Gregorio Uribe is a New York Colombian cumbia and vallenato jazz singer-songwriter, accordionist, and leader. He works a range of formats from solo to big band.
Uribe blends Colombian cumbia and vallenato with other Caribbean traditions such as Cuban timba, Puerto Rican bomba, and Dominican merengue. These blend together well because they are all Indigenous or African Diaspora dance party traditions.
To our ear, he is more vallenato, meaning the Indigenous Andean tradition, than cumbia, meaning the traditions of the African Diaspora on the Caribbean coast. If you don’t know the difference, it’s all cumbia.
Uribe is originally from the Colombian capital Bogotá, deep in the Andes mountains. He’s a graduate of Berklee College of Music, which is famous for producing successful jazz musicians. This guy gets people to dance. His shows are very popular with the ladies.
Gregorio Uribe in New York City
Gregorio Uribe celebrates the release of his third cumbia, vallenato, jazz album “Hombre absurdo” (Absurd man); in the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center; on Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 7:30pm. FREE! 🇨🇴
Gregorio Uribe Albums
“Pluma y Vino” (pen and wine) from 2011, reads to us as a word play on Pablo Escobar’s famous saying “plata o plomo” (silver or lead). It’s a healthy rejection of that way of thinking.
“Cumbia Universal” was released in 2015 (Zoho Music). It features salsa and Latin jazz legend Rubén Blades.
“Hombre absurdo” was released in 2022.
For more information and tour dates, visit gregoriouribe.com