Grupo Naidy

From their base in Cali, Colombia, Grupo Naidy specializes in currulao, a marimba-and-drum tradition whose pronounced African character has long thrived along the Pacific coast of southern Colombia and northern Ecuador. Their programs also draw on juga, arrulo, salve, bunde, alabao, and canto de boga material. Percussionist Irlando "Maky" Lopez leads the ensemble, whose lineup includes marimba virtuosos Jose Antonio Torres and Budilo Cauma Renteria together with cantaora singer Juana Maria Angulo. The group completed its first album in 2004, only to lose two members—brothers Alex Cuama Valencia and Jiminson Cuama Valencia—to gunfire in Buenaventura; the recording, Arriba Suena Marimba: Currulao Marimba Music from Columbia, reached Smithsonian Folkways in 2006.