Cali

A song made for a dancing city

The voice on “Cali Pachanguero” imagines the woman he loves in the valley, while the chorus addresses Cali itself. Jairo Varela wrote the song, and Grupo Niche released it in 1984 on No hay quinto malo. Its lead singer on the original recording was Moncho Santana, a caleño from the neighbourhood of El Porvenir.

The group’s route to Cali began elsewhere. Varela, born in Quibdó, founded Niche in Bogotá in 1979. An academic study follows the musicians’ move to Cali and the changing make-up of the orchestra; the city they came to already had a strong culture of listening and dancing to salsa. The song became the official record of the 1984 Feria de Cali.

The group’s history forms one part of a larger collection in Barrio Obrero. At the Museo de la Salsa, photographs collected by Carlos Alfredo Molina document musicians and dancers. The museum also offers music education. Varela’s song remains a fitting way back to the record that put a singing voice to the city’s name.