Totó and her Tambores visited in 19 and laid down sets of Tambores, Sextetos and Gaitas, which are mostly vocal and percussion tracks. (She first heard of England in school when a charity delivered tins of hard cheese that she understood were a gift from the Queen of England!) When the WOMAD festival began in England Peter Gabriel, one of the organizers, had the idea of inviting selected acts down to his studio in rural Wiltshire to record a live album. Not only were the arts neglected but there was outright racism towards the African roots that she and her troupe were struggling to preserve. From an early age she sang and danced in her mother's dance troupe, even as her native country Colombia was undergoing a civil war. Totó, who is also about to celebrate an anniversary - of 60 years as a performer, is a folklorist and scholar. RealWorld are celebrating their anniversary by revisiting their catalogue and so far this has proved very fruitful. And it's not just the birth of a legend, it's the birth of two legends (because Batata is on there also). It's a great pleasure to write up this Totó la Momposina album because it is a reworking of her excellent debut La Candela Viva on the RealWorld label that compelled our attention 25 years ago.
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