NOTES ON TUNES AND INSTRUMENTS
¡VIVA LA PEPA!
The Tunes

La novia se destrenza

Tom: laud / voice
Rima: voice
Sharon: recorders / hand claps
Juan: hurdy gurdy / hand claps
Bruce: dumbek / riq

Traditional Sephardic wedding song. Our friend María Díaz taught us this lovely song to which we added the tune.

The first line reads: The bride unbraids her hair, the bridegroom faints…

Muiñeira de Freixido

Tom: tambourine / guitar
Sharon: accordion / recorder
Juan: hurdy gurdy

The muiñeira is a traditional dance from Galicia with a very specific time bit of 6/8. This one comes from the town of Freixido. It is said that the muiñeira comes from a dance which was danced in and around windmills (in Galician muiños) while the milling was done.
A la una

Tom: voice / psaltry
Rima: flute
Juan: hurdy gurdy

A Sephardic traditional tune from Turkey played free style.
Todo bueno tengo

Tom: guitar / voice / gralla
Sharon: balafon / accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / hand claps / bagpipe / mezoued
Polly: Cajon / hand claps

Another Sephardic song. A young woman marries a rich old man but has an eye for the young men. The song is coupled with instrumental melodies inspired by Turkish music.
Virgen Negra - Fuente de Cacho

Tom: voice / guitar / laud / tambourine
Rima: voice
Sharon: accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy

La Virgen Negra is a popular Spanish song. The town of Santander, in Cantabria, is the location of La Fuente de Cacho (The Fountain of Cacho), where the song is also from.
Como poden

Tom: laud / bandurria
Sharon: recorders
Juan: hurdy gurdy / mbira
Polly: tupan

Cantiga #166 of Santa Maria, compiled by Alfonso X the Wise, 13th Century Spain.
La peregrina

Tom: voice / tambourine
Sharon: accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / bagpipe.

Traditional Castilian romance (ballad)
Plata y oro

Tom: laud
Sharon: accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / bagpipes
Polly: riq / tupan

Two tunes written by Juan and Sharon.
Barqueiros de Ribadavia - Danza de Palillos - Brincadeiro - Albukerkistan

Tom: voice
Sharon: Tromba marina / accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / bagpipe / conchas / caña
Polly: tupan

Three Galician tunes followed by Albukerkistan, a tune written by Juan.
The first tune is a traditional tune from the Ribadavia region in the province of Ourense, Galicia. The term barqueiro refers to the ferryman who used to cross people from one side to the other of the Miño river.
The second tune falls into the category of stick or sword dances and is played
traditionally for a group of male dancers that keep the beat by clacking their wooden
sticks against each other producing a rhythmic beat when they are dancing.
The third one, Brincadeiro, is a traditional Galician polka.
Fuentecilla - Boufferia

Tom: voice / guitar
Rima: voice
Sharon: accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy
Polly: cajón

Fuentecilla is a traditional Spanish song from Aragón. Bouffería was written by our friend and virtuoso hurdy gurdy player Patrick Bouffard in the form of a bulería; played “VLP style”.
Jupes fendues -Bourrée d’Aurore Sands

Tom: guitar
Sharon: accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / bagpipes
Bruce: bongos

Two 2-time bourrées from France. Jupes fendues was written by French bagpipe player Philippe Prieur and Bourrée d’Aurore Sands is a traditional tune dedicated to George (Aurore) Sands, the French author who was a patron of traditional French hurdy gurdy and bagpipe music.
Ronda Viva la Pepa

Tom: voice / anise bottle / tambourine / castanets
Juan: voice
Bruce: frame drum

In the style of the Spanish traditional courtship song (canción de ronda) comes this song explaining a little about the band and a little about life.
The Journey

Tom: laud
Sharon: recorders/ accordion
Juan: hurdy gurdy / mbira / zither
Polly: riq / darbukka / frame drum

This tune was written by our friend and master oud and Flamenco guitar player Carlos Lomas, and was first recorded by him on the album Adelante in 1979.
La semana

Tom: voice / zambomba
Juan: voice / verdulera
Sharon: accordion

Juan learned a version of this song as a child growing up in Argentina.

The Instruments

Accordion: The instruments played in this recording are piano accordions.
Anise bottle: Typically in Spain a ribbed bottle that can be played with a metal nail, spoon, fork or knife.
Bagpipe: The bagpipe played on this recording is a set of border pipes in G made by Jon Swayne.
Balafon: Wooden xylophone with gourd resonators made by griot musicians in Guinée-Bissau.
Bandurria: Spanish cittern-like instrument with 12 metal strings tuned an octave higher than the laud.
Cajón: A wooden box used as a percussion instrument.
Caña: A split piece of cane or bamboo used as a percussion instrument. This caña was made by Clancy Clemens.
Conchas: A pair of scallop shells.
Darbukka: Turkish dumbek with a metal body.
Dumbek: Clay, goblet-shaped hand drum.
Gralla: Catalan name for a double reed folk shawm-like instrument, from northeastern Spain.
Guitar: Spanish Flamenco guitars belonging to Tom, Keith Vizcarra and Pelete were used in this recording.
Hurdy Gurdy: Stringed instrument bowed by a wooden wheel with lots of other bells and whistles.
Laud: Spanish folk lute or cittern having 12 metal strings and a flat tear-shaped body.
Mbira: African thumb piano.
Mezoued: Tunisian bagpipe with two single reed chanters and no drones.
Psaltry: Dulcimer played with a plectrum.
Recorders: Alto, soprano and sopraninos were used in this recording.
Riq: Middle Eastern tambourine.
Tromba marina: Monochord played with a bow, having one or more buzzing bridges.
Tupan: Double headed Balkan drum.
Verdulera: Small diatonic button accordion.
Zambomba: Friction drum also called a rommelpot in English.
Zither: The zither used in this recording is a vintage Swiss instrument with only melody strings that gives a sitar like quality since the strings buzz on the bridge (as heard on The Journey).