Since I really enjoy music from other cultures, I thought I’d introduce a traditional Colombian style called Bambuco, which hails from the Andes, but carries influences from Europe and Africa. The style is renowned throughout Colombia for being an authentic part of the national folklore, which includes its own festival. The “Festival Folclórico, Reinado Nacional Del Bambuco y Muestra Internacional de Folclor” (or, “Folkloric Festival, National Crowning of Bambuco and International Exhibition of Folklore”): Celebrated in Neiva, between the last two weeks of June and the first days of July.
It has a beat structure similar to the European waltz or polska (not polka). Typically a bambuco piece is a folk music song accompanied by a stylized group dance. Here’s some lyrics from the second song below, called “Soy Colombiano”.
“Lo demás será bonito,pero el corazón no salta,como cuando a mi me cantanuna canción colombiana.”“The rest will be prettybut the heart does not jumplike when they sing to mea Colombian song.”
You can read more about it here.
Eyes On Colombia 