Music of the Andes (1994)

«Well, this music does come from the Andes, but it's not representative of the wide range of Andean music, given that there are only five artists on the disc, and one of those, the late, great singer and songwriter Victor Jara, only appears once, with "El Tinku." Like Jara, the other groups here have their roots in the time before the Chilean military coup of 1973. Among them is the venerable Inti-Illimani, a group that's existed for over three decades, playing not only the music of their native Andes, but who've also explored traditions across Latin America, although they moved to Europe following the coup, as did Quilapayun, who settled in Paris, continuing their vocal music, as on "El Canto Del Cuculi." All three of the above were quite political, Jara particularly, and socially concerned, traits reflected heavily in their music and songs, comprised not only of traditional pieces, but also the Nueva Cancion movement which had swept the country in the '60s. The same is true of Illapu, another band who were forced into temporary exile from their homeland by their political stance. While they all kept one foot in the past and looked forward, the other group on here, Kollahuara, remained exclusively folkloric — their "El Condor Pasa," a tune well-known to Americans, thanks to Paul Simon — has the weight of many years behind it. So while this might not be a full view of Chilean Andean music, what's here is beautiful, with, of course, plenty of pan pipes and charangos, and well worth hearing, played by some true masters.» (AMG)

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Monna Bell y Aldemaro Romero - La Onda Nueva en Mexico (1970)

«For those unaware of the greatness of Venezuelan conductor Aldemaro Romero, we could compare him with the better known Esquivel. Romero and Esquivel had more than one thing in common. In addition to being piano virtuosos with a futuristic sense for popular music revitalized with vocal arrangements and original instrumentation, they each experimented in the recording studio and maintained a mutual admiration and friendship. Probably the rarest album from Aldemaro Romero is this homage to traditional and popular Mexican songs, with the Pop singer Monna Bell on vocals. The musicians (well-skilled Jazz players from Mexico) were free to bring in any idea to the studio and to improvise during the recordings. The result was an explosion of tonalities that, in spite of being essentially popular traditions, revealed something exceedingly unique cosmopolitan and modern. La Onda Nueva en Mexico has remained a cult record among those searching for rare grooves because of its completely unique concept of combining traditional Mexican music arranged by a cosmopolitan Venezuelan influenced by Bossa Nova, sung by a Chilean pop singer and orchestrated by Mexican jazz musicians, all on one record! Vampisoul. 2007.» (Amazon)

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Inti-Illimani - Viva Italia (2003)

«Questo cd documenta un evento davvero unico: la registrazione del concerto tenutosi a Roma lo scorso settembre 2003, quando il sindaco Valter Veltroni ha voluto gli Inti-Illimani ai Fori Imperiali per commemorare un altro, tragico 11 settembre, quello del 1973, data del golpe militare di Pinochet in Chile, che costrinse la band a un lunghissimo esilio. Il destino volle che in quei tristi giorni del 1973 la band si trovasse proprio in Italia, divenuta da allora la loro seconda patria. Questo cd è la testimonianza del lungo percorso musicale attraversato durante questi trent’anni, che ha portato gli Inti-Illimani a divenire uno dei più importanti ed emblematici gruppi di world music a livello internazionale, e non soltanto gli ambasciatori della musica dell’America Latina nel mondo; una modernissima band, autrice di inconfondibili melodie ricche di ricerca e contaminazione, con alle spalle la polvere dei più prestigiosi palcoscenici di tutto il mondo. Viva Italia è il primo disco dal vivo degli Inti-Illimani registrato in Italia. Tra le quindici tracce che lo compongono trovano posto molti brani storici della band, entrati ormai nella memoria collettiva del nostro Paese, come Alturas o La fiesta di San Benito, ma anche alcune canzoni tratte dal loro ultimo bellissimo album, Lugares Comunes , pubblicato in Italia sempre dalla Storie di Note, melodie che ci accompagnano in un vero e proprio entusiasmante viaggio musicale attraverso gli infiniti sentieri delle sonorità dell’America Latina, come El Surco, Malaguena, Sobre Tu Playa, Q’Apac Chunchu. Poi c’è la parte centrale del concerto, un sincero, autentico omaggio alla musica, al cinema e alla cultura italiana in generale: canzoni come Il Mercato di Testaccio, Tarantella, il tema d’amore del film Nuovo Cinema Paradiso di Ennio e Andrea Morricone. Ma anche una cover molto speciale, la celeberrima Buonanotte Fiorellino di Francesco De Gregori. E infine l’immancabile inno alla resistenza e alla lotta, quel El Pueblo Unido Jamàs Serà Vencido di Sergio Ortega, che da trent’anni a questa parte è oramai diventato una delle grandi canzoni popolari a ogni latitudine.» (Storie di Note)

«“Andábamos de gira por Estados Unidos, Alemania, Francia, Inglaterra, Japón, México, Australia, incluso con éxito. Pero eran... ¿cómo decirlo? Giras normales, en teatros normales. Volvíamos a Italia y era otra cosa”. La frase al interior del nuevo disco de Inti-Illimani es tan elocuente como el impecable acento que se les escucha cuando se dirigen a la audiencia romana. La extensa discografía del grupo chileno adeudaba el registro del encuentro con el país que los acogió durante quince años de exilio. Viva Italia es el pago de esa deuda, un disco que integra pedazos de tres conciertos ofrecidos en Roma, Verano y Genzano di Roma en septiembre pasado. Pero no sólo los aplausos son extranjeros. Parte de este repertorio —que integra grandes éxitos del grupo con composiciones de Violeta Parra y “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido”— fue elegido pensando en su patria de acogida, fuesen composiciones propias (“Danza di Calaluna”, “El mercado de Testaccio”) o temas italianos como “Tarantella”, “Tema de amor” (de la banda sonora de Cinema paradiso) y “Buonanotte Fiorellino”. ¿Hace falta recordar la delicadeza interpretativa y la profundidad en la entrega de este conjunto chileno? Todo aquí suena medido y brillante, y gana en importancia si se considera que, por un buen tiempo, seguramente sea la última publicación del grupo que integre a Horacio Durán, el charanguista que es hoy, tras casi cuarenta años de trabajo, un ex Inti. (Marisol García C., La Música Emol)

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Inti-Illimani - Viva Chile! (1973)

A sort of “nostalgic” post today, because this record was probably the first example of “world music” I heard in my life – well, I’d better say “non-european music”, “world music” is a label I can’t stand, but, you know, at the time this music seemed to really come from another world… So, this record means a lot to me, bringing me back memories of more innocent times, and games, and long journeys with no car stereos or mp3 players around, just the whole family & friends singing loudly el pueblo unido jamàs sera vencido while strolling through the Highlands of Scotland, well, things like that… But I must admit that, when listening to Viva Chile! today, I still find its music captivating and moving, and very well played. Long live the Sun God!

«This was not the first album to be released by the Chilean folk group Inti-Illimani [whose name means Sun God in the Aymaran Indian language], which had originally formed while its members were college students more than six years before Viva Chile! came out in 1973. But it was the first of the group's albums to emerge from a new life as exiles in Rome; so, literally, this spirited music of revolution and rebellion was recorded within a short stroll from the type of hearty lunchtime pasta that is more likely to inspire a siesta. The decisive summarization of thoughts that sometimes occurs as a preamble to dreamland is a nice way to describe the choice of both repertoire and final program sequence. Viva Chile! lays bare the musical roots of this ensemble, in large part a style of folk music from the Andes that has unfortunately become a trifle stereotyped due to overexposure. In the case of Inti-Illimani, the growth from this original starting point has been lush, extending into a challenging form of expression known as nuevo cancion, or new song. Rich emotions and musical surprises bloom almost constantly from these pieces. In combination with politics, as in "Venceremos" or "Cueca de la C.U.T.," it becomes a garden that any lover of protest songs will want to sit in and meditate. Sniffing along while the military industrial complex is overthrown is hardly the only sweet bouquet provided, however. From the very start of the album, intricate and terrifically mixed percussion breaks provide some of the finest moments. "Cueca de la C.U.T." is simply amazing, sounding like small drunken men have invaded the speaker box with wooden mallets. Instrumental pieces involving various combinations of stringed instruments such as guitar, tiple, and charango are also part of the program, a style that the group seems to have downplayed in later releases. "Ramis," "Tatati," and "Subida" are short and simple treats; "Longuita" utilizes a picking style that sounds like country & western, though it is uncertain what country. "Venceremos" is the big vocal hit, an anthem among anthems, and as is typical in the effective sequencing, it is sandwiched between two of the instrumentals…» (AMG)

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