Mal Maiz

Catamount Arts is pleased to present Vermont’s own Mal Maiz, at Catamount ArtPort, Friday, October 20th, at 7pm. A psychedelic take on Afro-Latin dance music, Mal Maiz promises an exuberant evening of irrepressible rhythms.

Costa Rican frontman and multi-instrumentalist Maiz “Brujo” Vargas Sandoval formed his Afro-Latin Orchestra ten years ago, when the band’s thrilling blend of cumbia, Latin, and reggae influences secured them a spot in the epicenter of a thriving Burlington, VT, world music scene. Mal Maiz celebrates the rich mythology and traditional rhythms of Central and South America with a fresh vibrancy that moves hearts and hips alike.

Incorporating Afro-Caribbean beats and evocative storytelling, Mal Maiz brings boundless energy and a signature soul-stirring sound. In 2019, they played a sold-out show to kick off VPR’s Live from the Fort New Voices project, a collaboration with the Flynn Center showcasing enduring world music traditions by Vermont’s must-see performers.

“I try to offer a show that’s not just one thing,” Sandoval told Jordan Adams for Seven Days.

Mal Maiz mixes “joropo, merengue, mapalé, rumba, batata and other rhythms with … familiar strains of jazz and funk,” wrote Adams. “But their signature style is cumbia. The Colombian genre blends indigenous and Spanish influences and dominates Central and South America. It’s a danceable, festive rhythm, incorporating brass, accordion, percussion and stringed instruments.” The band is known “for ‘cumbia-fying’ popular tunes,” Adams continued, “such as Black Sabbath’s ‘Iron Man.’”

For advance tickets to see Mal Maiz, at Catamount ArtPort, Friday, October 20th, at 7pm, or to learn more about additional fall and winter programming by Catamount Arts, visit www.catamountarts.org, call 748-2600, or visit the Catatmount Arts pop-up box office in the Caplan’s Building, on Railroad Street, in St. Johnsbury.