Venezuela Bids Adios to A Much Loved Folk Legend

 

Venezuela's most famous and best loved folk musician Simon Diaz, known affectionately by his fans as Tio Simon (Uncle Simon), has died aged 85. The news of his death sparked a huge outpouring of support for his life and work on the social networking site Twitter from Venezuelans, folk music fans, and his fellow musicians. 

His daughter Betsimar Díaz made the announcement on 19 February, tweeting. “Tearfully I announce to the country that my beloved father passed away this morning, in peace”..He had been suffering for some years from Alzheimer's Disease.

Over a long career he wrote over 200 songs, but his most famous composition is "Caballo Viejo", which became a huge international hit for the Franco-Spanish group the Gipsy Kings after they renamed it "Bamboleo". 

From the 1970s to the 1990s he hosted a number of children's TV shows that promoted Venezuelan folk traditions, humour and songs, something which won him a special place in the hearts of those Venezuelans who grew up with him.

Born on the 8 August 1928 in Barbacoas and baptized Simón Narciso Díaz Márquez, he is famous for his renditions of folk songs known collectively as joropo or música criolla from the area known as Los Llanos, a vast swathe of seasonally-flooded cattle country that stretches from Venezuela into Colombia.

Considered a national treasure, over a career spanning more than 60 years he almost single-handedly rescued for future generations the traditional working songs of Los Llanos. His great achievement was to take these simple songs called tonadas and reinterpret them with spare arrangements that highlight the sometimes haunting vocals, and bring to life the daily chores of the cattle ranch. 

He was also known for his wicked sense of humour and made more than one tongue-in-cheek song about life on the Llanos, like "El Peine".

So influential has Simon Diaz been on Venezuelan folk music that tonadas like "Tonada de Luna Llena", "La Vaca Mariposa", and "Luna de Margarita"  have been recorded by a host of singers across Latin America and Spain, including Mercedes Sosa, Caetano Veloso, Joan Manuel Serrat, Gilberto Santa Rosa and contemporary indie musicians like Devendra Banhart and Natalia Lafourcade. 

A 2007 album called simply "Simon: Remixes" brought together Venezuelan electronica groups like Babylon Motorhome, Masseratti 2 lts. Todosantos and Panasuyo interested in reinterpreting songs like "Mi Querencia", "La Tonada del Cabrestero" and "Arbolito Sabanero" for a new generation.

In 2008, Tio Simon was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Latin Grammys after a campaign by a group called "Venezuelans in Hollywood", supported by actors such as "The Mummy" actress Patricia Velasquez, and musicians such as Oscar D'Leon, Los Amigos Invisibles, Ricardo Montaner, Jose Luis Rodriguez ("El Puma") and the Gipsy Kings.

Click here for a video of "Caballo Viejo"
Click here for a video of "Angustia" by Simon Diaz remixed by Babylon Motorhome
Click here for a video of "La Tonada del Cabrestero"
Click here for a video of "Alma Llanera" 

Simon Diaz honoured at Latin Grammy Awards

Venezuela's best-loved folk singer Simon Diaz is finally being recognized by the Latin Grammy organizers for his contribution to Latin music.

The composer of "Caballo Viejo" - a massive international hit for the Gipsy Kings as "Bamboleo" - will pick up a Lifetime Achievement Award at a special ceremony on 12 November, the day before the Ninth Latin Grammy show at the Hobby Centre in Houston, Texas.

The award represents a major milestone in the long and illustrious career of Diaz, who celebrated his 80th birthday on 8 August this year.

The announcement on 30 September came after a campaign to "bring Simon Diaz to the 2009 Grammy" by a group called "Venezuelans in Hollywood", supported by actors such as "The Mummy" actress Patricia Velasquez, and musicians such as Oscar D'Leon, Los Amigos Invisibles, Ricardo Montaner, Jose Luis Rodriguez ("El Puma") and the Gypsy Kings.

A Facebook group supporting the campaign currently has 51,000 members.

Also collecting awards will be New York salsa legend Larry Harlow, from the Fania Allstars, and the Cuban composer and guitarist Juanito Marquez.

Click here for a video of "Caballo Viejo"

Click here for a video of "Angustia" by Simon Diaz remixed by Babylon Motorhome

Reggaeton: Caballo Viejo

The Gipsy Kings might have sold more records with Bamboleo, their version of Caballo Viejo - Simon Diaz' classic of musica llanera - but the first person to have a worldwide hit with the track was Cuban sonero Roberto Torres. Now Torres is back with Venezuelan rapper Andres Eduardo Perez Fernandez, A.K.A Andre MC, with a reggaeton version.
The track comes from Andre's new album Lyrikal, which was released at the end of 2007.
For a boy born in Valencia - before he moved to Miami - you would have thought Andres could have squeezed in a harp and some maracas. Instead he's gone with Torres' Vallenato-inspired version.

Musica Llanera - Caballo Viejo

UPDATE - 19/02/2014: Venezuela Bids Adios to a Much Loved Folk Legend

Probably one of Simon Diaz' most famous songs, Caballo Viejo (Old Horse), was allegedly written by the singer to a young beauty queen. He might be an old horse, goes the song, but he still fancies his chances. It has the typical Llanos accompaniment of maracas, harp and cuatro (small, four stringed guitar). The video couldn't be slushier, but if you're into soft-focus and longing looks across a plate of steaming arepas, this one is for you. The Gipsy Kings called this song "Bamboleo" and had a huge hit with it. But Simon Diaz wrote it.

Caballo Viejo
Translated by Russell Maddicks

When love arrives like this, in this way
you don't even realise
The genipap tree comes to life again
The guamacho tree flowers
and the rope snaps

The horse is put out to pasture
because he is old and tired
but they don't realize
that a heart that is tied
when the reins are released
becomes a runaway horse

And if the old horse meets
a chestnut filly
his heart is pulverized
He ignores the bridle
and he ignores the bit
and false reins don't stop him

When love arrives like this, in this way
you are not to blame
love has no schedule
or a date on the calendar
when desires are joined

The horse is put out to pasture
and his days are numbered
he crosses the plains
with a hurried step
to meet his filly
who has poisoned him

The colt has time for time
but because he's too old
the old horse cannot
lose the flower he's given
because when this life is over
there are no more chances

Report: Simon Diaz to be honoured at Latin Grammy Awards

Click here for a video of "Angustia" by Simon Diaz remixed by Babylon Motorhome