Tangaria is the name of the group that French accordionist Richard Galliano started together with two musicians from Venezuela. The first, Alexis Cardemas, is a classically trained violinist who doesn't just perform in symphony orchestras, but who also happens to be a virtuoso instrumentalist when it comes to playing rhythmic, almost salsa like, Venezuelan folk music. Both styles share the culture of the waltz, which is very prominent in France as well as in Venezuela. The other Venezuelan, Rafael Meijs, is considered the Paganini of the maracas. Mandolin player Hamilton De Hollanda, who can also be heard at the festival with his own band, is one of today's most important Brazilian composers. Galliano invited him as a special guest. The music is rhythmically and harmonically completed by the Belgian bassist Philippe Aerts and the American top drummer Clarence Penn. Galliano about Tangaria: 'I think it's very cool to mix the sounds of all these different instruments - accordion, violin, mandolin, percussion. It's a rare combination.'
