In the feverish activity during six decades of the twentieth century, Lucho… Read Full Bio ↴In the feverish activity during six decades of the twentieth century, Lucho Bermúdez got to compose 1000 songs, many of them recorded on 80 long play records. He dedicated his 'Porro Carmen de Bolívar' to his hometown, which turned into an anthem in the voice of his wife, Matilde Díaz. His group, "Orquesta de Lucho Bermúdez", went all over Colombia (his native country), first as a group of important radio stations and then as an invited orchestra to clubs, hotels, grills, carnivals and fairs. The clarinet played by Lucho was the pattern for the good tone in porros, gaitas, cumbias, boleros and pasillos, which caused furor. Even though it is not widely known, his artistic production started with tunes of the interior region. Bambucos, torbellinos, guabinas and sanjuaneros, are then in his compendium.

He was born in 1912 and died in 1994 in Bogotá. At an early age he learned to play the piccolo, pipe organ, trumpet, stick trombone, saxophone, and clarinet. 'Marbella', 'Cadetes Navales', 'Calamarí', 'Prende la Vela', 'Las Mujeres de San Diego', 'Joselito Carnaval', 'Borrachera', 'El Veneno de los Hombres', 'Danza Negra', 'San Fernando', 'Salsipuedes', 'Linda Caleñita', 'Los Primos Sánchez' and 'Gaita De Las Flores' are some of his most famous compositions. On June 13, 1954, the day of inauguration of Colombian television, Lucho Bermúdez acted in the first transmission. In 1968 he released a new rhythm and dance called Patacumbia. Months before dying in Bogotá, the liberal leader Jorge Eliécer Gaitán had made the following prediction to Lucho Bermúdez: "Your music will be like me: everybody will love it".

La Danza Negra
Lucho Bermúdez Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Con el rumor de las palmeras
Se siente el eco de música lejana
Y a su compás las hilanderas
Vienen bailando la cumbia colombiana.

Todo el mundo está bailando
Esta cumbia colombiana
Todo el mundo está bailando

Esta cumbia colombiana

Danza negra
Danza negra
Danza negra

Cerca del mar se siente el grito
De un negro triste que canta sus amores
Y de su raza cumple el rito
Con esta cumbia de gaitas y tambores

Todo el mundo está bailando
Esta cumbia colombiana
Todo el mundo está bailando
Esta cumbia colombiana

Danza negra
Danza negra
Danza negra

Cantando así, muy suavecito
Vienen bailando la cumbia colombiana
Cantando así, muy suavecito
Vienen bailando la cumbia colombiana

Cantando así, muy suavecito
Vienen bailando la cumbia colombiana

Overall Meaning

Lucho Bermudez’s song La Danza Negra describes the beauty of cumbia music, a popular genre in Colombia. The opening lines of the song highlight the ambiance and the feel of the song, as the sound of palm trees rustling underpins the background, creating an echo effect that transports the listener to a distant location filled with traditional Colombian music elements. The cumbia dance is extremely popular among the people of Colombia, and the song celebrates this, with the lyrics indicating that everyone is dancing to the rhythm of the cumbia. The song elegantly describes the cultural importance of the genre, particularly in the Afro-Colombian community, by highlighting the significance of traditional drums and gaitas.

The song also highlights the importance of the seaports in the development of the genre of cumbia. The screams of a sad African-American man singing about the sorrows of love can be heard near the port. He sings in a way that imbues the music with deep emotion which signifies an amalgamation of African and indigenous sounds. The song shows the poetical nature of Lucho Bermudez as his lyrics are rich in cultural significance that celebrates the beauty of cumbia music, captivating the listener and transporting them to the rhythmic and joyous ambiance of Colombia.

Line by Line Meaning

Con el rumor de las palmeras
The sound of rustling palm trees is heard

Se siente el eco de música lejana
The echo of distant music is felt

Y a su compás las hilanderas
And to its rhythm the spinners

Vienen bailando la cumbia colombiana.
Come dancing the Colombian cumbia.

Todo el mundo está bailando
Everyone is dancing

Esta cumbia colombiana
This Colombian cumbia

Danza negra
Black dance

Cerca del mar se siente el grito
Near the sea, the cry is felt

De un negro triste que canta sus amores
Of a sad black man who sings his loves

Y de su raza cumple el rito
And his race fulfills the rite

Con esta cumbia de gaitas y tambores
With this cumbia of flutes and drums