The International Garifuna Band, with Paula Castillo and Omar ôBabakle Suaso, is a friendly merger of the versatile and dynamic Garifuna Stars Band and the Punta Rock Souljahs (Isanigu), both Bronx-based. Garifuna Stars specializes in a quieter tone of Punta Rock, which insinuates itself in the marrow of the bones. Isanigu are road-hardened, melody masters.
Garifuna is the name of the free people (meaning they were never enslaved, also called ômaroonsö elsewhere) who inhabit the Atlantic Coast of Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and parts of Nicaragua, descendants of Africans and Carib-Arawaks who were exiled from their ancestral homeland of St. Vincent to Central America in 1797.
Punta is one specific traditional Garifuna rhythm. Aside from Punta, other Garifuna rhythms are Paranda, Chicanare, Culiu, Wanarague, Bihamanadi, and others. Dances include Punta, Cumbia, Sambay, Culiou, Paranda, Chicanare, Wanaragua and others. Instruments include Garifuna drums (or garawon), turtle and conch shells, maracas, bass, keyboards, guitar, and drums.
Punta rock, a term which has no association with the genre known as rock, but is meant to ôrockö listeners, is the music of a tiny minority and it has become the contemporary musical expression of all Central America, claiming its rightful place along with jazz, blues, son, salsa, samba, cumbia, merengue, tango, condombe, candomble, calypso, gospel, reggae, rap, hip-hop and other musical styles.
6/16/01: The International Garifuna Band
