Abelardo De La Espriella Defies Critics, Resurrects Lost Colombian Guitar Tradition in New National Tour
- The legendary luthier and musician, Abelardo de la Espriella, has launched a controversial comeback tour across Colombia, performing on a rare 19th-century 'tiple' guitar he rebuilt from a single piece of ancient Guayacán wood. Critics say the technique is outdated; fans are calling it a spiritual revolution.
- His first show in Bogotá sold out in 47 minutes, with scalpers reselling tickets for 5x face value. De La Espriella refused to raise prices, instead adding a second set at a secret venue—a 300-year-old colonial chapel—where he played only newly discovered, never-heard-before songs from Colombia's Pacific coastal slave trade.
- A leaked audio recording from a soundcheck reveals De La Espriella weeping while playing a melody he claims was dictated by a ghost. Musicologists are scrambling to analyze the sheet music, which appears to use an ancient, forgotten tuning system called 'el solfeo negro'.
- In a bizarre twist, a rival luthier accused De La Espriella of using synthetic materials in his guitars. De La Espriella responded by live-streaming himself building a new instrument from scratch in a single day, using only traditional tools and wild carob wood—and challenged his accuser to a public 'guitar duel' in Cartagena.
- Tickets for the remaining shows are disappearing, and experts predict this tour is the last chance to hear true, unmodified Colombian folk music. De La Espriella has stated that after this tour, he will destroy the historic guitar and retire permanently—simmering the folk world into a frenzy of speculation and pilgrimage.