Regional orchestra unites Central America
The notion of Belize as a bridge between the Caribbean islands and the mainland of Central America is probably older than any of the real bridges crossing the Haulover Creek. Earlier this week that concept was revived with the announcement that Air Jamaica would soon begin regular service between Montego Bay and Belize City. But while the air connection was still just an idea, another link–this one cultural–was being forged with our Central American neighbours. News 5’s Stewart Krohn reports.
Stewart Krohn, Reporting
The beat may be familiar, but those beating out are not. But don’t worry, nobody’s out to steal our music. Actually, it’s being promoted by a unique experiment: a band whose members are drawn from the seven countries that share the isthmus of Central America. Its name is La Orquesta de la Papaya, and its founder is Costa Rican Manuel Obregon.
Manuel Obregon
“It was an old idea from starting in 1990 and so for twelve years we’ve been working in this with a lot of people. It’s not only me, a lot of Central American musicians we start thinking about an idea to play together and see how…or wonder about how Central American can sound.”
And whether you hear those Central Americans in concert or listen to their latest CD, that sound is nothing short of remarkable. Using a mixture of the traditional and modern, the band’s music gives new meaning to the word “eclectic”.
Manuel Obregon
“We just put all the musicians together and try to hear each other and coming in a very natural way how it sounds… I ask each one of the musicians to bring some traditional music and we’ll see what happens, but then there is a lot of common elements and roots.”
And those roots extend most deeply into Belize soil. While the CD includes tracks from each of the seven countries, Belize dominates the collection. And the band’s two Belizean members, Bredda David and Mohobub Flores, have never been better.
Manuel Obregon
“They bring a lot, in the CD there are six songs from Belize, it’s the country that has maybe more music. But they bring many things, for example the name. We were thinking about a name and it was Central American Orchestra and then we started singing a sing from Guatemala, it was “chisca del la cataya”, that is something in Q’eqchi language. So Mohobub, he never sing “chisca de la cataya”, but he change it to “Orquesta de la Papaya” and all of the musicians, we start singing the same thing. So it was an actual name also.”
“But also, the Belizean music with the turtle shell and the boom and the Garifuna sounds and the Creole sounds, it’s one of the most important thing in the Central American orchestra.”
According to Obregon, himself an amazingly talented musician, the band will continue to evolve, incorporating guest performers as well as women into the currently all male orchestra. But on thing that will remain constant is his dedication to regional integration through culture.
Manuel Obregon
“We are very small country all of us, but I think we would be stronger if we all pull together. All of the musicians in the orchestra are very well known in their respective countries, and now we want to put Central America as a region into the world through the music, that it’s a very powerful language.”
Stewart Krohn, for News 5.
La Orquesta de la Papaya is scheduled to perform in Belize sometime in November. Their CD is distributed here by Stonetree Records.
