Tuesday, May 27, 2008

YouTube video and articles on the Gaita Zuliana, from western Venezuela

The state of Zulia in western Venezuela is in the area surrounding
Lake Maracaibo, the main source of Venezuela's oil fields. Zulia's
northern border is the Caribbean Sea and the state borders Colombia on
its western side. The principal rhythm of this region is called a
"gaita." It is sometimes called "gaita zuliana" which distinguishes it
from the bagpipes played in northern Spain, also called gaitas. There
is also a flute and corresponding rhythm on Colombia's Caribbean coast
called gaita, but this is distinct from the Venezuelan rhythm.

YouTube video of Sabor Gaitero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLAxEXpZx58
(There are several YouTube videos of Sabor Gaitero)

A short article in Wikipedia on the gaita zuliana:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaita_(music_style)

Wikipedia article on the state of Zulia, with maps, flag, coat of arms
and list of municipalities: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulia
(There is a more detailed Wikipedia article in Spanish on the state of
Zulia at http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zulia)

An article called "La Gaita Zuliana: The Best Christmas Music You've
Never Heard Of":
http://vivirlatino.com/2006/12/25/la-gaita-zuliana-the-best-christmas-music-youve-never-heard-of.php

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