FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2025

The heir to cumbia presents an exhilarating showcase of modern Columbian soul music.

Yeison Landero, from San Jacinto in Colombia’s Montes de María province near Cartagena, is called “el heredero de la cumbia” – the heir to cumbia, the inheritor of cumbia. He’s from the birthplace of that style of music, a style that’s now enormously popular all across Latin America and increasingly in the USA as well.

Yeison is the grandson of Andrés Landero, the man who arguably invented what we know today as cumbia when he translated the indigenous melodies of San Jacinto’s gaitas (flutes) to the accordion, hitched them to propulsive African-derived rhythms played on a trio of percussion instruments, added electric bass to fill out the bottom, and wrote and sang lyrics that championed the lives of rural Native and Black campesinos. This mix of musical and cultural elements spread like wildfire across Latin America starting in the 1960s and continuing until today.

Andrés Landero is known throughout Latin America as “el rey de la cumbia” (the king of cumbia); his grandson began studying with him when Yeison was 7 years old. Today Yeison Landero and his band are keeping the classic cumbia sound alive, updating it for 21st century listeners and dancers, and bringing it to the world through their performances and recordings. Secret Planet is pleased to bring them to Richmond for the first time ever. On the bill with Yeison and his band is DJ Crown Vic from Washington DC, spinning all-vinyl sets of music from around the world and across time.

Secret Planet Richmond is the team of Jim Thomson (Electric Cowbell, Secret Planet Productions), Jim Bland (Plan 9 Music), Bill Lupoletti (Global A Go-Go on WRIR) and Radhika Bhatt (WRIR's Head Empty Radio). The team brings cutting-edge international roots-based artists to Richmond, performances that ought to be happening all year round, not just at the Folk Festival.

With only 100 seats, shows at Révéler are intimate and immersive. A romantic venue with exquisite sound and dreamy vibes, Révéler offers a unique selection of cocktails, wines, beers, bubbles, and non-alcoholic beverages. Our kitchen delivers small plates crafted with care.

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