Simón Mejía, one half of Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo, has announced a new documentary, El Duende, which looks into the myths, traditions and significance of the marimba. The documentary begins with a caption: ‘In the Colombian Pacific, the marimba is learned, built and played in the jungle. Here, the marimberos [marimba players] encounter a mysterious being, something between an elf and a demon, who teaches them how to assemble and play it. The Torres brothers are among the last bearers of this jungle legend.’ 

It’s these three brothers (featured in Songlines #161, as Dinastía Torres) who lead the story, sharing their belief that the ability to play the marimba is passed on by the duende, a part-elf, part-devil spirit. Mejía directed the film, with Lucas Silva (head of the Palenque Records label, and an accomplished film-maker) and Simon Hernandez, who Mejía will be collaborating with on another forthcoming documentary, Yuma, Rio Sonoro (Yuma, Sonic River) about the origins of cumbia on the Magdalena River.

It would seem that Afro-Colombian music is having its moment after long being ignored outside its homeground. Discos Pacifico have released ‘Rumba pa’ Gozar’, the first single from Ruca & El Quinde, the group of school teacher Ruth Elena Cabezas who has reportedly written over 1,000 songs during the last 20 years. This single, with an album due later this summer, represents a rare release of marimba music from the small town of Barbacoas.