Whole Story

Congratulations to Anya from Boulder, our randomly selected winner of the Putumayo CDs!

Putumayo World Music’s latest release is Latin Party, just in time to help make your Cinco de Mayo celebration a real toe tapper. (Read on for a chance to win some Putumayo CDs.) Ethnomusicologist Jacob Edgar, who helps Putumayo in finding music and artists for their new releases, provides this overview of Cinco de Mayo and the Latin Party CD.

Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) has become a significant holiday in America as a celebration of Mexican culture, history and food. Mexicans commemorate the 1862 defeat of the French army in the Battle of Puebla, which was the last time a country in the Americas was invaded by a European army. And, much as St. Patrick’s Day has developed into an opportunity for people of all ethnic backgrounds to celebrate Irish traditions, Cinco de Mayo gives people a chance to recognize important Mexican-American historical figures, such as César Chávez, and to participate in special events that focus on Mexico’s savory cuisine and lively music. While Putumayo’s new CD release, Latin Party, features only one song of Mexican origin, it celebrates the festive spirit of Cinco de Mayo with spicy Latin boogaloo, Colombian cumbia, Cuban son and more. The liner notes also include two recipes, one by a noted Mexico City chef, Patricia Quintana, and one by Daisy Martinez, host of the Food Network’s Viva Daisy!

Want a taste? Try this track: Big Apple Boogaloo by Brooklyn Funk Essentials. Note: you can simply listen online using the player below, or you can “right click” to download the mp3 file.

Want more? Pick up Latin Party, now available in our stores. Want to win? By May 5th, enter a comment letting us know what music you’ll be playing for your Cinco de Mayo festivities, and we’ll choose a random winner to receive a five CD set from Putumayo’s Latin collection.