Aterciopelados at Green Dolphin Street

November 06, 2006|By Aaron Cohen

Colombian rockers Aterciopelados sounded relaxed in front of a few hundred enthusiastic, predominantly Latino fans at Green Dolphin Street on Friday. In a room that usually features small jazz combos, the band emphasized its recent "Oye" disc, which mixes up its country's upbeat vallenato dance rhythms and fast Indian tabla patterns with more relaxed funk and dub. Onstage, singer/guitarist Andrea Echeverri and bassist Hector Buitrago chose the right moments to kick their songs into higher gears.

While this fluid energy fueled the group's new renditions of its earlier hits, such as "Baracunatana," Aterciopelados' shifting tones made the messages from "Oye" more conversational than strident. Drummer Mauricio Montenegro's intertwined beats with percussionist Urian Samiento enlivened "Paces," a song that Echeverri said reflects her disdain for Colombian president Alvaro Uribe's militarism.On the dynamic "Cancion Protesta," she declares that following the protest lineage of John Lennon doesn't make her a terrorist. After performing that song, Echeverri and drummer Mauricio Montenegro picked up wooden flutes. Echeverri, a feminist hero in Colombia, noted that she played the traditional male gaita while Montenegro used its female counterpart. She knows that musical symbolism can make more of a statement than mere lyrics.