Plena for the 21st Century

Grupo Atabal has been innovating their Plena music to make it palatable to younger generations.

What Caymmi has brought to Atabal is mixing the traditional plena with other musical tendencies, including the romantic lyricism that is sweeping all sorts of music, including Salsa and Vallenato. For “Me Diras Que Si”, Caymmi and David slowed down the Plena rhythm to mix it with Vallenato cadence, bringing in an accordion to accompany the panderos, cuatro, and other instruments. The result is a very palatable romantic song, where the music plays a supplemental role to the song story.