I love Colombia! And my friends!

Once again, this country took us in and for a delicious ride! This time through the Montes de María (thanks to our guide, dancer extraordinaire Pedro Murillo), to El Rincón, Sucre (thanks to Pili la divina), Rio Cedro, Sucre (thanks to Claudia V. and the Restrepo-Jaramillo clan) and to Isla Fuerte off the Caribbean coast (thanks to Mari and Stevey, elegantísimos y generosos). Follow this link to see some pictures!

Link to Flickr.

Kudos from Radio Gladys Palmera

Spain's Radio Gladys (103.2 FM Madrid y 96.6 FM BCN y www.radiogladyspalmera.com) sent us this note published in "Sabrosura" by José Arteaga. Thanks for the kind words!

"Xumapaz is a sextet based in Bogotá led by singer/guitarist Sally Station. Xumapaz has just launched their first eponymous CD whose highlights include Station's voice and guitar, keys by Hamburger Michael Haase, Cali-born Alex Vargas's bass, and percussion by three veterans of Bogotá nights: Javier Pérez Nieto, Pablo Bernal and Luis Pacheco. It's wonderful to see Pachequito again on a record, he is without a doubt the conga player with the most time on stage in Bogotá's salsa world in the last 25 years; but also the least well known outside the Colombian capital. It is thanks to him that Station owes her fluidity when interpreting Colombia Caribbean folklore. And this is one of the record's greatest virtues, the fusion of soul and folk-jazz are warm and full of energy. The only "but" is that not all the songs have the same power as Pusherman, Battle Hymm or Slip Away. But fear not! The fine company kept by Xumapaz on stage ( Jorge Emilio Fadul, Samuelito Torres or Edilberto Liévano) will soon change this tiny detail."

XUMAPAZ on "Caminando"

Sally Station joined Colombian composer and vibes phenomenon Jorge Emilio Fadul on UN Radio's "Caminando por las Sendas de la Música Afrocubana" on Saturday, Oct. 18th. Sally and Jorge began collaborating on different projects in 2007 and shared their experiences with hosts Oliverio Caldas and Mireya Solano (¡muy sabios ellos!). Check out this link starting Oct. 20 to listen to the show! http://www.unradio.unal.edu.co/Programas/020/001.html

XUMAPAZ in "El Espacio"

Journalist Ricardo Rondón interviews Sally in the Colombian daily "El Espacio" on Oct. 17th. Follow this link: http://www.elespacio.com.co/publicaciones/mod.php?mod=userpage&color=1&page_id=18698

Xumapaz Available in Stores Throughout Colombia

The Xumapaz CD hits stores in Colombia on Monday, Oct. 20th. The group signed with Millennium Representaciones de Colombia who will distribute the CD in Tower Records, Tango Discos, La Música & Prodiscos stores throughout Colombia.

Xumapaz plays at "Jazz Domingo" Concert Series

On Sunday, Oct. 5th, XUMAPAZ opened the IV edition of the "Jazz Domingo" series in Bogotá's Parque de los Novios. The festival is sponsored by the Corporación Cultural Nuevo Milenio and Casa de Citas.

XUMAPAZ launches CD

XUMAPAZ launched their new CD on Wednesday, Oct. 1 with a concert at the Café de Buenos Aires on the 30th floor of the Residencias Tequendama in downtown Bogotá, Colombia. The event was hosted by Colombian actors Fernando "Flaco" Solórzano and Conny Camelo and was attended by members of the press, TV and radio personalities, the lucky winners of several media contests and the band's many fans.

Band leader SALLY STATION (guitar and vocals) and bandmates LUIS PACHECO (percussion), MICHEL HAASE (keys and vocals), JAVIER PÉREZ (percussion and vocals), ALEX VARGAS (bass) and DIEGO FLOREZ (drums) were joined by some of Colombia's finest musicians including JORGE EMILIO FADUL (vibes), ALEXEI RESTREPO (guitar), RAFAEL SANDOVAL (sax), GERMÁN DÍAZ (trombone), JUAN CARLOS MONTIEL (trumpet) and TOMÁS BENÍTEZ (bombardino).