Las Guaracheras (COLOMBIA)

The all-female sextet Las Guaracheras was born in 2017 in the city of Cali, Colombia. It is an initiative of the percussionists Laura Linares and Mónica Castro, who as lovers of the son (“sound” in Spanish) and guaracha genres, decided to form an instrumental group in which they could express all their intense musical feelings while, at the same time, preserving the essence of guaracha. Guarachas were played and sung in musical theatres and working class dance salons during the late 19th and early 20th century. Also, Laura and Mónica were eager to exalt the memory of the great Cuban guarachera Celia Cruz.

With improvisation on each instrument as its driving force, Las Gauracheras evoke the sound of the great sextets of history, such as New York’s Joe Cuba and New Swing Sextet, and more recent ones like Cadaver Exquisito from Venezuela, and Grupo Latin Vibe from New York City. The vibraphone has a special place in the band, since the women have long been fascinated by its legacy and wanted to incorporate it into an updated version of salsa. Las Guaracheras embody the best and most visionary female orchestras of Caleña and Colombian salsa. Above all, the cultural and artistic objective of the ensemble is to elevate the female voice in Afro-Latin music and thus build a more inclusive, diverse and respectful cultural space where we all fit. The group was such a hit at last spring’s online festival, CULTURAS 360°, that we just had to bring them to Victoria Park this July.