In Conversation with Leonor Dely, Afro-Caribbean Musician

Leonor Dely recently lost her son David, who, before moving on to the next world, left his last musical co-creation: Esto es Fe — an Afro-Caribbean music album that was recently crowd-funded

But before we talk about the album, here is a bit about Leonor Dely herself. Daughter of musicians, her father is an Afro-descendant and her mother was born in the valleys of Andes Mountains in Colombia.

Her husband Istvan is a Hungarian with an overwhelming attraction to African culture. After returning from his studies in Cuba, the two founded their musical group, Millero Congo. Their two sons grew into inseparable members of the group and family became a musical powerhouse. The New York Times called her first album, Amame, “a musical masterpiece,” and this is their fifth.

Mithaq Kazimi: What influences your music?

Leonor Dely: Life as a whole — love, hope, joy of living, perseverance, patience, courage, humility, a positive attitude, spiritual transformation, the value of this day, and the dreams. In style: the rhythmic cultures of Africa and the Caribbean, Native Indian flutes, classical Europe, jazz, salsa, rock, and reggae.

What was the inspiration behind this CD?

It is part of an uninterrupted line of drum-driven compositions with an urgent need to reach the heart of every listener with our music with increasing power.

Why release it now?

We would have liked to do it earlier, but now a new and significant motive was added: to pay tribute to the memory of our eldest son, David. He passed away two years ago, soon after completing his participation in the recording and mixing of the album. On the album you can hear his musical contributions of Amerindian flutes, bass, and guitar, plus he composed some of the songs.

How does this album compare to your other works?

One similarity that stands out is the unchanging basic concept of our musical proposal: unnumbered rhythms, Colombian and Africaribbean drums, Native Indian flutes, and in some instances bass, guitar and violin. The main difference is that this album is more family centered, with only one guest musician. Recording was done remotely, between Colombia, Spain and Hungary.

What makes this album special?

This album is unique in that it is the last album by our Millero Congo group whole and complete. What is so special about it is that it involves the loving support and contribution of many members of family, friends and fans to make the final production possible, particularly through Kickstarter.

What effect do you hope the songs would have on your listeners?

We hope to reach the hearts of everyone who listens to it, as part of the urgent need to share universal truths and values, always through our music that is rootsy and universal at the same time.

What is your ultimate goal as an artist?

In addition to expressing love and joy, our goal is to add our grain of sand to the betterment of the world.

What’s next?

We will keep scattering our spirit. We will continue inspiring people, especially youth, to use music in activities at the grassroots level. All seasons in life are laden with moments of special significance.