Exciting Ecuador Music

This is mainly because of the Otavalo Indians who play this kind of music in every major city in the world.

The main highland rhythms are the Sanjuanito, Yumbo, Cachullapi and Danzante, danced on every festival by Indians and Mestizos alike.

These are be played by brass bands, guitar trios or groups of wind instruments, but it is the Rondador, a small panpipe, that provides the classic Ecuadorian music and sound.

The most popular Ecuadorian songs are:

• El Chulla Quiteño (Pasacalle, a very Happy song)
• Vasija de Barro( melancholic song)
• Romantico Quito (Pasacalle, very Romantic song)

Music of the highland Indian communities is, as elsewhere in the region, related to religious feasts and ceremonies using mainly wind instruments such as the rondador, the pinkullo and pifano flutes and also the great long guarumo horn.

The guitar is also usually present and Brass Bands with well worn instruments can be found in even the smallest villages.

• "Los Embajadores" with their superb song    "Tormentos"
• Duo Benitez-Valencia
• Ñanda-Mañachi and Peguche (both from    Otavalo) for highland Indian music.
• And Pueblo Nuevo, Jatari and Huayanay for    Andean Ecuador music.

The music from Ecuador corresponds also to the black inhabitants of the Province of Esmeraldas and the highland valley of the Chota in the well known province of Imbabura near the city of Ibarra

Their favorite instrument is the marimba, a huge wooden xylophone.

The musical genres like Bunde and Torbellino are the most African sounding in South America.

The Chota valley is a desert zone in the Andes and here the black people dance the Bomba.

It's also home to the unique Bandas Mochas, with primitive instruments like leaves that doubled over and blown through.

After the conquest, the church integrated the Indigenous festivals with their own feast days and so today's music festivals are a mix of Roman Catholicism and Indigenous traditions.

Every community (especially in the highlands) celebrates their own particular festivals mainly in honor of Saints.

In San Antonio de Pichincha (Middle of the World village) there is a festival at the end of the month of August that lasts 5 days in a row.

It's incredible to see these Brass Bands playing and playing for hours, Indians and Mestizos dancing along with Ecuador music... very folkloric.

Recommended Ecuador Music:

Horizons Collection: Ecuador y sus Imagenes
A very nice set of songs. Most of the indian instruments are played in this CD. Lovely music from ecuador. (Highly recommended)

Music From Ecuador
These CDs have a great combination of sounds. And it gives you a good example of Ecuadorian culture and music. Different rhythms are played. (Also packed with wonderful music).