The 16-piece band Tumbábo pays homage to Antillian melodies and rhythms, especially those from the island of Curaçao. Pianist and band leader Randal Corsen, who is from Curaçao, has made a selection of some old and less old Antillian standards, a selection he arranged in a modern way. With Tumbábo Corsen wants to stress that Latin American music is more than samba salsa or meringue. The Antilles have always had their own musical styles with a rich tradition, like the tumba and the Curaçao walz. The tumba not only has, rhythmically speaking, deep African roots, but also harmonical influences from Europe and Papiamento lyrics. Next to the traditional percussion, piano, guitar rhythm section, Tumbábo will perform with an extended horn section. Special guests of this swinging project are master singer/songwriter Oswin ‘Chin’ Behilia, one of the most important and best-known composers of Curaçao music. This singer and poet of folk songs composes melodic music with a poetic message, mostly in the form of the Curaçao Walz or the bossa nova. His compositions bear a universal character and arranging them with the help of jazz harmony is a tremendous challenge for a musician like Randal Corsen. Another special guest is the talented vocalist, composer and lyricist Izaline Calister. She, together with Corsen, represents the younger generation of Curaçao musicians and once was elected Tumba Queen of Curaçao.
