CHICAGO, IL — The Ortega Brothers and the Gran Festival Colombiano present direct from Colombia, Latin Grammy winners “Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto” on Sunday, September 3rd, 7:00 PM at Michella Terrace Banquet Rooms, 5215 West Irving Park Road, Chicago , IL. There will be a special presentation by Colectivo Folklorico y Cultura Raices de Mi Tierra.
“We are so honored and excited to be able to bring the legendary Los Gaiteros de Jacinto to share the beautiful traditional Colombian folkloric music from our country to Chicago,” said Director and Curator Jorge Ortega. “Their work with the preservation of the Gaita music has kept this genre alive with its mix of Colombian Indigenous, Spanish and Afro-Colombian heritage. We are proud to be part of this conservation and continue to propel its legacy to the Colombian diaspora and to the city of Chicago.
Tickets for the show are $18.99 in advance and are available at ColombianFestChicago.com & EVENTBRITE and at the door at a little higher price at Michella Dance Club located 5215 W. Irving Park Road in Portage Park area in Chicago. Portion of the proceeds to benefit International Conservatory of Latinx Culture, a non-for-profit organization.
About Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto has been the most important gaita and traditional cumbia ensemble in Colombia since the mid-1950s. Gaita is a term used to name a Colombian musical instrument, various musical genres, and an ensemble (the Conjunto de Gaitas), all from the Caribbean region of Colombia, from where much commercially available Colombian traditional and popular music comes.
In the mid 1950s, they undertook their first tour throughout Colombia, under the leadership of folklorists Manuel and Delia Zapata Ollvella. In 1958, they toured internationally to China and Japan, and to Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and other European countries.
In 1968, Los Gaiteros represented Colombia at The Cultural Olympic Expo in Mexico. Their touring, the exceptional quality of their musicians across generations, and the fact that they are one of the few Gaita ensembles whose music has been commercially produced have made them the most important Conjunto de Gaitas in Colombia.
In 2007, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto won the Latin Grammy Best Traditional Album, the title of this recording, "Un Fuego de Sangre Pura: Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto from Colombia" (A Fire of Pure Blood), by Smithsonian Recordings, evokes the current difficult and painful times in the region of Montes de Maria, the home of many of the musicians on this recording.
The founder and initial leader of the Gaiteros de San Jacinto was Miguel Anotonio “Toño” Fernandez. Today, the line up of the Band is led by Rafael Castro (lead vocals), Gabriel Torregrosa (Director, tumba drum and pito atravesao), Ivan Sanchez (female bagpipe) Luis Miguel Salcedo (male bagpipe & brand), Wilson Fontalvo (alegre drum), Adolfo Rodrigues (caller drum), and Javier Mutis (MC, percussion). The fact that the group has persisted and includes several generations of musicians speaks to the vitality of this tradition. In 2020 the band was Latin Grammy Nominated for the best Folk Album.
Through their own new compositions and through teaching young musicians, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto are a crucial link between traditional Gaita & cumbia music and its contemporary renewal - thanks in great part to them. Gaita music has become one of the most influential traditional music in contemporary Colombian popular music today.
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto was the first Colombian group selected to headline the first Colombian Fest/Gran Festival Colombiano in Chicago 9 years ago, in which they were presented with an award “GFC Seleccion de Maestros”. Los Gaiteros are scheduled to return to perform in next year’s Colombian Fest July 19-21,2023.
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto concert is supported by El Campeon Pina Colada, Sweet Dragon BoBa Tea, Casa Humilde Cerveceria & GFC Premium Lager, ARTE, Future Rootz, International Latino Cultural Center, DOORDASH, USBANK.
For more, visit ColombianFestChicago.com, follow the company on Facebook or Instagram @colombianfestworldwide
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