Cultural Goodness: Basque Trio "Kalakan" Gives Free Concert

Musical trio "Kalakan" played in Chino, California for visitors of the Southern California Basque Club. After a hearty lamb bbq lunch, along with beef stew, salad, cheese and lots of wine, we welcomed Kalakan's performance. This Basque band actually toured with Madonna during her 2012 MDNA World Tour. My impression was so positive - they are traditional but innovative, engaging and interactive while maintaining their Basque roots. They play a mix of percussion instruments, including txalaparta, danborrak, pandereta and ttun ttun. Songs about Basque immigrant workers, mother/daughter relationships, and even "somewhat sensual" :) topics moved us and also made us laugh. This, of course, after some translation by my father who speaks fluent Basque.

 

Here is a video with a small snippet of a song they played. I'm sorry I can't provide the title of the song!

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