Stiltes in de Muziek 3: Caribbean Heritage

Tambú as Caribbean cultural heritage

Tambú is a music with a fraught history. During colonial rule in the Dutch Antilles, this art form was forbidden as it offered strength, connectedness, and solace to enslaved people. This ban continued after the abolition of slavery; far into the twentieth century Tambú was considered a devil’s music by the church. Nonetheless, it has persisted to this day and continues to carry messages of hope, love, and remembrance, in the Antilles as well as in the Netherlands.

Vernon Chatlein & Mara Leti

On Thursday 27 March percussionist Vernon Chatlein and singer Mara Leti will discuss their connection to Tambú. How do they relate to its history, and how do they carry it forward in the present day? How does Tambú offer an insight into questions of heritage, and musical connections to identity and history?

Questions of ancestry and decoloniality are central to Chatlein and Leti’s collaborations, both in their theatrical performances as in jazz contexts. In 2023 Chatlein released the album Imershón, in which silent and hidden histories of Curaçao are retold in new ways. Through his work for research platform Voices from Letters he contributes to the reconsideration of musical cultural heritage.

This event features music by Vernon Chatlein (percussion), Mara Leti (vocals) and Pat Cleaver (bass).

This is the second edition of our collaboration with ZO Jazz Stage. Stiltes in de Muziek presents a range of evenings featuring discussions and music highlighting the postcolonial history of jazz in the Netherlands.