Ángel Vásquez brought Antillean shades into the accordion tradition of a region overflowing with juglares, as the Colombian northern coast has always been. Vásquez built a monumental songbook where pachanga, charanga, son, cumbia, and even the Puerto Rican countryside, Boricua sound, played leading roles. His few recordings carried a remarkable stylistic range, making it difficult to put him into any single category—a quality that led to a style he himself called vasquesón. In the early seventies, he released through Discos Fuentes a single that would become one of the anthems of the Barranquilla Carnival: ‘Pica pica en carnaval’, a tropical, electrifying gem with a guarachero flow so unmistakable that it’s still a staple in verbenas, neighborhood dances, and picó parties today.
La Gustadera comprises a muscular, rhythm-packed ride moving from pachanga to paseaito, passing through charanga, porro, son and, of course, vasquesón—a full-on celebration where the accordion leads the dance. Here, direct lines are drawn between Colombian coastal folklore and Afro-Antillean sound. ‘Sábalo caliente’, ‘Marucha’, ‘La gustadera’, ‘Fiestas cordobesas’, ‘Los Sampayos’, ‘Chicha sabrosa’, ‘Chambacú’, ‘Pantalón caliente’, ‘El mosquito’, ‘El día que te vi’, ‘Recuerdo al viento’, ‘Se atropella el castellano’—pure joy painted with the everyday imagery of coastal life.First time reissue of this mega rare Ángel Vásquez album.
