Americas Quarterly - Spring 2009

travel....................... 14 film/stats................. 15 culture/AQ online...... 16 policy/calendar......... 17

looking at our hemisphere from all directions

Colombia’s New Beat

Carlos Vives’ Tribute to Rafael Pombo and Today’s Children

(animal and human) that los’ ambitions go beyond wife Claudia are hoping populate Pombo’s stories, the CD. With the album’s that this could expand draws from a mélange of illustrator he’s already into a children’s musi-

Colombian music. Carlos’ fundraising and devel- cal and cartoon series eyes light up retelling— oping a children’s book in which characters and singing—the contri- that will follow the CD come alive, and Pombo butions, explaining how and repackage Pombo’s himself—who in real life

He launched his each song and singer’s characters and lessons, was a recluse—makes an career re-interpret- inflection convey the like la pobre viejecita who appearance and helps to ing the vallenatos of nuance and humor of the can’t appreciate all that’s narrate and introduce the master Rafael Escalo- aristocratic author from around her or Rinrín the characters and sto-na. Now Carlos Vives Bogotá. Renacuajo, the frog who ries. That will almost cer-is going farther back in The album has become refuses to listen to his tainly keep Pombo alive time to resurrect an icon a best seller in Colom- mom and leaves home. for future generations of of Colombian children’s bia, despite the lack of And beyond? Given kids—of all ages. literature, Rafael Pombo airplay. Many radio sta- the need to reinstill a

(1833 to 1912). Vives hopes tions simply can’t figure sense of commitment listen to Pombo to recover the values and out where to fit it in and obligation in today’s Musical at: ethics conveyed in Pom- their playlists. But Car- youth, Carlos and his www.americasquarterly.org

bo’s whimsical fables of animals and the lessons of youth. In 2008, Carlos approached a number of

Colombian musicians— all of whom shared a deep affection for Pombo’s characters—to record a CD that would set his poetic fables to music.

Stars such as Juanes,

EFE/John Watson-RilEy; cd: laRs klovE

Fonseca, Andrea Echev-erri, and Cabas joined in immediately. Most surprising to Carlos was that many already had a notion of how they would interpret the story—the type of music, the beat and the treatment.