Cumbancha

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Cumbancha is a United States–based world music company that runs as a record label, a booking agency, and a music publisher. It is headquartered in Charlotte, Vermont, in a refurbished, solar-powered barn that also houses the Putumayo World Music Archive. The building is shared with Lane Gibson Recording & Mastering.

The company was founded in 2006 by ethnomusicologist and music producer Jacob Edgar. In 2007, Cumbancha Music Publishing was created to help artists license their songs for movies, TV shows, and advertisements, including films like Boyhood and TV series such as Grey’s Anatomy and High Maintenance. Cumbancha Booking followed in 2010 to organize live tours for artists.

The name “Cumbancha” comes from a Cuban word with West African roots meaning an impromptu musical gathering or party.

Cumbancha has released music from many renowned world music artists, including The Idan Raichel Project, Habib Koité and Bamada, Rupa & the April Fishes, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, The Touré-Raichel Collective, Lakou Mizik, and Dobet Gnahoré, among others. Since its start in 2006, the label has issued dozens of albums and has become known for promoting diverse, globally inspired music. Some of its music has been licensed for films and TV, helping artists reach wider audiences.

The official website for Cumbancha is cumbancha.com.