Recorded in the basement home studio, Afro-Colombian singer, percussionist, and director of CTMD Touring Artists Grupo Rebolu, Ronald Polo features in this edition of Beat of the Boroughs: NYC Online. Bandmate and life partner Johanna Castaneda accompanies him on cuatro (four-stringed guitar) while Polo keeps time with the tambor (hand drum). Polo was born into a family in which traditional music and singing were a part of everyday life. Inspired by his hometown of Barranquilla on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, home to one of the largest carnivals in the world, Polo’s original compositions reflect his identity, upbringing, traditional inheritance, and creative explorations during these difficult times. Grupo Rebolú is the preeminent Afro-Colombian ensemble in the United States, playing the rich, rhythmic, and undeniably danceable music of Colombia’s Caribbean coast.