Jukebox

Last year, Smithsonian Folkways invited local musicians to a studio in Valledupar, Colombia, to record traditional vallenato music at its best. Seated in the studio and surrounded by fellow musicians, Leandro Díaz, 80, who claims to have composed 400 songs, told the story behind one of his greatest hits, "Matilde Lina." Years ago, a beautiful woman sat next to Díaz on a park bench. He fell in love and sought to court her. But each time he visited her, he found another suitor already there. "She stayed at home," he muses, "and I got this song."Hear his son, Ivo Díaz, as he performed it on the new Folkways recording "¡Ayombe!"

Listen to Ivo Díaz perform "Matilde Lina"

Music courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways, the non-profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. Please click here to purchase or for more information