Preview

A magnificent singer and dancer, Totó La Momposina has earned respect and admiration in many parts of the world for the power and spontaneity of her performance. Drawing on the music and dance of the Colombian Caribbean, her work is informed and inspired by a rich cultural mix that combines elements from African, Native Indian and Spanish traditions. This an expression of a culture that has its origins in Africa (via the slaves brought to work in the Americas), Spain (through the influence of the invading colonists) and South America (from the indigenous Indian population). Totó is known for her shows and recordings with a large group of musicians but recently she has been performing occasionally with a new a cappella perormance.

Totó la Momposina used to occasionally sing a cappella when coaxed to at parties in Colombia or when singing lullabies to her grandchildren but she never imagined performing solo on stage. In 1997 the French concert agency Run Productions invited her to take part in their ‘Voix de Femmes’ tour which also featured female vocalists from Tibet, France and Mali, all singing a cappella.

Totó prepared herself for the challenge and was delighted when she felt the packed concert halls in France and Belgium responding with warm applause to her performances. Singing alone, she realised, gave her the opportunity to explore colours and subtle tones in her voice which she had never contemplated using when working with her band and the experiences of communicating with an audience in such an intimate way became a source of inspiration to her.

In 1998 Totó took to the a cappella stage again performing in Spain, Italy, France and in the UK at the Barbican and Womad at the Globe Theatre in London. This time she enlisted her family to broaden the vocal range of the show performing with her daughter Euridice and granddaughter Maria del Mar.

Once again the response to the show and the added spectacle of three generations singing and dancing on stage together proved irresistible.

The dynamic of their performance ranges from the meditative (Totó singing delicately alone) to the carnival (all three singing and dancing) accompanied by Totó’s son Marco Vinicio on tambor and percussion. This show is an intimate and uplifting experience.

‘Totó has the purest voice of all’. The Times.

‘A majestic, powerful and versatile singer’. The Guardian.

‘The phenomenal voice of Totó is awe-inspiring. This is living, breathing power music.’ CMJ New World Music.

Review

Cultural diversity with a vengeance was presented in the formidable form of Totó La Mompasina, from Colombia. I missed this one - had some blues to play elsewhere - but by all accounts any misgivings we may have harboured that this would be a little too specialized quickly evaporated.

After another fruitful workshop at the Secondary School, Totó, accompanied where appropriate by her son, daughter, and granddaughter, thrilled the audience with her extraordinary a cappella and accompanied singing and dancing, culminating in that good old universal standby, a conga around the room and out the door. Far from being world music of a remote or challenging kind, Totó made it thoroughly accessible and delightful for one and all.

The audience was healthily boosted in numbers by a sizeable contingent from our friends at Women In Tune, to whom we extend our thanks. In view of Totó's relatively short one-set show, we enlisted local flamenco guitar wizard Haagen Kiersch, who supplied a much appreciated opening set.