Saturday, April 28, 2001
Back by popular demand, Diego Marulanda Concert, "El Otro Lado"
du Maurier Theatre Centre at Harbourfront Centre, 231 Queens Quay West
Tickets $20 - Box Office 416 973 4000

Press Release
Rose's Review from his first concert on March 3rd

His Album, El Otro Lado

Our Interview... Coming Soon

Press Release from DJ Billy Bryans

Diego Marulanda, Canada's premier Latin American composer, bandleader and vocalist, launches his long awaited CD 'El Otro Lado' (The Other Side) with a concert at the du Maurier Theatre Centre at Harbourfront Centre on Saturday March 3 at 8pm.

Juno award nominee and seasoned veteran of the Canadian festival circuit from coast to coast, Diego Marulanda has received many accolades for his highly original compositions that filled the first two albums he recorded with his 10-piece Afro-Colombian group, Pacandé.

With the release of Marulanda's third album 'El Otro Lado', Marulanda’s song writing skills become all the more evident in the sparse setting of the Spanish and Indigenous sounds of Colombia’s Andean mountains, his birthplace. 'El Otro Lado', graced by the simple pleasures of the tiple and cuatro (guitar-like stringed instruments), zampoñas (pan pipes), flute, piano and double bass, is Marulanda's finest recording to date.

For the March 3rd concert, Marulanda has assembled many of the same musicians appearing on 'El Otro Lado', including Lisa and Laura Lindo from Pacandé, Ted Sankey (ex-Klave y Kongo), Claudio and Cristian Saldivia of Grupo Taller, Rubén Vásquez, Luis Orbegozo, Ruben Esguerra, Alex Russell and Yannick Malboeuf. Also joining the show will be special guest Ramiro Puerta, the founder of Ramiro's Latin Orchestra, one of the most well known Colombian musicians in Toronto, and programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival.

"The longer Marulanda lives away from Colombia, the more Colombian he becomes”, wrote Ramiro Puerta. This paradox has created a most remarkable recording in "El Otro Lado", and it will no doubt ensure a most memorable evening with Diego Marulanda on March 3rd at the du Maurier Theatre Centre.

Rose's Review of his first CD Release Concert on March 7, 2001...

Another whirlwind weekend of dancing? some, but how about an awesome night of music!

At about 6 pm, I headed out to du Maurier Theatre at the Harbourfront where Diego Marulanda was having his CD Release Concert, "El Otro Lado" which means "the other side". Apparently, he played previously in another band called "Picande" with Colombian cumbia; but this music was an "intimate glimpse into the soul and emotion of Diego's native land" which is Colombian folklore. I hung around backstage and got to meet many of the band members and Diego. At that time, they were just faces to me as I didn't know who they were. I was with DJ Billy Bryans who was the publicist for Diego and we were waiting for the Puentes Brothers who were also going to listen to the concert. I got to sit beside them and Alexis mentioned to me that they really enjoy listening to other artists to get inspiration.

Little did I know that I would be in for a wonderful treat that still has me mesmerized even today. To anyone who wants to watch a latin "genius" in action, you must see Diego live. You can't enjoy the CD to its fullest potential without seeing his live show. It was done so cleverly and is made to tickle the "other side" of your brain. Believe it or not, I enjoyed this concert 500 times more than the Celia Cruz concert and any concert I've seen in my lifetime.

What set this concert apart, was a number of things -- the intimate setting, the way Diego (who composes the music and lyrics) interprets the music, how he changed the mood of the music from the traditional Colombian folklore, to his interpretation of latin jazz tune to a lovely latin ballad and then to jamming sessions with various artists on different latin instruments, such as the tiple, fluete and clave. With every song they played, he utilized different instruments and used them to their full potential. The audience fell in love with his songs as each one told a different story and reacted to his every mood. One of the most priceless moments was when a cell phone went off during a pause in the music, and Diego quickly said "Hello" which had the audience cracking up, and then at the end of the song, he asked if he had any messages. In the intermission and at the end of the concert, his CD's were flying off the table -- that just reinforced how much an impact this artist had on the audience.

You can definitely look forward to a future interview with Diego. There were moments in the show where I was dying to find out what inspired him to write/engineer new interpretations of the music or the instruments. He finished the evening with some great cumbias which had many people dancing in the aisles. When I later talked to the promoters of Harbourfront, they also mentioned that Diego is considered one of the top latin talents in the country and they hope to hook up all the artists in Canada for a brainstorming session.

"El Otro Lado" by Diego Marulanda
Excerpts from the CD Cover

Dedico este trabajo a mi Colombia por ser fuente permanente de inspiracion. A su gente que a pesar de las dificultades no perdemos la alegria de sonar. Gracias a tudos los musicos que participaron en este proyecto por dar lo mejor. Gracias a Carlos marulanda, Ramior Puerta, Alejandro Ronceria, Sheila Gruner, Manuel Rozental, Ed Linares, Alvaro Oyarce, Lisa Lindo, Carlos pineda y Gustavo Rodriguez


On the surface EL OTRO LADO, Diego Marulanda's new CD sounds like a musical departure from the Afro-Colombian rhythms he has so successfully trademarked with his band Pacande. However, few people realize the style of the songs contained in this fascinating new work is in fact a continuation of a lifetime passion for the rhythms of the Columbian Andes, the music of his birthplace. In EL OTRO LADO, Diego Marulanda applies his eclectic range to produce a very personal and polished CD encompassing various styles from the region.

He takes us through this 10-song compilation as if showing us an intimate musical portrait of his life: a Colombian artist living away from his land. What is also fascinating is that the longer he lives away from Colombia, the more Colombian he becomes and the more authentic his songs. It is a complex riddle that he solves with great ease, as if a guiding muse were instructing him to bring his Colombian Andes to Lake Ontario in order for him to express his music. Well, there is no doubt this muse is also illuminating his music page.

For EL OTRO LADO, Diego Marulanda crafted his songs from the heart out, and from the roots up infusing in them the poetry of absence and the music of affirmation. EL OTRO LADO is a musical journey for him, one that takes him back to the traditional styles, while moving him forward to contemporary sounds. This blend informs his songs and his lyrics, and we are thus seduced to follow him in the magic of his compositions. His tiple surrengueo (strumming) in "El durazno" (A Llanero rhythm piece arranged for the instrument) is at once dazzling and uplifting. Marvel at his accomplished guitar riffs in "Lunes de zapatero", or at his masterful cuatro fingering in "El patas". Allow your mind to drift through the Andean landscape as you listen to the lyrics and music of "Mi bayeton", "Mi tiple" and "A ella". Picture yourself at the top of a lush mountain as you are drawn in by the haunting sentiment of "Arruyo", "Azul" and "Camille" (the latter two, an understated tribute to the legendary band Inti Illimani and to his daughter respectively).

For all its simplicity, Diego Maruland's EL OTRO LADO is an absorbing collection of songs that leaves a warm and indelible mark in the listener, which is hard to resist.

Ramiro Puerta