andy palacio r.i.p.

some very sad news
another january death
not someone i knew personally
but certainly someone i admire
andy palacio was a musician from berlize (south america)
i was first exposed to his music quite by accident
when attending the rainforest world music festival in borneo
the cd shop there had some music from his label called stonetree records
the artwork and packaging was very appealing
(something digital downloading can never replicate)
further investigation revealed reference to a unique style of music
given the name of garifuna also the name of the people who practice this style
most appealing was that the music is centered around acoustic guitars
given a mix of african and caribbean styles
which relates directly to the ancestry of the garifuna people
a couple of cd's were bought at the festival
which i enjoyed so much i wrote to the label
and expressed my enthusiasm for the music
not long after a bunch of cd's arrived in the mail
the owner of the label, ivan duran, sent them to me with a thank-you note
quite humbled i was at his generosity
so in a very minor way i feel slightly connected to his loss
seems they have acheived some significant recognition
there's a huge world music festival every year held in spain
last year andy palacio and ivan duran were honoured with the womex award
for the group or individual representing the best in world music
maybe on the back of that a world tour was organised and underway
when andy palacio suffered a stroke in alabama
and was brought back to his beloved berlize
to die in his country of birth
on january the 19th
he was 47 years old
so sad
some relevant links follow
wiki entry for andy palacio
obituary in the times
web site of stonetree records
and here is a superb youtube video of the man and his music