Mountain Music of Puerto Rico

JIBARO HASTA EL HUESO was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album. Musica jibara, the mountain village music of Puerto Rico, has experienced a revival. Ecos de Borinquen, a group of virtuoso jibaro performers, show their shining strength, dexterity, and spirit of jubilation through this outstanding album. The spunky guitars and cuatro (a steel-stringed instrument) ring of Puerto Rico's old-world Spanish and Caribbean influences, and the seductive salsa percussion generates an atmosphere most native Puerto Ricans associate with all-night celebrations and partying. What may be more obvious to Spanish speakers than English speakers is the marvelous use of poetry and language in the band's often-improvised lyrics. Led by jibaro master Miguel Santiago Diaz, Ecos de Borinquen embody the resilient, uplifting spirit of the Puerto Rican musical tradition.