Los Super Gs
Old State House Summer Concert Series
Connecticut Old State House
Hartford
September 20, 2024
The accordion may not be the first instrument you think of when you hear the phrase “Colombian dance music.”
But the accordion was front and center during the latest concert in the Summer Concert Series held at the Old State House on Fridays to coincide with their famer’s market.
The band was Los Super Gs, a family band that plays in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Their style is cumbia, a music that originates in Colombia but is played throughout South and Latin America. As I mentioned, it’s a type of dance music that draws inspiration from the mixture of indigenous, African and European people during the colonial era.
The music is catchy. The repetitive nature makes it easy to get onto the rhythm and get carried away by it. More than a few times I found my hips swaying to the music even as I was trying to stay still to record video. There were a couple of other people dancing in the courtyard, and the band issued a challenge to the rest: the true baliadores had to step up and dance. A man in a wheelchair answered the call, joining into the impromptu dance party.
The accordion is a fascinating instrument, both for how it looks and how it sounds. It provides its own melody and accompaniment, much like a piano, but with two completely different sounds. It was mesmerizing watching the bellows extend and contract while the accordionist nimbly worked his fingers across the keyboard. He had two different accordions that he switched between, a smaller blue one and a larger red one. The blue accordion produced a sharper, sweeter sound.
Los Super Gs consists of Angel, the father who served as the lead singer, Damaris, the young woman on the keyboard, and Kenny, the star of the show on the accordion. They appreciate how their unique perspective — an Ecuadorian family that plays Colombian music while residing in Puerto Rico — influences their style. Kenny said that he and his family had their first performance together six years ago, when he was 15 years old.
Despite their youthful appearance, both Damaris and Kenny are accomplished musicians in their own right. Damaris studied music at Julliard; Kenny received instruction at the nearby Lincoln Center. He credits his success to his teacher and mentor Maestro Pedrito Rogers, who showed him the way when it came to the accordion.
But why the accordion in the first place? Kenny said that he started playing when he was 14 years old, and that he was inspired by Lisandro Mesa, a very successful Colombian singer and accordionist who was known as the “King of Cumbia.”
“I like the music because of the rhythm. It makes you feel like you want to dance,” he explained.
Los Super Gs brought the fun to a cool day on fall’s eve. Aside from putting everyone in the mood to dance, there was one thing that Kenny wanted everyone to know.
“Whatever you want to do, whatever you like to do, just follow your heart and what you know is right.”
NEXT
The Summer Concert Series continues this Friday with Sean O’Riley.
Jamil heads to the theater to become One with the Transformers.
