Search - Los Jaivas :: Jaivas

A Killer album from a Killer Band!

M. P. Barcovsci | Fl, USA | 07/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very creative band, highly recommended for progressive fans."Los Jaivas" is a very unique band, they mixed prog rock with SouthAmerican andean music. Their sound is very particular and hard to compare to someone else, yet pretty progressive.

This particular album is one their best works. Highly recommended for prog-fans, worthy for you collection, check them out! One of the best Latin progressive albums from all times!!!

"

Chilean folk music from the distant future

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 11/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1975 this is another fan favorite and along with Alturas de Macchu Picchu (1981) presents a nice introduction to the unique sound of Los Jaivas. If I have my history correctly, the band had left Chile and was residing in Argentina at this point. The band however, did not lose the Chilean folk influence which is very much a part of their overall sound - a colorful and vibrant mixture of Chilean folk music and English progressive rock.



The lineup at this point included Eduardo Parra (organ, piano, tumbadoras - congas, bongos, cascabeles - hand held percussion instrument with bells, tarka flute, and zampona - Andean panpipe); Claudio Parra (steinway piano, electric piano, guiro, maracas, zamponas, trutrucas); Gabriel Parra (drums and percussion); Eduardo Alquinta (lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, flute, piccolo, and percussion); and Julio Anderson (bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and percussion). These guys are very good players and their mastery of the traditional Chilean instruments is impressive. Although rock instruments are used a lot, I really enjoy the tone colors that instruments like the tarka and zampona lend the music in addition to the textures of the percussion instruments - the use of traditional folk instruments is such a welcome departure from straight rock instrumentation. Claudio is a true virtuoso and his technique on the acoustic piano is simply dazzling - especially on Tarka y Ocarina. The vocals (in Spanish) are superb.



The six tracks on the album range in length from 4:06 to the lengthy closing track Tarka y Ocarina, which clocks in at a little over 13 minutes. The music is a nice blend of alternately cheery and moody Chilean folk music and progressive rock (prog rock in the PFM sense of the word). There is nice use of dynamics, and each piece is well thought out and played. I especially liked the percussion workout on Un Mar de Gente and the moodier sections. While the tracks present great examples of spacey and psychedelic Chilean folk music with a little progressive rock, Tarka y Ocarina is a full blown work of progressive rock and is perhaps my favorite composition by the band. Interestingly, the very introduction of this piece sounds vaguely reminiscent of Jade Warrior, with a mixture of heavily distorted bass guitar, electric guitar, and woodwinds. There is some incredible playing on this track, especially by Claudio.



This remastered album by EMI is fantastic and features restored cover art along with photos of the band and informative liner notes (in Spanish). Speaking of the cover art, it is very cool and nicely sums up the progressive rock "vibe". Specifically, the imagery is rooted in the past, yet somehow also firmly planted in the distant future. The two bonus tracks were released as singles in 1976 and are OK, although En tus Horas (3:46) is a bit too poppy for my taste; Mambo de Machaguay (4:15) is a bit proggier. The sound quality of the remastered album and the bonus tracks is excellent.



All in all, this is an especially fine album of progressive rock that presents a nice twist with the use of traditional Chilean folk music. Highly recommended along with the superb album Alturas de Macchu Picchu (1981), which was recorded in France."