Andean and Latin American Folk Music

Eco Del Sur means “echoes of the south” and the group was founded in 2000 with the idea to preserve the heritage and culture of different Latin American regions. The group’s first album was released in 2001. The members of the band are from different countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Dominican Republic making Eco Del Sur the result of a very diverse mixture of backgrounds and musical experiences.

The members of the group have mastered a variety of Pre-Columbian and contemporary instruments of different origin. Some of the traditional wind instruments include: zampoñas, quenas, quenachos, antaras, zencas, rondador, ocarinas, and moxenos. Other contemporary wind instruments include: saxophone, clarinet, and flute. The string instruments used by the group include charango, mandolin, guitar, Venezuelan cuatro, Colombian tiple, and electric bass. The percussion instruments include: Argentinean bombo, congas, tambora, bongos, Peruvian cajon, maracas, guiro, claves, rain sticks, guaza, chakchas, etc.

The music of Eco Del Sur includes a wide range of style and rhythms, which take the audience to a musical journey through Latin America. Some of these rhythms include the huayňo, sanjuanito, carnaval, chacarera, joropo, zamba, and cueca that were influenced by the Pre-Columbian and the Spanish cultural heritages. Other rhythms characteristic of the Pacific Coast, Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean include the cumbia, porros, guajira, lando, festejo, etc; these rhythms had a great contribution from the African heritage and culture.

Eco Del Sur has performed at various festivals, universities, museums, libraries, and private events in the Eastern United States. The band members have put a lot of hours in the composition and arrangement of their songs, and have prepared a large repertoire of Latin American songs.