Singer-dancer-teacher Tot La Momposina's life has been dedicated to preserving the music of Colombia s Caribbean coastline, where African, indigenous Indian, and Spanish cultures mingle in a unique musical tradition. Tambolero -- originally released in 1993 as La Candela Viva and regarded by many as one of Colombia s most important and seminal albums -- has been re-created and re-imagined for 2015 as part of Real World Records Gold series.
Through the years, Toto s music has endured, including being sampled by dance and hip-hop artists (Michel Cleis, Da R3volution and Timbaland, to name a few). It was during the search for original master tapes to find parts for a Michel Cleis dance track that Toto s producer (and now son-in-law) John Hollis discovered something remarkable.
Among the original 2 masters in Real World s vaults was a forgotten treasure of material: some 40 takes of 20 different songs. Not only a wealth of music that didn t make the original album, but a number of previously unreleased songs as well. The analog tapes were baked to become playable once again, then digitized for the process of re-assessing, re-editing, and over-dubbing, including new vocals by Toto s two granddaughters.
The result is Tambolero. More than just a re-issue of her original debut recording, it is a genuine re-appraisal and re-imagining of it -- presented in a 24-page, hard backed CD book with extended sleevenotes and archival photos -- in which Tot continues to reflect the multicultural experience of her beloved Colombia.
It s also a celebration of Tot s venerable career, soon reaching six decades, dedicated to preserving, researching, and revivifying an ancestral tradition -- the identity of her people, passed down through the generations.
