Obituary: Abelardo Carbonó (1948-2021)

On November 22, singer, composer and guitarist Abelardo Carbonó, pioneer of the confluence of Afro-Caribbean music, Colombian tropical genres such as cumbia, psychedelic and African sounds such as soukous, highlife and Congolese rumba, passed away in Barranquilla, Colombia, due to Covid-19 complications. Carbonó's recordings, from 1978 on, represent the first examples of the explosive street music called terapia, or champeta, a local appropriation of African rhythms that continues to thrive in Colombian coastal cities such as Barranquilla and Cartagena, popularised by the pick-up sound systems, phonetically known as picós.

In recent years, Carbonó himself had experienced something of a renaissance, with the reissue of two classic albums Palenque, Palenque (Soundway, 2010) and The Wonderful World of Abelardo Carbonó (Vampi Soul, 2013) catapulting him to international tours and new recordings (around 1998, he had left his original music to earn a living singing serenades, as a bolero singer).

Carbonó was born in Ciénaga, a town in the department (state or province) of Magdalena, where he received his first lessons as a musician from his father, along with his brothers Abel and Jafet, who always accompanied him in his projects. A member of the National Police of Colombia for almost 15 years, in 1978 he decided to dedicate himself completely to music with his first solo project, Grupo Abharca, where he combined all those rhythms, with the support of an indigenous vocalist who sang in the dialect of the Wayúu ethnic group, from La Guajira, north of Colombia.

Although some of the songs he recorded, such as ‘Quiero a mi gente, Carolin’a, ‘A otro perro con ese hueso’ and ‘El baile del Indio’, were very popular on the Colombian Caribbean coast, very few actually knew the person behind them. Carbonó’s second album, Guana Tangula, was recently reissued by Spanish imprint, Vampi Soul. These early albums enjoy a cult following among collectors and his music, hypnotic, exultant work with originality and a timeless sense of humour, will continue to resonate and influence well beyond his passing..