When most people think Argentinian music they think of that passionate music from the seedy milongas of Buenos Aires. But there is another iconic music from the north of Argentina, it is called Chamamé.

Chamamé is a rich cultural mix of indigenous and immigrant peoples to Argentina’s northern region. Not urban like the tango, but rural. But both musics share a free-reed aerophone. Tango has its bandoneón and chamamé has its accordion.

There is a recent documentary from Australian Radio which you can listen to free online. This is from the abstract:

Like tango, chamamé is rooted in a dance-form, but it’s wildly different in spirit although equally evocative and beautiful. First traces can be found in the music of the indigenous Guarani Indians. Then came the Jesuit monks in the 1600s who set out teach the Guaranis to play baroque music. Together they built the largest instrument factory in all of Latin America in Yapeyú, now a sleepy village. Spanish immigrants brought the guitar. Later came the African rhythms of the freed slaves who travelled in from neighbouring Brazil. The late 1800s saw an influx of European immigrants and with them came polkas and the accordion — now a quintessential chamamé instrument.

Chango Spasiuk is one of the most notable of this music. Some call him the Piazzolla of chamamé.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tlE_MmLfkw]

Here is Spasiuk performing in duo with another famous musician of chamamé Raúl Barboza.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxCHWognarE]

Chamamé is on the web, in many vital formats. Check out this great chamamé blog (Portuguese and Spanish).