Lucho Bermúdez

Luis Eduardo Bermúdez Acosta was born on January 25, 1912, in Carmen de Bolívar. A virtuoso on the clarinet from childhood, Bermúdez had the genius to adapt the earthy folk polyrhythms of the Colombian Caribbean coast (cumbia, porro, mapalé) for sophisticated big band jazz orchestras in the style of Glenn Miller.

Founding the Orquesta de Lucho Bermúdez in 1946 with vocalist Matilde Díaz, his recordings—such as Carmen de Bolívar, Kalamary, San Fernando, and Colombia Tierra Querida—conquered ballroom clubs across Latin America and became unofficial national anthems of Colombian pride. He composed over 1,000 works before his passing in 1994.