Caimaré: The Saxophone at the Crossroads of Colombian Music

Abstract

The Colombian work Caimaré (1949) by composer Luis Uribe Bueno (1916 - 2000) is an unusual example of music written for saxophone and orchestra in Latin America. This piece reaches a particular relevance in the repertoire for saxophone and orchestra not only because it opens a window to the musical culture of that time, but also because it symbolizes a conciliation in the diversity of cultural elements that represents the national musical identity of Colombia. This article will examine the main aspects of Caimaré and its relationship with the history, composition and performance-interpretation of the saxophone in Colombia. I will demonstrate how the saxophone played a predominant role in the popular music of the Atlantic Coast in contrast to its relative rarity in the context of Colombian traditional and folk music. My study will also explore the use of the saxophone in one of the most representative tropical orchestras in Colombian music such as that of Lucho Bermúdez and the influence it had on the composition of Uribe Bueno. Finally, this study will illustrate how the composer fused traditional Spanish rhythms such as the pasodoble and Cuban bolero inflections within the traditional Colombian corridor in his representation of the national musical identity.