Visual Clave - Exhibit at UMass Amherst's Student Union Gallery, Winter 2014

Visual Clave explores the evolution of Latin music album cover art over the last 50 years, paying critical attention to issues of identity and aesthetics through depictions of Hispanic people and cultures, with an emphasis on historical context and the unsung graphic artists who helped present Latin music — and its attendant socio-cultural themes — to the world. Taking inspiration from Pablo Yglesias’ book Cocinando: 50 Years of Latin Album Cover Art, this exhibition weaves a compelling narrative through the display of over 50 albums that range from 78 RPM album jackets from the 1930s and 40s to vinyl LP covers from today’s digital era where vinyl is experiencing a new vogue. Visual Clave proposes that the album cover is not only an invitation to dance, dine, and romance, but is also fine art worthy of serious consideration. The exhibition’s premise is that the record jacket is not just an ephemeral mass-produced object to be relegated to the trash heap of a bygone era, but rather a unique 12 by 12 inch window onto a culture’s soul.

Entrace

The concept of “clave” is essential to understanding Afro-Antillean popular music forms and the dance culture that surrounds it, and is therefore a perfect metaphor for describing Latin album cover art. Clave is the African-derived 2-3 or 3-2 beat used in all genres from the Cuban son to the Colombian cumbia, the Dominican merengue, and the Mexican son jarocho. It is also literally a percussion instrument (two sticks beaten together to mark the clave beat). While the origins of the use of the word “clave” to describe this key rhythmic ingredient in Latin music remain in dispute, two linguistic elements in the term’s etymology point us to its central place in the Hispanic musical lexicon and its attendant role as a marker of cultural heritage, for in Spanish clave also means “key” (with multiple definitions: a ‘musical key’, a tool used to open something, as a ‘code’ to solve a mystery, and to denote something essential). The word ‘clavo’ in Spanish means nail or peg (hence, something used to join together, as the clave holds together all of Afro-Caribbean music together), from the Latin clavus, and it’s not a big leap from clavo to clave, especially when it also means “I nailed” when used as a verb in the past tense, as in “Yo clavé el clavo” (I nailed the nail”). It has been posited that the original clave percussion sticks were taken from the Cuban hardwood pegs used to hold together ships where enslaved men once worked in the harbors of New World port cities. These sticks were beaten to mark time and were used along with wooden packing crate drums after hours for dockside percussion, song, and dance rumba sessions, where music and lyrics from Africa were combined with Spanish counterparts. Whatever the case, these root meanings of the word help make the clave such a layered and nuanced term, for these simple, humble hardwood sticks trace the entire arc of the monumental Diasporic migrations from Europe and Africa to the so-called New World and back again and the various cultures brought together by this shared Latino/a history.

Charlie Rosario wall and entrance

It is this fundamental cultural essence, with its roots in Afro-Caribbean culture, that Visual Clave picks up on, offering a unique way of studying the evolution of attitudes and notions of culture, race, ethnicity, place, gender, and sexuality through the graphic presentation of Latin music in both domestic and international markets. Curatorial themes of transnationalism, spirituality, social justice, youth culture, immigration, civil rights, sexuality and sexism, race and racism, and border culture, as well as markers of identity like food, traditional pastimes, death and celebrations, are raised through the presentation of album covers specifically chosen to inspire debate and reflection. Many covers in Latin music seem to be about one subject on the surface but upon deeper analysis reveal often opposing or contradictory narratives embedded beneath. 

Looking into the gallery space from Charlie Rosario wall

Much like the intricate polyrhythms found in Latin music that can at times seem cacophonous, intricate, or jumbled to the uninitiated, these images taken from salsa and other popular Latin music weave interlocking counter-currents that show not only the mixing of races and cultures at the root of Hispanic societies and histories, but also reflect the inherent complexities and contradictions of Latino/as living “on the hyphen” (as in ‘Cuban-American’ or ‘Mexican-American’) in the USA, a society within a society that is itself made up of many different and often conflicting elements.

LP walls - main themed wall and designer wall

In addition to more obscure or provocative covers with social sub-texts, this exhibit also includes some well-loved examples of popular classics sure to inspire feelings of nostalgia in older viewers who might have collected or danced to the music “back in the day”. These iconic images may also conjure recognition in younger viewers who recognize favorites of their parents or grand parents’ generation. Nostalgia, as well as strategically placing cultural markers of an idealized home on album covers (‘everything was so much better back home’ goes the lament) has been a very potent tool in marketing Latin music, especially for immigrant populations in the US. And though much of the cover art here speaks to Latinos on a deeper level in most cases, it is also fair to say a good portion display universal concerns that require no cultural allegiance or prior knowledge of Latin music and cultures to be understood, and in this way we can see these ephemeral products as touching us all in a perhaps unexpectedly meaningful way. On the other end of the spectrum, the show also includes examples of LP jacket art chosen purely based on the merit of their design aesthetics alone. But even in the case of a seemingly purely aesthetic graphic cover in the Latin music genre, the use of color, shape, texture, and line can sometimes take on a double significance due to underlying cultural markers, sometimes positive and sometimes negative, that may not be readily obvious to the casual observer.

Facing the entrance, main themed wall

Many of these album covers have fascinating stories behind their creation and this show focuses partly on the rich cultural bed of activity in New York where much of this music was nurtured, developed, and came to fruition. Initially in the 1940s and 50s much of the album cover art generated to sell Latin music in New York was controlled by the white Americans who owned the record labels or worked in advertizing, promotion, and printing, and therefore often reflected their un-informed concepts of Latino culture, many of these notions being full of clichés, misconceptions, or prejudices. In early decades, Latin music (and its audience) was depicted as dance-obsessed, wanton, exotic, savage, sexy, ‘other’ and foreign. Of course much of this marketing angle was a calculated move, emanating from the basic concept that “sex sells” with an emphasis on the exploitation of the female body and the exorcism of repressed desires that was part and parcel of the prevalent male-dominated sexist attitudes of the Atomic Era, and reinforced by the machismo inherent in the Hispanic culture of the time. This sexism in Latin music packaging is a legacy unfortunately still present even today and was certainly prevalent during salsa’s heyday in the 1970s and 80s. 

Main themed LP wall

Themes: Comida; El Barrio; Oriza

Pastime Paradise: sports, games

Identity; Chicanos

However, once the Latin music industry in New York was taken over and run largely by Latinos (or assimilated Anglos) in the 1960s and 70s, the visual presentation of salsa became more of a “Latin Thing” (to quote a particular movie and soundtrack title on Fania Records from 1972, Our Latin Thing) and that is when the level of design really began to reflect some of the earlier mentioned themes of civil rights, cultural pride, and what it meant to be brought up in the unique cultural environment of el barrio y la calle (the ethnic neighborhood and the street). These themes were approached with firsthand knowledge and sensitivity at times, and at others with a satirical attitude bent on subverting some of the more negative depictions of Latinos/as as bad, stupid or ‘other’.

Themed wall: Design; Vintage 78, 10-inch and 45 Covers (1940s-50s); Dance

Through Visual Clave the viewer will become familiar with the mainly New York-born and based designers from the salsa era, and will learn the names of the graphic artists who labored largely behind the scenes or in obscurity: Chico Álvarez, Ely Besalel, Drago, Dominique, José Expósito, Warren Flagler, Pam Lessero, Ron Levine, Lee Marshall, Abel Navarro, Charlie Rosario, Yogui Rosario, Izzy Sanabria, Jorge Vargas, Angelo Velázquez, Walter Velez, and others. In addition to examples of each of these designers’ LP layouts, the viewer will also have the unique opportunity to see some of the original art that was used for the LP packaging, some of it never seen by the general public. In this way one can see the difference between the mass produced end product and the original artistic vision of the piece’s creator.

Original designer art: We-2 Graphics; Izzy Sanabria; Walter Velez; Jorge Vargas

In particular the exhibit spotlights Israel “Izzy” Sanabria (aka Mr. Salsa) and his creative partner in the design firm We-2 Graphics, artist Walter Velez. We-2 Graphics made a conscious effort to play with stereotypes and subvert prejudice through parody and absurdist humor, developing a look they termed the “Deluxe Aesthetic”. The team utilized not only album covers to this end, but also a magazine called Latin NY as well as concert posters and television programming. With Sanabria as art director and Velez as primary artist, We-2 Graphics found inspiration in comic books, pop art, Surrealism (Salvador Dali in particular), psychedelic youth culture, gangster movies, and nationalist Puerto Rican imagery, which provided a framework for putting a brand new spin on the visual presentation of salsa at the time.

Original designer art: Charlie Rosario

In addition, graphic designer and illustrator Ron Levine (sometimes in conjunction with photographer Lee Marshal) brought his non-Latino experience in the rock and roll world as well as fashion advertising to further change and challenge notions of what salsa “should” look like through his unprecedented introduction of fantasy and science fiction imagery and costume set pieces. In this way he liberated the scene from decades of conformist expectations and accepted norms.

Rei Alvarez; Izzy Sanabria

And finally, artists Charlie Rosario and his cousin Yogi Rosario, as well as Ernesto “Chico” Álvarez and Ely Besalel, pushed the boundaries of traditional Latin music iconography by thinking “outside the box” and utilizing modern fine art techniques learned in art school (including mixed media and collage) to completely transform the notion of what a commercial Latin record could look like.

Jorge Vargas

Ron Levine

Izzy Sanabria

Ron Levine

Ely Besalel; Chico Alvarez

Charlie Rosario

Jorge Vargas

Themed LP wall: Barrio; Oriza; Revolución

The Dance

First group of LPs: Gallery of Design, Shape & Color

Latinos In The Movies; Ely Besalel; Henry Fiol; Chico Alvarez

Ely Besalel; Henry Fiol; Chico Alvarez; C. Rosario; Jorge Vargas

Chico Alvarez; Charlie Rosario; Izzy Sanabria

Izzy Sanabria; Various Designers

Wall of Designers LPs

Original out-takes and LPs: Ely Besalel

Artistic Process: Chico Alvarez

Thanks to Andrew Greto for his excellent photos of the installation!

VISUAL CLAVE - Latin Album Cover Art Show Comes To SUAG

VISUAL CLAVE

 The Evolution Of Salsa Graphics And 

The Expression Of Latino Identity 

Through Album Cover Art

Student Union Art Gallery, in the Student Union Building, UMass Amherst Campus, Amherst MA

Opening Thursday, February 27, 2014 
5:00 PM -7:30 PM

(feturing DJs spinning vintage Latin vinyl)

Dance Party with Jesús Pagán and his Conjunto Barrio 8:00 PM Cape Cod Lounge (next to the art gallery) All events: FREE, open to the public 
(bring your family!)

Visual Clave proposes that the album cover is not only an invitation to dance but is also fine art worthy of serious consideration. The exhibition’s premise is that the record jacket is not just an ephemeral mass-produced object to be relegated to the trash heap of a bygone era, but rather a unique 12 by 12 inch window onto a culture's soul.

Through the premise of this proposal, Visual Clave explores the evolution of Latin music album cover art over the last 50 years, paying critical attention to issues of identity and aesthetics, with an emphasis on historical context and the unsung artists who helped present Latin music — and its attendant socio-cultural themes — to the world. The concept of “clave” is essential to understanding Afro-Antillean popular music forms and the dance culture that surrounds it; it is the 2-3 or 3-2 beat used in all genres from the Cuban son to the Dominican merengue. It is this fundamental cultural essence, with its roots in Afro-Caribbean culture, that Visual Clave picks up on, offering a unique way of studying the evolution of attitudes and notions of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality through the graphic presentation of Latin music in both domestic and international markets. Themes of transnationalism, social justice, immigration, civil rights, sexism, and racism will raised through the presentation of album covers specifically chosen to inspire debate and reflection. Some well-loved examples of Latin LP jacket design will be sure to inspire feelings of nostalgia in older viewers who might have collected or danced to the music 'back in the day", but other covers will speak to universal concerns that require no cultural allegiance or prior knowledge of Latin music. In addition, examples of covers chosen purely based on the merit of their design aesthetics alone.

A gallery of rare 1940s and 1950s 78 RPM and 10 inch LP 
album jackets featured in the show

Many of the album covers on display have fascinating stories behind their creation. Taking inspiration from Pablo Yglesias’ book Cocinando, 50 Years of Latin Album Cover Art, this exhibition aims to tell these stories through the display of multiple album covers that trace the history from 1930s and 40s 78 RPM album jackets through the “golden era” of the 1960s and 70s vinyl LP cover to today's digital era where even Latin CD covers can be innovative, and vinyl is experiencing a new vogue. There will also be a unique opportunity to see original artwork that was used for some of the most well-known and beloved salsa albums of the 1970s, ranging from paintings and illustrations to photography and sculpture. 

Once the Latin music industry in New York was taken over and run largely by Latinos in the 1960s and 70s, the visual presentation of salsa became more of a "Latin thing" and that is when the level of design really began to reflect some of the themes mentioned above. The viewer will become familiar with the mainly New York-based designers from this era, and will learn the names of the graphic artists who labored largely behind the scenes or in obscurity: Chico Alvarez, Ely Besalel, Warren Flagler, Pam Lessero, Ron Levine, Lee Marshall, Abel Navarro, Charlie Rosario, Yogui Rosario, Izzy Sanabria, Manny Vega, Jorge Vargas, Angelo Velázquez, Walter Velez, and others. The show will include actual original work by some of these pioneers of salsa graphics.

Student Union Building, UMass Amherst

Gallery programming is made possible by generous funding from The Student Government Association (SGA) and the Graduate Student Senate (GSS), and through UMass Arts Council grants and an ECSA (Engage, Connect, Serve, Achieve) grant. ECSA Grants are funded by the CSD and the Division of Student Affairs & Campus Life. Also, with generous help from WMUA and station advisor Glenn Siegel.

IT CAME FROM THE JUNGLE

Review: Juaneco Y Su Combo: The Birth of Jungle Cumbia (The Vital Record, 2013)

I feel fortunate to have been exposed to Peruvian culture at an early age through the stories and photos of my aunt’s travels there in the 1980s, and much later, though my work for the Vampisoul and MassTropicas music labels and my friendship with their respective leaders, Iñigo Pastor and Mike Pigott, as well as my acquaintance with Olivier Conan and his band, Chicha Libre. In fact it was through Vampisoul, and later Olivier’s Barbés label, that I rediscovered the music of the artist whose latest posthumous release we are discussing here, which is one of the best of 2013 by far, but may have slipped under some people’s radar. Ironically enough, my beloved aunt Barbara had brought me back a cassette of Juaneco (and some other Peruvian cumbia tapes) back in the 80s, which I enjoyed immensely but soon forgot as I subsequently became obsessed with the world music craze and early hip-hop. So it was with a kind of half-remembered nostalgia that I started to listen once again to my old friend Juaneco and his Amazonian combo with the release of Barbes’ Roots of Chicha and Juaneco compilations a few years ago.

And now, just when I thought the precious resources of Peruvian psychedelic tropical "poder verde" (green power) music – especially from the recently re-popularized Juaneco – had been completely exposed, mined and depleted forever, here comes a brand new reissue of the Amazonian cumbia master’s earliest, rawest, and least-known work from 1970-72, a forgotten chapter (that I never even knew existed). Timing aside, this is not some case of ‘bandwagonism’ or trying to exploit a boho trend because, as the collection proves, the merit in educating people about the origins of cumbia amazónica in an intelligent and informative way let alone digging up a “lost” set of recordings, is self-evident and doesn’t require riding on the coattails of any previous collections of the genre or striving for any sort of justification for its existence. Indeed, the good folks at The Vital Record have done some commendably deep digging for this release (with the help of some native experts, it should be noted), and unearthed the rare early IMSA singles (which appeared on an obscure debut EP) and the combo’s first album, presenting it in CD form with a wonderful, musicologist style booklet to boot.

Outside of Juaneco’s jungle home base, these freshman recordings were probably not exactly popular or well known in the rest of Peru as the new decade dawned, and so no doubt faded into unwarranted obscurity even as the band’s subsequently more polished releases propelled them to national stardom later in the 1970s. As TVR label founder David Aglow points out, they were probably too raw and provincial sounding to catch on or gain radio play in Lima. And that precisely is why putting out this Juaneco compilation holds so much appeal for Aglow. As he puts it, “In our opinion, that's what makes it sound so good to us now.” So folks, all I can say is, this is yesterday’s gloriously gritty analog sound made ripe for the Daptone/crate digger aesthetic of today, unapologetically unadorned yet sincere and of genuine historical importance. The pops and crackles are there, but over all the tracks sound surprisingly clean in spite of the source material’s inherent drawbacks (there are no master tapes and the original pressings were poorly made). Something about the unpretentious simplicity, honest rawness and upfront immediacy of the recordings just jumps out of the swampy mire of the past and bites you in the culo like some crazed electronic piraña.

For students of Peruvian music in general, and Juaneco in particular (like myself), this little jewel of a reissue is a godsend because it fills in critical gaps in one’s knowledge about origins of cumbia selvática (jungle cumbia). It’s great to hear these early prototypical sides and read about how they were made and the first years of the band before, Otis Redding-style, more than half the combo were tragically killed in an airplane crash in 1977, thus ending their early configuration and altering their sound forever. You may even recognize some of the tunes because they were later redone or incorporated into the more polished (but no less powerful) recordings the group did for Alberto Maraví’s INFOPESA and later, Juan Campos Muñoz’s Horoscopo label. The interesting multi-cultural origins of the band’s founding members (such as Juan “Juaneco” Wong Paredes, Jr.) and their distinctive first guitarist (Noé Fachín) are thoroughly researched and are a joy to read. The pleasure is augmented by the fact that the songs are described in details rich in both sociological and ecological analysis. It’s quite rare for a compilation to give fully informed contextual information about where a particular genre comes from and what forces shaped it, but Amazonian historian (and lawyer) James Matos Tuesta and discographer Victor Zela most definitely know their stuff, and set the music in a comprehensible context that lends extra meaning and insight to the proceedings. 

For further info on Tuesta, check out an interesting article here on my friend Mike P’s blog: http://masstropicas.blogspot.com/2011/07/interview-with-james-matos.html

And to learn more about what makes Victor Zela tick, visit his blog here (a site I love to check on periodically):

www.lacumbiademisviejos.com

On a side note, as a Cuban-American, it’s gratifying to hear snippets of Caribbean-influenced music already in effect in the early formation of Juaneco y su combo’s milagro verde (green mirale) sound, especially Cuban genres like guaracha, guajira, and bolero. That’s right, there are not only the obvious influences of Colombian cumbia and Indigenous Peruvian forms, but a healthy dose of Afro-Antillean music as well, right from the start. Add to that the band’s Chinese, Amerindian, and Spanish criollo roots, and you have an amazing potion ready to cause hallucinations of a pan-American experience like no other.

Speaking of visions, let me emphasize the package is not only musically and textually rich, it’s also a phantasmagorical visual feast stuffed with great photos of the band and — a major revelation for me personally — some juicy reproductions of contemporary fantastic jungle-themed paintings by Graciela Arias and Christian Bendayán.

I was literally stopped in my tracks when I saw Graciela’s painting Eva del Paraiso on the eighth page of the booklet. ¡Carambaaaaa! 

Eva del Paraiso

Her amazing magical realist jungle alter-piece portrait of a sexy Amazonian Eve who is half horse (a “runamula” in local terminology) is nothing short of a mind-blower: electric blue constellations surround a nubile, centaurian Pachamama plucking a glowing red jungle fruit from a forest branch presided over by a golden serpiente. On the side is a female river spirit, rising from the leaves with long trestles of hair like some vision out of an alternate Vogue magazine peopled by beings from the time of Prometheus. It’s an apparition that stops the heart like an arrow tipped in curare, as if Guaguin tripped on acid with Mati Klarwein and woke up in Ayacucho. Yes the painting features protean Biblical imagery — but seen through Indigenous Amazonian eyes — so it takes on a more defiant air then merely devotional Christian imagery that you see so much in Latin America. I guess you’d have to journey to Pecullalpa visit Graciela’s studio and see her art in person to really confront physically, but from my vantage point, you don’t need any special cultural knowledge of her art to “get” this painting. It just impacts you from the moment you set eyes on it. Along these lines, David Aglow told me, “I've known Graciela for years. And she's gone from painting cute tourist mementos to full-blown Amazon visionary artist, working very much in the realm of magical realism, as you say. She likes combining the elements of folklore and mythology with the Christian…Anyway, her [art] is mesmerizing. She's an up and coming woman artist from the region, and her stuff is really special. I'm heading there [soon] and I can't wait to see her new [paintings].” Below are some examples of Graciela's art Dave sent me...

Christian Bandayán is also an “arte amazónica” painter, but unlike Graciela, he’s from Iquitos. I tell you, the guy is quite a revelation! This is an artist to watch. When I told David how much I was impressed by Christians work, he said, “Glad you liked Bendayán’s stuff, which is some of my favorite.” How cool that Aglow thought to combine his taste in Amazonian art with his discerning choices in the tropical music of the region? That’s not something you’d have with some typical domestic CD packaging from Peru, you can bet! Below I have put some samples of his art for you to check out.

I was also well pleased to see several ayahuasca/yagé paintings by one of my favorite “curandero” (healer) priest/painters from the Peruvian Amazon, Don Pablo Amaringo. As Aglow related to me, “I actually met him on several occasions and have one of his paintings. He was quite a character!” Indeed. Amaringo is the deceased elder statesman of Peruvian psychedelic folkloric and shamanic imagery (think 60s black velvet hippie paintings and UFO/Surrealist iconography colliding with the intricate, indigenous peyote-fuelled bead paintings of Mexican Huichol Indian artisans). Bendayán is a young (b. 1973), very savvy multi-media artist taking Amaringo’s lead but going to the next level, dragging it kicking and screaming from the “folkloric” realm (functioning within the traditional people’s local village culture) to the more rarified market of international commercial “fine art” (if there is such a distinction!). Where Amaringo’s art is stocked with diaphanous celestial bodies, levitating spirits, vast starlit swamps, and unseen skyward patterns being revealed, Bendayán’s world is full of tropical sex and real people rooted in an urban reality in conflict with the jungle (but it is just as colorful and trippy as Amaringo’s). Graciela Arias shows us a more feminine viewpoint, with an emphasis on the spiritual and lyrical side of the indigenous mindset, but she too cannot escape the groundbreaking work by Don Pablo that precedes her and informs her art. I think I may have posted before about Don Pablo's work, but here are some of his paintings just in case you have not been exposed to this genius...

For all this wild Amazonian stimulation packed into a small jewel case, we have to come back to reality and thank the already mentioned David Aglow, the  principal impetus behind this fortuitous commingling of visual, aural and literary worlds. It was his vision and perseverance that made the project happen, and in such high style! I am now hoping Dave will listen to my suggestions to eventually put out a limited edition 45 of the two most DJ-friendly tracks (he told me a whole LP vinyl version would prove too costly at this point), the most likely candidates being the wacky and syncopated instrumental cumbia “Perdido en el espacio” for the A side, and the instant classic “Me voy pa’ Trompeteros”. Or perhaps “Caballo nocturno” (with it’s super dope intro) for the B side. You could also fashion another great single from the wistful “Sirenita enamorada” (a great vocal with raw fuzz guitar) and “La incognita” as a percussively up-beat and axe-rockin’ B-side. But then there are Dave’s favorites, the catchy yet plaintive “El llanto del ayaymama” with its raw buzz-saw guitar riff, and the haunting bolero “El forstero” – two equally viable choices for the vinyl single treatment! Record Store Day, I here you calling like the ayaymama (a large jungle bird with a distinctively forlorn mating call)! Maybe there could even a “rework” by the Whiskey Barons or Quantic could be entertained to give us a radical remake with his Combo Bárbaro…one can dream a feverish tropical dream! At any rate, for the time being we have this unique and singular CD, and if enough sales are made, that might just finance some sort of vinyl release, something near and dear to my DJ/collector heart.

So that’s really about it – you have to hear the music and read the text for yourself to receive its full medicinal benefits. Go out and buy this CD and be transported to a far away place and time that we, as “developed” consumers in the digital age are fortunate enough to have at our disposal for our gratification and edification. Heed Bongohead’s advice: Don’t waste this opportunity for illumination brought to you by The Vital Record, mi gente.

Like I said, this collection rings a special note with me on a personal level. From stories I heard of the magical back-water jungle city Iquitos, where today a kid could be named Hitler Michael Jackson Ramirez and in a bygone era of rubber barons, European arias could be heard at the Baroque opera house built directly on the mangrove swamp, to the shape-shifting dolphins that become fishermen’s lovers just down river from Fitzcarraldo’s Quixotically foundering steamship, to the legend of the “Lost City of Z” and its would be discoverers perishing in plain sight of it because the city was the jungle all around them, the stygian tropical forests and mighty rivers of South America have always fascinated me, constantly revealing themselves to be more inexplicable, fleetingly evasive and amazing than any magical realist author like Vargas Llosa or García Márquez could put to words. With this compilation, I have both the satisfaction and the sadness of knowing yet another obscure sector has been (re)discovered, mapped out, and exposed to me, making the Amazon a little less mysterious and exotic on the one hand, and on the other revealing all of its contradictions and complexities that thankfully continue to make it as hard to grasp as a brightly colored macaw or neatly categorize as the thousands of undiscovered plants that carpet the forest floor to this day.

For more info and to hear some of the music, go to the label’s web site:

http://www.thevitalrecord.com/

And watch this documentary:
http://www.jeanettedmoses.com/2013/12/10/jungle-cumbia/

While you’re there, do yourself a favor and check out the label’s other excellent and quirky releases. If you are interested in music from the Peruvian Amazon, there are two other fascinating CDs you should pick up: a contemporary cumbia amazónica album from the eccentric El Cacique De Menkoremón, and some heart-rending violin work by Don Francisco Pezo Alva, who plays his homemade instrument at the wakes of the recently deceased and fills his sound with all the pain and anguish his patrons need in order to aid the grieving process. May the marvelous revelations of this incredible musical resource that is Peru never be depleted!

Check this out! Track to watch for: "El Huarmi Icaro"

Francisco Pezo Alva plays violin - on location!