National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Hailing from every region of their vast and varied country, the members of Bloque deliver the best of Colombian music with the urgency of rock 'n' roll. In their world, the unruly torrent of rock, blues and R&B spring from a Caribbean source. "To us," Iván concludes, "Ruben Blades is the Latin Lou Reed."

And Bloque is truly a Colombian supergroup. Composed of musicians backing Latin megastar Carlos Vives (Iván co-authored Vives' hit album Tierra del Olvido; guitarist Teto Ocampo was Vives' musical director), the eight members of Bloque have toured the world, playing sold-out, stadium-scale shows. They are music masters — steeped in folk and regional styles, fluent in jazz, rock and Latin music whose vision is as unlimited as it is rhythmically relentless. —Courtesy Calabash Music