Chico Trujillo
Chico de Oro (Barbès)On the kitschy cover of Chico Trujillo’s Chico de Oro, a suave Latin lover covered with ladies’ lipstick flees a burning room clutching his guitar, a glass of wine, and a turquoise brassiere. It’s a cheeky nod to the 1940s and 1950s, the golden age of cumbia. Chico Trujillo began a decade ago as a spin-off of Chilean ska band La Floripondio and has since mastered the music of their grandparents’ generation with a musical mischievousness lurking just beneath the surface. With brass blasting and the band swinging, “Ahora Quien” is a true standout, perfectly fusing classic cumbia with unrelenting youthful energy. It’s these moments that reveal Chico Trujillo has as much love for punk, ska, and reggae as it does for traditional Latin rhythms. Big-band arrangements of yesteryear are tweaked with the occasional hints of surf rock and psychedelic chicha, making its stateside debut (actually a sampling of previous Chilean releases) one big pachanga. (Fri., 12mid, Prague; Sat., 1am, Maggie Mae’s)
This article appears in March 18 • 2011.
