Bajando por la Montaña: Ecology of Colombian Gaita Music
Environment and Society
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54m
Gaita is played with two flutes and three percussions in a group. The music combines both indigenous Native American and traditional African elements. The filmmakers follow Latin Grammy-award-winning gaitero Fredys Arrieta both into the Colombian mountains Montes de Maria and in the metropolis Bogota. The mountains are both where the origin of this music lie and where Fredys sources, in an ecological way, the raw materials for his instrument making. In Bogota, a much younger generation has found an interest in this traditional music from the coastal region of Colombia and has made it “trendy” in the city’s clubs.
Directed by Michael Brims and Jaime Bofill
Michael Brims is a documentary filmmaker & video artist from Germany living in Houston, Texas. He is also an associate professor for Art, Communication & Digital Media Studies at the University of Houston Clear Lake. His documentary work focuses on Latin American musical traditions and as aspects of sustainability.
Jaime Bofill is a musicologist and an assistant professor at the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico. His research focuses on Latin American music and the relationship between sound, music and environment.
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