Tanguita – Totó la Momposina New Single

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Tanguita, Nuevo Sencillo de Totó la Momposina

A magnificent singer, Totó La Momposina has earned respect and admiration all over the world for the power and spontaneity of her performance. Drawing on the music and dance of the Colombian Caribbean, her work is informed and inspired by a rich cultural mix that combines elements from African, Native Indian and Spanish traditions.

Normally associated with powerful rhythmic pieces and a full band, this is an unusual and very personal song performed solo a cappella. 80 this year, Totó is a proud grandmother with 9 grandchildren. She spent many hours looking after them as babies and would often sing this lullaby, Tanguita, to comfort and lull them to sleep. Something of a family treasure therefore, this is the first time Tanguita has been released and we hope it is of help to mothers and babies everywhere!

Get your copy here…

Totó Releases Oye Manita, the third in her retrospective series of albums.

Oye Manita

 

Totó la Momposina arrived in Paris in 1979 as a refugee with no French, no money and no abode. A theatre company took her under it’s wing and it wasn’t long before she was travelling through Provence with this group of mime artists, street performers and musicians, along with their hot-air balloon, double-decker bus, merry-go-round and mobile cinema. Totó’s formidable voice, charisma and songs were an instant success and France became a launch-pad for her career.

This album tells the story of Totó’s endearing relationship with France that continues to evolve today. The track list features the first recordings Totó made in Paris in the 1980s and cover her career until the present day, including previously unreleased songs. This is a quality package with beautiful artwork, ample sleeve notes and photos from the past and present.

The retrospective series … TAMBOLERO / OYE MANITA / LA VERDOLAGA

These releases are part of a retrospective series telling the (amazing) stories of Totó’s life and travels to date … a way of celebrating her career so far using notes, artwork and photos.

Chapter 1. Tambolero. 2015. Real World. This told the story of Totó’s relationship with England – along with the wider context of her life and career. It recreated the original La Candela Viva album – adding recordings and mixing everything afresh … effectively becoming a new record.

Chapter 2. Oye Manita. 2018. Astar Artes Recordings. This album tells the story of Totó’s relationship with France going back to the 1970s. Again it is a quality package with beautiful artwork, ample sleeve notes and photos from the past and present. The track list features the first recordings Totó made in Paris in the 1980s and cover her career until the present day, including previously unreleased songs.

La Verdolaga. 2018. Astar Artes. The vinyl is a bridge between the two. Here both chapters meet as the collections work in parallel and the stories with France and England inter-relate. On side A tracks from Real World’s Tambolero (inc an unreleased track recorded last year) and side B tracks from Oye Manita.

There is a nod here also to the extraordinary influence Totó’s music has had on dance music over the last decade, especially House and Hip-hop. Producers continue to be inspired by her soulful delivery and the hypnotic groove of her tambores and flutes – La Verdolaga being one of the most popular songs. One of the most recent samples was used by Jay-Z on his last album 4:44.

TOTÓ LA MOMPOSINA LA VERDOLAGA LP 22 June 2018

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Seventy eight years old this year, Totó is now a legendary figure known and loved throughout the world by the millions of hearts she has touched with her soulful voice, inspiring charisma and gentle, fun-loving nature. More than that, she is also the mother of three children and the grandmother of nine grandchildren – a wise woman who has experienced hardship as well as joy throughout her long career. This album is part of a retrospective collection celebrating Totó’s musical journey – a series that is accompanied by stories of remarkable adventures and experiences. Songs on this record are drawn from the album Tambolero, that tells the story of her relationship with England, and Oye Manita, exploring her time in France. This album also features a previously unreleased track, recorded in 2017.Side A from the forthcoming album OYE MANITA – includes LA VERDOLAGA
Side B from the album TAMBOLERO – includes the classic song EL PESCADORNew track is an instrumental VIENTO SUELTO – a flute and tambor piece Totó dances to on stage.
The song LA VERDOLAGA was sampled by Jay-Z last year on the album 4:44 for the track We Family.

Tu Tambor – Single

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Tu Tambor’ is a previously unreleased track recorded live at Real World Studios in 1991 as part of the sessions for the La Candela Viva album, produced by the legendary Phil Ramone.

La Candela Viva was the album that finally brought Totó international recognition and sealed her reputation in her native Colombia. The track wasn’t included in the final version of that album and the recording was only rediscovered as part of the work that became the Tambolero album, released in 2015.

The track celebrates Totó’s long-time musical collaborator and master tambor player Paulino ‘Batata’ Salgado.

“It’s good to hear my long-time friend and fellow traveller Batata again. He brought so much to my music; I have never come across a drummer since who plays the tambor like he did.” ~ Totó

Singer, dancer and teacher, Totó La Momposina’s entire life has been dedicated to representing the music of Colombia’s Caribbean coastline, where African, Indigenous Indian and Spanish cultures mingle to create a unique musical tradition. Tambolero, originally released in 1993 as La Candela Viva, has been re-created and re-imagined for 2015 as part of Real World Records’ Gold series.

Click here to download/stream ‘Tu Tambor’