As December and the winter season hits, so too does the Christmas season. I’m all for Christmas carols, the classics and blah blah blah, but NOTHING tops Venezuelan Gaitas! That’s right, the Christmas jams of my people!
Known for being the most popular music style played in Venezuela during the Christmas season, this folk genre originated from the Saladillo neighborhood of central Maracaibo also known as “the Zulia State.” The Zulia State culture involves a fusion of African, European, and Indigenous musical influences, dating all the way back to the second half of the 17th century. “What might that mean?” you might ask, well that means this genre has the most fire percussion instrumental beats which are traditionally accompanied by one string instrument.
It’s important to note that this genre frequently has lyrical themes involving cultural folklore, social movements or political commentary, and religion. This means these grooves don’t just leave us when the hot and dry temperatures appear, they stay around all year!
Gaiteros to Groove to
Now I’m a bit biased since my Tio Rafael is a cantante in the Retro Gaita Show (yes, the very same tio who makes the goat quesito!), so his group is definitely my favorites. His crew has some original songs and does a lot of covers of gaitas that I’m not about to let you sleep on.
Maracaibo 15 – Amparito
Anyone who knows gaitas knows the Maracaibo 15. This group of gaiteros made some of the classics that every Latino Dad will scream sing to wake you up in the morning or just randomly throughout the day; that classic that brings me these warm memories is “Amparito”. This song has some iconic indigenous influence and lyrically lays down the rizz to a woman he has been reminiscing about.
Rincon Morales – Orinoco
I’m gonna be so real in saying I genuinely thought “Orinoco” by Rincon Morales was a one hit wonder in the world of gaitas. After taking a quick look and listen through their Spotify, I quickly realized this crew actually released a bunch of my other favorite gaitas including “Gaita Gaitero”, “Cantares de la Nueva Ola” and “A Mi Maracaibo”.
Personally, I feel like this crew has a very wholesome, throwback folky sound that makes you want to shimmy your shoulders as you sip on hot cocoa and decorate the Christmas tree. If you’re a fan of the quality of music found in the recording of the original “West Side Story,” the feel of the music production is very similar.
Gran Coquivacoa – Tamborera No. 9
El Gran Coquivacoa is one of those groups that has continued creating gaitas for over 50 years! Needless to say, this group has seen a nice change of members throughout the years, all of which have helped shape the sound of their music, drawing additional influences from salsa, merengue and even more traditional vallenato rhythms.
My favorite song of theirs is “Tamborera No. 9” and clearly the public agrees as it is in their Spotify’s top 4 releases! This song does an amazing job of meshing traditional gaita and salsa rhythms to make one of the biggest bops to dance to.
