"This film will be a great source of information and inspiration
not only to all musicians and scholars, but to all people interested
in music, and Latin American culture. As a Colombian musician,
it is a source of great pride to me to know that a part of the
musical heritage of my country will exist for posterity."
- Claudia Gómez
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
is a documentary on the music of the Gaiteros
of San Jacinto, of the Caribbean coast of Colombia, and on the
history of cumbia, one of the most
popular forms of musical expression in the Americas today.
Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto
was filmed by producers Ellen Speiser
and Julio León over a number of
years. The story of their music is narrated by the musicians
themselves, as well as by a well-known Colombian
folklorist. The footage of the film, and the music is irreplaceable
- some musicians have died, and no group has really been able
to equal or replace them.
This film is a tribute to some of gaitero music's
original and best musicians, and to Antonio
"Toño" Fernández, cumbia's legendary composer,
who first successfully put words to the music, paving the way
for modern cumbia's enormous popularity throughout the Americas.
Documentation of the Gaiteros began in 1986, and continued over
the course of several trips to Colombia.
The film was completed in July of 2003. Initial distribution is in video.
Comments and requests for information can be sent to Ellen
Speiser
Traditional Gaitero
Hat
