[Wadabo_updates] Andy Palacio Tribute w/Umalali & Garifuna Collective

[wadabo_updates at wadabo.com]

It is with mixed feelings I send this email. This should be a wonderful 
concert, but since it is a tribute concert, the man who is being honored 
is mightily missed. I had the honor to interact with Andy Palacio on a 
couple of occasions, and found him to be one of the warmest, most 
genuine people I have ever met. He is a giant, and a hero both in the 
musical world, and to his people, the Garifuna, whose culture he has 
brought to worldwide attention. The Garifuna are descended from Africans 
who survived ship-wreck and intermarried with the Caribs in the 1600's. 
They have managed to hang onto their own unique culture despite 
relocations and pressures from outside forces. The group of musicians 
that Andy Palacio worked with will be in Somerville this weekend in a 
concert not to be missed!

What: Tribute Concert for Andy Palacio w/Umalali & the Garifuna Collective
When: Saturday, April 5th @ 9:45 pm
Where: Johnny D's, Davis Sq, Somerville, MA

More Info:
Andy Palacio was not only Belize's most popular musician and performing 
artist, but a cultural activist with a deep commitment to preserving the 
values of his Garifuna culture, and he was preparing an American tour 
following the release of the widely acclaimed CD "Watina" when he was 
unexpectedly taken ill and died (in early 2008). The other musicians in 
his Collective have decided, in honor of his memory, and out of a desire 
to continue the work he started, to carry on with the tour. Included in 
the band are three singers from UMALALI, the delightful women's group 
that has just released a new CD of traditional music from Belize , and 
one of the most extraordinary and passionate Garifuna artists of his 
generation, guitarist and singer AURELIO MARTINEZ, who has followed in 
the footsteps of the legendary Parranderos of the Caribbean to become 
the new voice of Paranda. The music itself is a rich admixture of 
Caribbean and African rhythms, spun together around the beautiful 
traditional songs of this small and vital culture from coastal Central 
America.

links:
show - http://www.johnnyds.com/artist/garifunacollective.html
nytimes - 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/arts/music/21palacio.html?ref=music
label - http://www.cumbancha.com/welcome.php
myspace - http://www.myspace.com/andypalacio
mp3 downloads - http://andypalacio.calabashmusic.com/