Betsayda Machado is the voice of Venezuela. Betsayda and La Parranda El Clavo hail from El Clavo just an hour bus ride from the Venezuelan capital of Caracas which is practically hidden in the lushness of the jungle. Centuries ago, the settlement was founded by rebel Africans who set up secret free communities deep in the brush of the region. They play a style of community music called parranda (which also means “party” – a popular word throughout Spanish-language speaking countries) It was born in joyous celebrations as musicians strolled through town singing poems that commented on daily life, set to the pulse of drums made from the lano tree, an iconic tree from the region.
Betsayda Machado and La Parranda El Clavo, master exponents of parranda music, build their rhythmic, danceable poetry on waves of shimmering vocals and body and spirit-rousing percussion. The music they create preserves the tambor genre – said to make dancers float – which amalgamates several other dozen musical sub-genres, almost all on the path to extinction.
Led by Machado, La Parranda El Clavo – which includes three cocoa farming brothers, a mother and son team, and Machado’s sister – recently celebrated 30 years of existence. As the musical storytellers of the community, the ensemble celebrates all of life’s daily occurrences, so it’s no surprise that recent compositions such as ‘Sentimiento’ cry out against the current land crisis in Venezuela.
$18 advance
$20 at the door
Doors 8PM
Showtime 9PM
