La Gustadera

ngel Vsquez brought Antillean shades into the accordion tradition of a region overflowing with juglares, as the Colombian northern coast has always been. Vsquez built a monumental songbook where pachanga, charanga, son, cumbia, and even the Puerto Rican countryside, Boricua sound, played leading roles. His few recordings carried a remarkable stylistic range, making it difficult to put him into any single category-a quality that led to a style he himself called vasquesn. In the early seventies, he released through Discos Fuentes a single that would become one of the anthems of the Barranquilla Carnival: ‘Pica pica en carnaval’, a tropical, electrifying gem with a guarachero flow so unmistakable that it’s still a staple in verbenas, neighborhood dances, and pic parties today. La Gustadera comprises a muscular, rhythm-packed ride moving from pachanga to paseaito, passing through charanga, porro, son and, of course, vasquesn-a full-on celebration where the accordion leads the dance. Here, direct lines are drawn between Colombian coastal folklore and Afro-Antillean sound. ‘Sbalo caliente’, ‘Marucha’, ‘La gustadera’, ‘Fiestas cordobesas’, ‘Los Sampayos’, ‘Chicha sabrosa’, ‘Chambac2’, ‘Pantaln caliente’, ‘El mosquito’, ‘El daa que te vi’, ‘Recuerdo al viento’, ‘Se atropella el castellano’-pure joy painted with the everyday imagery of coastal life.First time reissue of this mega rare ngel Vsquez album.