Walter Roldán and his friends play the traditional dance music of Northern Uruguay. "Como polca suena/la polanquera" features the signature interplay of Roldán's accordion and Chichí Vidiella's bandoneón. Watch as they record their new album, Los Gauchos de Roldán: Button Accordion and Bandoneón Music from Northern Uruguay, at the storied Sondor Estudio in Montevideo, Uraguay. This video also includes interview footage with Roldán, Vidiella, and singer-songwriter Héctor Numa Moraes.

Accordions and guitars have enlivened the social life of cattle-herding gaucho families of Northern Uruguay since the mid-1800s. On Los Gauchos de Roldán, regional musical icon Walter Roldán pumps out time-honored polcas and chotis, Brazilian-tinged maxixas, and more on his button accordion as Chichí Vidiella adds the lush color of the bandoneón. Bernardo Sanguinetti's guitar and Richardo Cunha's percussive, deep-pitched guitarrón immerse the melodies in a rich nest of rhythms and harmonies, which formerly exiled singer-songwriter Numa Moraes treats us to five gems of his repertoire. This album marks the 34th release in the Smithsonian Folkways Tradiciones/Traditions series since 2002.