Sexteto Tabala de San Basilio de Palenque

Sexteto Tabalá is one of the most representative expressions of the afro comunities in Colombia, as it is a compendium of all musical genres of San Basilio de Palenque, first free town in America. This music is part of the cultural expressions that has been declared Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO-2005.

Sexteto music is a mixture  of Cuban son with afro colombian rythms like bullerengue, baile cantao, porros, cumbia and funeral rituals. The sexteto is a rythm that colectsits origin in the deeper source of afor cuban son, the changui or nengon, wich arrives in Colombia thanks to the sugar mills led by cuban, songs that were shared with the Palenqueros in the quiet moments after the work. 

By this way the Sexteto music was adopted by Tabalá in the 1930´s, to the point that was mixed with local others styles to create a new musical genre: The afro Colombian Sexteto, very different from initial Cuban model.


In Colombia the Sexteto musics is played with these instruments:Marimbula, bongo, timba,maracas, claves,guacharaca, alead voice or primo a second voice andbacking vocals.