JORGE
TRASANTE “Investigacion Musical Desde Las
Raices Folklore Afro Uruguayo Interprete
Jorge Trasante”
A
masterpiece of South American
percussion, recorded in 1977 by
worldwide legend and Gipsy Kings
percussionist Jorge Trasante—and
impossible to find for decades—finally
reissued!
“In the mid-’70s I was struck by a young
Uruguayan percussionist named Jorge
Trasante. I met him accompanying Rada
and Pippo Spera, in recordings
in the Sondor Studio. He turned out to
be an experienced percussionist
and remarkable musical researcher,
despite his young age, only 23 years
old. At that time he invited me to a
rehearsal with Eduardo Mateo,
at his house in El Cordón. We decided to
record the album “Mateo y Trasante”,
which today is an iconic album of
Uruguayan music. And at the same time, I
suggested to Jorge, to record an LP of
instrumental percussion, based on
Afro Uruguay rhythms. It became his
letter of introduction when a few months
later he traveled to Europe, where
he joined very good groups, including
the Gipsy Kings, with whom he
recorded 18 albums between 1987 and
2001, and also accompanied other great
artists. Jorge Trasante settled in
Paris, France, where he lived
for more than 30 years. The album
“Folklore Afro Uruguayo” was not a
success of the moment, but is a sound
document which maintains its validity
through time.” —Enrique Abal
Oliú
“I left (Uruguay) in early 1977. We were
finishing a cycle with Mateo, Buscaglia,
Yánez and Mariana Vigil. I
studied technical drawing at the
Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay… and
worked in a cigar and cigar factory—that
was my mother’s trade—which allowed
me to buy the instruments that Emilio
Acevedo made in Ansina 1036; he was the
great teacher. The first drums I
paid for in a thousand installments. He
would lend me pailas, Ameijenda or
Galletti would lend me a cymbal, I
never had anything.
I left because here I was very “wounded”
and the political thing got very hard
with the dictatorship and the
music weighed more than everything.
I decided to jump to Europe, where there
were great friends. And I went with 70
kilos of drums to Paris to Mario
Aguerre, former bassist of Los Delfines.
Knowing that I had arrived, Emilio
Arteaga called me and he proposed
to set up a group with Jorge Pinchevsky,
a great Argentine violinist who had
played in La Pesada del Rock &
Roll. We set up an experimental group
with Latin rhythms to play on the
street, in clubs, where he
would paint. I used to play a set
of congas, timbales, and we made Andean
music, very fashionable then… and that
summer of 1977 in the south of
France we did very well. There I crossed
paths for the first time with the Gipsy
Kings, who also played on the
street doing “the manga” with their
gypsy rumba.” —Jorge Trasante
•First ever reissue on vinyl
•LP cut directly from 24-bit/96kHz
master tape transfers
•The ultimate investigation of South
American rhythms
•Latest entry in our acclaimed series of
reissues of Uruguayan classic recordings
Side 1:
1. Candombe De La Calle Cuariem (5:11)
2. Malambo (4:50)
3. Afro (4:10)
Side 2:
1. Candombe Calle Ansina (3:03)
2. Murga (3:22)
3. Zamba (1:58)
4. Baguala (1:30)
5. Tango (5:54)
Recorded in Sondor studio “A” in the
Fase 8 system.
Originally released by Sondor on LP in
1977 and on cassette in 1981.
Catalog #: LION LP-185
UPC: 778578318512
Format: Black vinyl edition of 300x
copies