Rhythm Generations: Petrona Martinez

PETRONA MARTINEZ'S DATE with destiny came late in life.

A "humble woman" from Palenquito, Colombia, the singer attained cultural icon status at 63 when her first recording, "Le Bullerengue," was re-released, given a new title, "Bonito Que Canta," and accorded a Latin Grammy nod for best folk album of 2002.

"I was only nominated, but it feels like I've got it," Martinez says. "A lot of doors have opened for me since then, inside and outside of my country."

The artist and mother, an heiress to an extensive musical bloodline, has come to embody the Afro-Colombian folk dance music known as "bullerengue."

Steeped in Caribbean culture, bullerengue was first heard amid the small towns of Bolivar and Cordoba counties in northern Colombia and was initially performed by housebound pregnant women unable to attend village dances and festivals.

It's not as popular or commercial as "cumbia," the country's most notable folk music, but according to Martinez, bullerengue is catching on.

"Since a few years ago, young musicians in Colombia have become interested in playing [bullerengue] and including traditional instruments such as gaitas, tambours and accordions into their music," Martinez says.

"Also, they have learned the lyrics from old songs and re-made them into new versions. Colombian commercial music is going through a great moment ... all because of the young who are starting to appreciate their roots."

In Martinez's village, which is situated near San Basilio de Palenque, or "Land of the Slaves," bullerengue melodies are passed down through the generations. Martinez gleaned much of what she learned from her grandmother and great-grandmother, but most of the songs she sings today are her own.

"I usually write about things that happen in my life," Martinez says. "The other day, for example, I lost a hen ... so from that I composed a song called 'Mi Gallina' [My Hen]."

Martinez likes to compose a song a day if she can and even has plans for her swan song: "In that song, I would describe how I would like that day to be: I ask for a party where people sing and play tambours; no tears, no sadness."

The bullerengue beat is slower than that of cumbia but it provides more than just a pulse. In bullerengue, the beat is everything.

Bullerengue drummers typically encircle a "cantadora," or lead female vocalist, who simply must have rhythm. Martinez has plenty and moves to boot, but she's also known to rock the rocking chair from time to time in live performance.

Tuesday at the Kennedy Center, Martinez will be backed by five percussionists and accompanied by her daughter and next-gen cantadora Joselina Llerena.

Hers is the "natural" voice of a "common village woman," who, before becoming an overnight sensation, made a living beside a riverbed collecting sand for making bricks.

Now the musical matriarch is making her way to the U.S. for a second time to promote a new album, "Mi Tambolero," and to tell more stories about her life and her people's past. But if you can't follow the lyrics, no matter; just keep the beat.

"When I traveled to Morocco, people were so happy with my music that they couldn't stop dancing ... even when they couldn't understand the lyrics," Martinez says. "What makes me happy is watching young people enjoy my concerts."

» Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW; Tue., 6 p.m., free; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom)

Written by Express contributor Johnathan Rickman

Photos courtesy the Kennedy Center