Rancho Aparte (Quibdo – Choco Department, Colombia)

Abozaos, polkas, danzas, rebulú, Contradanzas, Jugas, and other indigenous sounds are the rhythms of Colombia's foremost Chirimia Brass Band from the Paciific Coast of Colombia's Choco department/province. The ensemble's high energy stage show is a favorite throughout Colombia and the world-over.  The group has excited audiences at the recent Petronio Alvarez Festival in Cali, Colombia and as far away as the WOMEX Festival in Budapest, FujiRock Festival in Japan and The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the USA.

The Punk of the Pacific

     The leaders of Rancho Aparte are determined to spread awareness of the indigenous chirimía music of Colombia’s Pacific region. “The love for home is part of the musical essence,” the bandleaders proudly proclaim.

    But this brass and drum ensemble is also doing something a little different, presenting a progressive, high-energy take on an already unique sound popular in the department of Chocó, a region that boasts the largest Afro-Colombian population in the Republic of Colombia.

     “Rancho Aparte is an antithesis of what is traditionally known as traditional Chocoan folklore,” say bandleaders Dino Manuelle and Dyam Palacios. “[We are] breaking the molds in terms of the personal presentation of its members, the uniformity of the band, the musical concept, and the development of compositions.”

     The eight-piece Aparte, which formed in Chocó’s capital city of Quibdó, is still buzzing after its triumphant appearance at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. By turns brash, jubilant, and elegant, the group’s music will be featured at the 20th Richmond Folk Festival.

     Initiated in 2005 by vocalist Manuelle, with clarinetist and saxophonist Palacios eventually serving as co-music director, Rancho Aparte represents a strain of chirimía music that incorporates glancing blows from other genres—dancehall, salsa, Afrobeat, reggaeton—to conjure up a punchy, party-flavored music that has been labeled, “El Punk del Pacifico,” or the Punk of the Pacific.

     “This concept was given to us due to the energy transmitted by the band’s performance,” say Manuelle and Palacios. “To dance to Rancho Aparte’s music, you just need to know how to jump, as one of our most famous songs says.” But even with the increased intensity, the roots of the music are still intact, they are quick to add. “The songs of traditional chirimía music tell all the experiences, lives, and feelings of the population. Rancho Aparte builds on this foundation and takes advantage of the knowledge of other musical genres by its members to enrich the compositions.”

Spreading the gospel of chirimía in the U.S.

     Rancho Aparte’s eclecticism was in evidence during their April 2024 appearance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, when the band launched into a joyful, shape-shifting rendition of the American brass jazz standard, “When the Saints Go Marching In.” “We were struck by the similarity in the history and interpretative development between New Orleans music in its brass band format and chirimía music,” say Manuelle and Palacios. “Among the similarities, we found that geographically both territories have a nearby river, New Orleans has the Mississippi River, and Quibdó has the Atrato River. Musically, it is evident that the rhythms and melodies of both formats are an appropriation, adaptation, and transformation of European music.”

     Since its inception, Rancho Aparte has been able to craft modern-sounding recordings that match their energetic live presentation, such as its most recent album, Re-evolución, produced by GRAMMY-winning producer, Ivan Benavides, a fellow Colombian. Translating their distinctive sound to tape is, they say, “challenging but not impossible. Traditional music is about feeling, timbre nuances, and sensations experienced when in contact with the audience. Entering a technical space like a recording studio requires the expertise to make your mind feel that you are in a space with listeners who connect with your performance and thus flow musically without feeling panic from the red recording button.”

     The members are due to spread the gospel of chirimía on another U.S. tour this fall, which will include their Richmond Folk Festival appearances. “The audience will experience a show full of energy, tradition, connection, and dance,” Manuelle and Palacios promise. “They will encounter sounds from the Chocoan jungle, with a clarinet that calls, a euphonium that scolds, a snare drum that calms, a traditional drum that hits, traditional cymbals that incite, and a native voice that rescues the soul of our people.”