Totó la Momposina was born Sonia Bazanta Vides, in a village on the island of Mompos, a remote part of Colombia. Momposina might well have suffered international neglect, such as the case of the Argentinian songwriter Eladia Blázquez, but for her breaking away in the 1960s and '70s when she began presenting Colombian folk traditions abroad.
In 1982, she sang at the Nobel Prize ceremony for Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. Her breakout international recording was "La Candela Viva," released in 1993 on Real World Records. It certainly didn't hurt her reputation that Candela Viva was produced by Phil Ramone and on Peter Gabriel’s label.
Her recordings present a marked contrast with those of Violetta Parra and Mercedes Sosa, which seem tame alongside Montosina's percussion-driven recordings. Colombia would come alive when Montosina would step onto a stage, whether in Bogota or Chicago.
Totó la Momposina is often described as a living archive of Colombian tradition, transmitting music that predates popularized modern cumbia. She is also recognized for training younger generations, ensuring that these community-rooted styles continue to be recognized internationally.
Her music is bold, ensuring its place in our Great Americas Songbook.
I spoke recently with husband and wife musicians Carlos and Allison Franzetti. Carlos is Argentinian, Allison was born in New York. Both Allison and Carlos are enthusiastic about Latin America's contributions to the Great Americas Songbook. Both emphasized movies and CDs as two important ports of entry into the US for Hispanic culture and music.
"CDs have long legs because they travel," Carlos Franzetti told me. "That's how we met, you and I, because of the CDs that you found in your library of my music. But, music also has very long legs, it travels well."
"CDs are apparently starting to come back," added Allison Franzetti.
"Yes, they are coming back after they ran out of vinyl!" said Carlos.
And then there are the movies. Both Allison and Carlos point out examples.
"When you start looking later at movies and you start looking at films like Coco, that was very popular, and you have a song from Coco that won the Grammy. That was “Remember Me, by the Lopezes.
And if we may step back seven decades, there's “Os Quindins de Yayá” from Disney's The Three Caballeros, sung by Aurora Miranda, sister of Carmen Miranda.
At any time when talking to Carlos, he might break into song such as when he illustrates how a famous song by Agustin Lara caught the attention of Charley, a character played by Jack Nicholson in Prizzi's Honor.
Carlos: (sings) Luna que se quiebra
sobre la tiniebla
de mi soledad,
a dónde vas...”
"It's just a Mexican song and that's the one that Jack Nicholson's character loves."
If it's good enough for Nicholson, it's good enough for our Great Americas Songbook.
