Click image for song "Pesares"

Trío Tabacundo, from Ecuador’s northern Sierra region, plays the best in Ecuadorian national music and other Latin American rhythms, encompassing such styles as pasillos, albazos, san juanitos, vals and cumbias.

Formed in 1993, the group proudly takes its name from its members’ birthplace, a sleepy Andean farming town in the foothills of towering Mount Cayambe, located about an hour’s drive northeast of Quito. The word tabacundo dates from colonial times, referring to the indigenous workers who toiled on the tobacco plantations in what is now Canton Pedro Moncayo, Pichincha Province.

Trío Tabacundo’s lineup includes founder and director José Tumbaco (lead vocals, lead guitar), Marcelo Tumbaco (second guitar, third voice), Edwin Almeida (requinto – a five-string guitar, popular in Latin music) and Vinicio Alvear (second voice, bass).

With neither music teachers nor professional instruction, they have relied on their love of music and innate talent to drive their development. Like virtually all traditional Andean bandas, the group plays al oído (playing by ear), as José Tumbaco puts it;

The band appeared play regularly with fellow members of the Professional Artists Association of Pedro Moncayo canton. One of their signature tunes “San Juanito Tabacundeño” is a festival favorite. The band has also performed in Ecuador’s Imbabura and Carchi provinces and also have made their debut on the international stage in Pasto, Colombia. Within their home Pichincha province, they regularly perform at Quito’s culture fests, including Jornadas Culturales in Pichincha province.

Trío Tabacundo plans to cut a CD of all-original tunes next year, the compositions for which compositions are ready to go. At the same time, they plan to work together with the Professional Artists Association, refining their chops and taking up the formal study of music. The association itself plans a three-CD release featuring the band’s music. At the upcoming Harvest Festivities music in their home canton, the band plans to perform a selection of children’s music.

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Updated: 11/01/04