Los Companeros

• Compañeros

Compañeros, according to Vancouver Folk Festival founder Gary Cristall, was considered the first Canadian world music band. Offering a variety of fused rhythms from the Afro-Latin tradition of the Americas, native sounds from the Andes and the rhythms, vocalizations and instrumentation from the Greek and Mediterranean traditions, Compañeros uses a variety of instruments, including guitar, Greek Bouzouki and Baglama, Colombian tiple, Venezuelan cuatro, quenas, zampoñas, Bass, keyboards, flutes and saxophones.
The original members of Compañeros were: Marcelo Puente, Juan Opitz, Dimitri Apoustolou, Nikos Tsingos, Adam Konstantakis, Ricardo Rivas, Juan Salvatierra, Javier Garcia and Zacharias Polatos. Compañeros performed its 1st concert to a sold out house at the Titania Music Hall, now know as The Music Hall, on April 28th, 1978.
Compañeros and The Trojan Horse Coffee House became an important contributor to the cultural scene of the 70’s and early 80’s. Toronto, and more specifically Danforth Ave. near Broadview was the first place refugees from Latin America would congregate and continue work in solidarity with various human rights organizations, including Amnesty International. The band found itself participating in numerous solidarity and fundraising events.

2017-06-15. Creation. Anna St.Onge

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Mariposa Folk Festival program, 1980.