Watina - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Palacio is from Belize and his music celebrates a culture called Garifuna, in which indigenous Arawak and Carib sounds, plus West African influences imported during the dark years of the slave trade are twisted around one another like a helix. Over the centuries, fiercely independent tribes-people maintained their identity even as European colonizers relentlessly pushed them from St. Vincent, where the Africans had been shipwrecked and intermarried with the local population, toward the Central American coast. But more recently, the culture had begun losing ground, especially in Nicaragua, a fact brought to Palacio's attention when he visited that nation as teenage literacy advocate. His impassioned espousal of his birthright began when he got involved with punta rock, a synth-and-drum-machine-driven dance style popular during the 1990s. The present album represents a return to his roots. Blended Native, African and Latin exhalations create softly pretty, simply constructed, yet indelible melodies while percolating, hypnotic rhythms, some of which are anchored by a prominent Afro-Cuban clave, get everyone moving. The songs are sung exclusively in the Garifuna language and built around folkloric sources like the ritual-based duegue. There's not a false note anywhere in earshot but "Yagane", a seafaring tune composed by and performed with Paul Nabor, a septuagenarian buyei (spiritual healer), is one stand-out; the delightful title track is another. The CD is enhanced with videos and other extras. --Christina Roden

Album Description
These soul-stirring melodies and vibrant grooves from the Garifuna community of Central America unite the musical legacies of Africa and the Caribbean to create a powerful saga of exile, longing, hope and celebration. Years in the making, Watina is infused with contemporary influences, yet firmly rooted in the rich musical traditions of this unique and inspiring culture. Belizean icon, Andy Palacio, leads an all-star, multi-generational lineup to deliver a monumental tribute to the Garifuna of yesterday and tomorrow.

* 32-page booklet features full lyrics and stunning photographs.
* Deluxe enhanced CD includes "making of" video and a preview of the upcoming Garifuna women's project "Umalali".
* The third release from Cumbancha, the new label founded by the head of music research at Putumayo World Music.

"****. Endlessly satisfying." --Charlie Gillett, The Observer Music Monthly (UK)

"Brimming with Buena Vista-ish elegance and dignity." --The Boston Globe (US)

"A little bit Cuban, a little bit Brazilian, with a reggae lilt, a Cape Verdean melodic lushness and a whole range of African echoes that you can't quite put your finger on." --London Daily Telegraph (UK)

"A fascinating musical mash-up...Transcendent, infectiously rhythmic music." --Veryshortlist.com (USA)

"There's a full year worth of listening on Watina... It's a fantastic recording that makes me thirst for more..." --Bob Tarte, Beat Magazine

"Rampacked to overflowing with amazing music." --Dave Hucker, Beat Magazine

"Superb" --Mondomix (France)

"****. Will spellbind the most indifferent listener." --Irish Times

"Consider this the first must-have album of 2007." --World Music Central

"An immediate world music classic." -Folk Roots (UK)

Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Could this be the most enjoyable World CD since...Buena Vista? April 9, 2007
41 out of 48 found this review helpful

It takes a lot to make Americans listen to music recorded beyond our borders. Like Buena Vista Social Club. I'll bet you bought that CD, played it to death, and drag it out now on occasions when you want an easy, hip-skaking lilt as background. But would you have given Cuban geezers a listen if renowned musician and producer Ry Cooder hadn't brokered the sale and turned an otherwise obscure CD into a Grammy-winning hit ? If Wim Wenders hadn't made an exquisite documentary film that turned seventy-year-old musicians into brand names?

Andy Palacio doesn't have Buena Vista's advantages. He's from Belize, the least-populated country in Central America. His music celebrates the Garifunan culture, which is known to maybe five American Caucasians. And although his record company couldn't be more distinguished in World Music circles --- Jacob Edgar, its founder, was head of A&R at Putamayo --- few of you have heard of him or his sparkling label, Cumbancha.

No matter. This musician you've never heard of, singing in a language spoken by no more than a few hundred thousand people, has delivered what could easily be the most enjoyable CD of the year.

What's it like? Everything. And that's the key to the music.

In the 1700s, West African slaves were shipwrecked on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. They intermarried with Arawak Indians and lived peacefully until the English forced them into exile on a small, resource-poor island off Honduras. They moved on to the mainland, but their identity has blurred over the centuries. Now there are just 11,500 Garifunans living in Belize --- and the Garifunan language, which is taught in only one village there, has been designated by the United Nations as among the "masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity."

Andy Palacio, a Garifunan from Belize, once modified his culture's music so it would have wider appeal. But the threat that it might become extinct encouraged him to return to his roots. And so he assembled all-star Garifunan musicians in a thatched-roof shack on Belize's Caribbean coast and spent four months with that band, playing endangered music deep into the night.

The musicologist in me wants to tell you about the richness to be found here: the sexy thrust you'll find in the Cape Verde songs of Cesaria Evora, the raw vocals reminiscent of the Peter Tosh era with The Wailers, the lyrics about life's everyday challenges that could have been written by Ali Farka Toure or Boubacar Traore --- and, of course, the joyous bounce of Buena Vista.

But it's the enthusiast in me that carries the day. Here are 12 songs, each radically different, that, taken together, form a classic mosaic. The electric guitar couldn't be more seductive, the drumming catchier, the lead vocals more urgent, the harmonies more subtle. This CD is as irresistible as Amadou & Mariam --- you will leave your chair.

As I write, the music industry in America is facing the greatest crisis in its history --- it can't find much to sell that you care about. Well, here are some poor musicians no one ever heard of, who made the recording of their lives without any thought of fame or fortune. And here's a guy in a Vermont farmhouse, lavishing beautiful packaging and energetic promotion on these nonentities.

And what's the outcome?

For one of the planet's smallest subcultures, a moment of bracing attention.

For you, satisfaction on the order of Buena Vista --- and maybe greater.

No kidding about that. Andy Palacio and his friends aren't just good, they're seriously great.

5 out of 5 stars

Andy Palacio, Who Saved Garifuna Music, Dies at 47 January 22, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful

OBITUARY

Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize who has performed several times in Chicago in recent years, died Saturday. He was 47.

The cause of death was a massive stroke, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. He was on his way to Chicago for medical treatment last week when it was determined that he was too ill to continue.

A national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture -- a blend of West African and indigenous Carib and Arawak Indian language and heritage -- Palacio and his health crisis dominated the news there in recent days.

Palacio's album "Watina," which was released in early 2007, had become one of the most critically acclaimed world music recordings of the year, appearing on dozens of best-of-the-year lists in major media outlets around the globe.

In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace and won the prestigious WOMEX Award. "Watina" was also nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.

Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A concert honoring him is planned in Belize City on Friday.

5 out of 5 stars

Andy Palacio's welcome return to his roots May 16, 2007
16 out of 22 found this review helpful

Andy Palacio from Belize was little known outside his country, the smallest one in South America. He contributed a bland track to Putumayo's "Music from the Chocolate Lands",and frothy Caribbean pop to Putumayo's "Caribe! Caribe!" When Andy Palacio realized he was one of the few young people still speaking the Garifuna language, he decided to return to his roots, and form the Garifuna Collective.

Andy Palacio's return to his roots has led not only to a revival of Garifuna language and culture, but is a joy for world music fans who delight in earthy, powerful music. "Watina" is a savory blend of reggae-flavored music such as "Lidan Aban" (Together) and the bluesy laments of "Sin Precio" (Worthless), "Ayo Da" (Goodbye my dear) and the title track. There is the reverent sacred music of "Baba" (Father),"Weyu Larigi Weyu" (Day by Day) and "Aguyuha Nidudenu" (My people have moved on). The jazzy,frothy song "Miami" isn't about the Florida metropolis, but about injustice in that city in Honduras. The closing song, "Amunegu" (In times to come),is a hopeful gaze to the future.

There isn't a single weak song on this album. It's a perfect introduction to the music of Belize (too often overshadowed by Argentina,the tango capital of the world and Brazil with its sambas and bossa novas) and Garifuna culture. It's a must for any world music collection!

Andy Palacio introduced the wider public to the richness of bluesy Garifuna music. He was on the verge of a breakthrough with this album. Hopefully, the Garifuna Collective will carry on his musical legacy.
RIP Andy Palacio (1960-2008)

5 out of 5 stars

Watina - Andy Palacio March 25, 2007
8 out of 13 found this review helpful

This is an awesome album. The music of Belize is so enticing you just need to hear it over and over again. It makes you want to be in that country exploring their cultures. The artwork and layout of the cover and booklet are sensational. The best I've seen ever. THANK YOU Cumbancha.

5 out of 5 stars

Infectious! August 13, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I picked up this disc after Palacio's concert in Chicago's Millenium Park earlier this summer. This is truly world-class music making. The sound is a mix of African, blues, jazz, Latin and island but the sounds are fused with unique, authentic and sophisticated musicianship. The vocals, guitar and rhythm work are all outstanding. Buy it - you won't be disappointed!

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