Search - Aurelio :: Landini

On a narrow peninsula on Honduras' Caribbean coast -- in Plaplaya, a small village without electricity -- singer, guitarist and Garifuna activist Aurelio Martinez learned music at his mother s knee. At day s end, workers returned from the sea, gathering to hear paranda -- the guitar-driven music of Garifuna troubadours. Aurelio joined in from a tender age, set atop a table by his uncles.
He may be among the last generation in Honduras to grow up with Garifuna traditions, passed down over 300 years since shipwrecked African slaves intermarried with native Indians on St. Vincent in the 1600s. Their families were forcibly deported to the Central American coast by British colonials three centuries ago -- but their unique culture still endures.
Aurelio set aside music in 2005 as the first black member of Honduras' National Congress, devoting himself to the guardianship of Garifuna heritage. But with the untimely passing of fellow Garifuna musician Andy Palacio in 2008, he relinquished his political position to launch an international tribute tour in honor of his friend.
Global exposure led to his selection for the Rolex mentoring project, with Youssou N Dour as his mentor. But a visit with his mother, singing very old paranda songs, made him realize his mission: to preserve the music of his culture.
'My mother is the sole inspiration for this album, She is the best example I have in my life of what a human being should be.
The more I have traveled and seen the world, the more I have seen the need to reconnect with my roots...the farther I go, the more I want to come back...'
Lándini ('landing') is an exuberant yet bittersweet homage to his beloved home and to his Garifuna people.