Los Jaivas - Canción del Sur (1977)

Y si hablamos de folk progresivo latinoamericano cómo no hablar de Los Jaivas, ahora con un disco que me venían pidiendo desde hacía tiempo en la lista de correo y el Mago Alberto pasa a cumplir: "Canción del sur" de 1977, con toda la magia de los chilenos. Y ya que hablamos tanto de la situación crítica de Chile y la valentía del pueblo chileno, entonces que mejor que halagarnos con su mejor música, la de Los Jaivas, la de Congreso, la de toda esa ola artística que siempre empujó para que las puertas de la libertad se abran para todos. Por todo ello y por mucho más es que "Canción del Sur" es ideal para presentar nuevamente en el blog hoy en día.
Artista: Los Jaivas
Álbum: Canción del sur
Año: 1977
Género: Prog Folk
Nacionalidad: Chile

Me han dicho “ese grupo que vos promocionás”. Si dio así, nada demasiado premeditado, son épocas que uno está más volcado a escuchar o volver a escuchar algunas cosas mas que otras. Se trata de Los Jaivas, discografía que me quedó deshilachada con el paso del tiempo. Entonces me puse a pensar por dónde recomendaría empezar y me acordé de un disco no tan conocido pero que me acompañó mucho y es una delicia volverlo a escuchar ahora que me lo acabo de bajar ya que nunca había tenido su re-edición en CD de 1994. Se trata de “Canción del Sur” de 1977. Pertenece a la etapa argentina del grupo, luego de este disco partirían a las corridas hacia Francia, adónde ese país sería base de operaciones de la comunidad jaiva hasta inicios de los ’80. No se si es el mejor disco, en anteriores entradas di algunas pistas de otros, pero este disco resume bastante bien el estilo y es bastante especial para mí.
Se trata de un disco simple que combina la potencia, la sutileza y vuelo característicos de la banda con esa desprolijidad cruda de muchos de sus arreglos y estilo de canto. Latinoamericanismo musical sin golpes bajos ni demagogia, lamentablemente algo muy frecuente en muchos grupos que transitan los ritmos regionales. Al respecto recuerdo que una vez le preguntaron a Yupanqui qué pensaba de los Quilapayún y respondió: “Bueno, un camión
lleno de peronistas”.
El disco arranca con un tema que son de esos arranques potentes y festivos de Los Jaivas “La vida mágiva ¡Ay si!”, tema con crescendo característico y espíritu directo “la vida mágica ¡Ay si!, tocar, tocar y tocar”. El disco original contenía 7 temas. En la edición en CD, que es la que se puede bajar, contiene 11 temas, los 7 del álbum original mas dos provenientes de esa misma época que se editaron en simple “En tus horas” y una primera versión de “"Mambo de Machaguay", después incluido en Aconcagua (1983). Los otros dos temas pertenecen a un simple muy raro donde Los Jaivas incursionan en un tecno-dance que para entonces era imposible de aceptar para quienes seguían al grupo, pero bueno, los ’70 quedaban atrás y la onda new wave en Europa movía el piso (casi casi son los temas que más escuché del disco en estos días!).

Cali

Canción del Sur es un álbum editado por la banda chilena Los Jaivas en el año 1977. Corresponde a la tercera producción grabada en Argentina, y marca una continuación del sonido rock progresivo del disco El Indio, de 1975 y una aproximación a la sonoridad característica de los arreglos para instrumentos electrónicos y folclóricos de discos posteriores, como Alturas de Macchu Picchu y Obras de Violeta Parra. De hecho, constituye la primera aparición formal del minimoog en un disco de Los Jaivas, hecho que resultaría capital en el sonido de la banda.

Los inconseguibles del rock

Another excellent chapter in the 70's South American tradition. "Cancion Del Sur" was LOS JAIVAS' 5th release combining progressive rock with aztec mysticism. At this stage in their life cycle, they were a 6 piece outfit mixing a vast array of instrumentation and developing a very progressive approach.. of course following this release they would release their masterpiece "Alturas De Macchu Picchu". In many way this album really stands up equally to "Alturas" with grand symphonic keyboard swoops, caressing vocals, classical guitar work , lots of great percussion and that South American flare. If you are looking for a real honest and original sound (They are not trying to sound like anyone but themselves) then I strongly suggest you pick up this album... They have not masked their musical traditions and the mix of genres is quite amazing... "A jim-dandy pre-cursor"

James Unger

After their self-titled album of 75 (also titled los Indios) with their supeb two compositions Conquistada and Tarka Y Ocarina , this album confirms them in this directions much to my happiness. The grandiose side of Conquestada is present in at least three tracks on here with the superb piano playing from two of the three Parra brothers , the other providing no less superb drumming. the 7 min+ numbers Cancion Del Sur (songs of the south) is simply breath-taking and the 8 min+ Danza (dance) will remain in the back of your mind for quite a while.
The other tracks are still very much alike to their typical mix of Andean Indian (Inca) traditional music married with more Latino/Carribean rythms giving a result sometimes close to Santana's Oyé Como Va & La Guajira in his first three albums (including Abraxas) that I would qualify as folk-rock in the ethnic sense (as opposed to the american protest singers or Byrds).
Please note that once again (as often in Los Jaivas 's discography) this album came out with more than one sleeve art work. The one here is already fine but the copy I qwn has an all-together much more stupendous one albeit sadly on CD format.
Another superb album from one of the most original outfit

Sean Trane

I bought this album many years ago in a second hand record store for at about US $ 10,-. It has been released in 1977 by EMI Argentina, I own the 1980 EMI Italy LP version. 1 - La vida magica ay, si! This piece showcases the wonderful blend of prog and folk that Los Jaivas created : fiery electric guitar and splendid pianoplay mixed with the sound of several ehtnic instruments, topped by warm vocals and vocal harmonies, SIMPLY WONDERFUL! 2 - En la cumbre de un cerro A dreamy climate featuring acoustic gutiar, tender piano work, trumpet ( ?) and again warm vocals, very moving. Halfway this song delivers strong interplay between fiery electric guitar and sparkling piano. 3 - Cancion para los pajaros Lots of nature sounds like wind and birds ('pajaros' in Spanish) blended with flutes and ehtnic percussion, this is the sound of the Andes! 4 - Dum dum Tambora Here is a Paraguayan folk traditional that almost brings you in trance with the repetetive, hypnotizing vocals (like the native North-American indians) and a very special and unique mix of folk and progrock (electric guitar, piano and rhythm-section). 5 - Cancion del sur The titletrack is the highlight on this album: first dreamy with acoustic guitar and mellow vocals, then a moving build-up featuring sharp sounding synthesizer runs, sparkling piano and melancholical vocals, VERY COMPELLING! 6 - Danzas This track is build upon a hypnotizing drumbeat and features lots on fine instrumental interludes with a great build-up synthesizer solo, beautiful ethnic flutes and sensational duels between first sparkling piano and flute and then piano and fiery electric guitar, GREAT! 7 - Frescura antigua A warm and moving ethnic climate featuring twanging acoustic guitar, flutes, the charango (small native guitar) and a focus on the wonderful sound of the panflute. I still prefer the album "Alturas de Macchu Picchu" (also because of the excelent DVD) but this one comes mighty close! This is unique progressive folk from Los Jaivas, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Erik Neuteboom

By their time of their sixth album, Los Jaivas had already undergone a transformation. The combination of psychedelic guitar, abundant percussion and strong traditional Andean vibes which fueled their earlier albums like Todos Juntos was being gradually fused with a more complex brand of prog rock in which the drumming skills of Gabriel Parra and the double-barrelled keyboard attack of his brothers Eduardo and Claudio took greater prominence. While the band's roots are unmistakable, the exiles (who had fled Chile after the 1973 military coup) continue the mix of sophistication and exploration first expressed in 1975's Los Jaivas (El Indio) album.
The beautiful opener La Vida Màgica, Ay Sí simply dances with life. A gorgeous warm melody is transferred from harpsichord to piano to electric guitar as the band moves in with restrained ferocity before an exuberant vocal emerges. Its follow-up En La Cunbre De Cerro is a lyrical piece that starts off barely audible but eventually moves into a nice piano/brass exchange, before (three minutes into the song) an unexpected rousing explosion of guitar transforms the dynamic of the piece.
After the opening pair of tunes, the album does lose a little momentum through Cancion Par Los Pajaros, an Andrean instrumental featuring quenas (Andean flutes) and percussion and the vocal/percussive Dum Dum Tambora (which is based on an Uruguayan poem) a pleasing piece that ebbs and flows and goes through a few modes (even visiting the Far East at one point!) but which eventually drags towards the end.
Thankfully it all comes together again with the slow-moving title track. Cancion Del Sur (which means Song of the South) was inspired by the beautiful imposing landscapes of the southern most part of the South American continent, and Gato Alquinto's lead vocal melody is gentle and initially desolate, before a glorious eerie synth solo erupts over a rippling piano background in a spectacular and unconventional use of double keyboards. The massive instrumental Danzas is another amazing song ... starting off as a slow blues crawl with a pan-pipe solo over it, with an expansive fuzzy synth taking over, and then a charango (Andean mandolin) before a stomping piano and distorted guitar enjoy a freak out! The album closes with another work of glorious beauty, the guitar/charango/pan-pipe Andean instrumental Frescura Antigua.
The bonus tracks here include the unintentionally hilarious curiousity single recordings Bebida Magica and Sueno Del Inca which are no more no less than Andean instrumental disco tracks ... do remember that this album came out in 1977! There's also the beautiful En Tu Hora, with a wonderful melody and passionate vocals from Alquinta and Manbo Del Machaguay, another relatively "commercial" offering albeit with blistering electric guitar sitting comfortably alongside traditional flutes.
Overall Cancion Del Sur is another feather in Los Jaivas' cap. Not quite as thrilling from a progressive viewpoint as Alturas De Macchu Picchu and Obras De Violeta Parra, nor perhaps quite as emotionally compelling as Tudos Juntos ... but a very strong album nonetheless. ... 70% on the MPV scale.

Martin Vengadesan

Mid-70's find Los Jaivas developing their sound even more, while their fame was growing day by day.TV appearances became more frequent, their name was getting well-known in South America and they even got to perform huge symphonic concerts with the help of La Orquesta Sinfónica Municipal de Mar del Plata and Orquesta Sinfónica de Buenos Aires.They had just another album to record for EMI, before their contract expired, and this was meant to be ''Canción del sur'' from 1977.
The sound presented on their 75' self-titled album becomes more prominent in this work and the band reaches moments of high inspiration blended with somewhat dated folk musicianship recalling their early days.The longer cuts are propably the most interesting for prog fans.Tracks like ''Danza'', ''Dum dum tambora'' and the eponymous one are great progressive Symphonic/Folk Rock performances (although ''Dum dum tambora'' is much more on the folk side) with smooth electric guitars, atmospheric moog synthesizers, fantastic work on piano by Claudio Parra and of course lovely vocal arrangements.There is also a heavy amount of flutes, mandolin and charango thrown in to maintain the ethnic approach of the band, though the arrangements are definitely symphonic in nature.The shorter numbers are Folk Rock of high calibre, a bit dated, with acoustic strings, strong use of flutes and ocarinas and plenty of vocals, typical of the early Los Jaivas sound featuring heavy Andean Folk inspirations, but they still are pretty listenable and musically tightly connected with the rest of the album.
Notica that the 1994 EMI CD re-issue contains four bonus tracks, taken from various singles the band produced around the time ''Canción del sur'' was created, definitely interesting with a diverse style, ranging from Andean Folk to Heavy Rock and melodic Folk Rock but rather far from anything trully progressive.
''Canción del sur'' marks one of Los Jaivas' top career moments and the prog-inclined compositions leave the listener wanting for more.A strong album by the band, highly recommended both for fans of Symphonic Rock and Progressive Folk aesthetics but overall worth adding in any collection

Psarros

Lista de Temas:
01. La Vida Màgica, Ay Sí (3:21)
02. En La Cumbre De Un Cerro (5:06)
03. Canción Para Los Pàjaros (3:14)
04. Dum Dum Tambora (7:50)
05. Canción Del Sur (7:39)
06. Danzas (8:44)
07. Frescura Antigua (3:18)
08. En Tu Horas (3:46) - bonus track
09. Mambo de Machaguay (3:34) - bonus track
10. Sueňo del Inca (3:39) - bonus track
11. Bebida Magica (2:55) - bonus track

Alineación:
- Gato Alquinta / Voz, Guitarra eléctrica, Guitarra acústica, Quena, Tarka, Flauta dulce, Trutruca, Zampoña, Silbido, Pito, Cascabeles, Afoxé, Palmas, Coros
- Gabriel Parra / Batería, Tumbadora, Xilófono, Caxexé, Trutruca, Tarka, Silbido, Coros
- Claudio Parra / Piano, Chinchecordio, Xilófono, Carillón, Tarka, Matraca, Trutruca, Güiro, Pito, Palmas *Eduardo Parra – Piano eléctrico, Minimoog, Trutruca, Bongó, Balafón, Afoxé, Palmas
- Pájaro Canzani / Bajo, Guitarra acústica, Guitarra folk, Voz, Berimbao, Ganca, Kultrum, Cajita, Cascabeles, Palmas, Silbido, Guitarra eléctrica, Coros
- Alberto Ledo – Charango, Tarka, Zampoña, Trutruca, Palmas, Silbido, Coros
Invitados
Luis "D'Artagnan" Sarmiento: Coros en "La Vida Mágica ¡Ay Sí!", Palmas en "Dum Dum Tambora"
Alejandro Parra: Efectos en "Canción para los Pájaros", Coros y Palmas en "Dum Dum Tambora"
Carlos "Rosko" Melo: Palmas en "Dum Dum Tambora"
Patricio y Miguel: Palmas en "Dum Dum Tambora"