Born the youngest of ten children in
Sardinal, Guanacaste, Guadalupe Urbina demonstrated her interest in folkloric
music at a very early age. She sings with passion, veracity, capriciousness and
has an incredible range with her voice. She credits her mother as being her
mentor and biggest fan as well. Ms. Urbina received her deserved recognition in
1987, when she was invited to participate in the Latin American Music Festival
in The Netherlands. From that performance, she was asked to perform at the 1988
Amnesty International Festival in San
Jose, along with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tracy
Chapman, Sting and Peter Gabriel.
Guadalupe has recently released “Sones de
Tierra Caliente”, a compilation of sixteen regional songs that have been passed
from countless generation to generation. The songs are a mix of lullabies,
fiesta songs, romantic songs, children’s songs and street songs, all stemming
from the Costa Rica province of Guanacaste. They are so entrenched in
time that the songwriters are unknown. She has travelled to an assortment of
small villas to gather these songs, traveling west from Sardinal to Artola,
Portegolpe and Brasilito, and then south to Santa Barbara, Talolingo, Nambi and Diria.
Some of the songs are humorous and some romantic; some are both. Guadalupe
credits each person who “donated” the various songs and they are each given the
opportunity to introduce their contribution prior to the beginning of the song.
Each song is described in its historical detail in an accompanying booklet, the
lyrics are printed and the music transcribed. It is really an amazing
accomplishment, a true labor of love by Ms. Urbina and all involved, including
Luis Porras and Fidel Gamboa who helped score the songs.
The album opens with “El Pilon” and “La Zopilota” two songs about
working under the hot sun in the finca, songs recanted by generations of
workers in the fields and farmlands. “En Coche Va Una Nina” is nursery rhyme,
as are “El Garrobo” and “Chinto Pinto”, sung with a cadence, to accompany hand
games or skipping rope, and “Cancion de Cuna” is a lullaby. The remainder are
songs of love and humor; sometimes both themes are combined. One of my
favorites is “La Viuda Alegre”,
sung as a traditional waltz.
Guadalupe gathered an impressive group of
musicians to record this compilation. The versatile Ricardo Fonseca played
guitar, bass, saxophone, marimba and mandolin and helped arrange the album.
Warren Alani supplied nice piano accompaniment. Isaac Morero played various
forms of percussion, while Veronica Zumbado played violin, Ivan Chinchilla the
trombone and Carlos Valverde the tuba. The musical accompaniment rounds the
songs out, makes them more palatable and credible as an historic part of
Guanacaste culture. The wonderful, lush painting and graphics are by Mary Anne
Ellis.
Truly, Guadalupe Uribe shines on this
project; it is her baby. Her voice is expressive, dimensional. Her work here is
obviously a labor of love and she is to be commended and thanked for her hard
work. The CD is available at the Jaime Peligro book store in Playa Tamarindo.
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