Search - Yma Sumac :: Fuego Del Ande

Excellent Album

Don Pierson | San Jose, CA | 03/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all of Yma Sumac's albums, this is one of my all-time favorites. Being her first stereo album also helps, though the first Right Stuff CD reissues used the monophonic masters by mistake, which were recorded separately from the stereo ones. They are a bit different - in fact, the monophonic version sounds better on many of the tracks, but is impossible to find now. There were actually three different versions of this 1996 reissue but all look exactly the same on the outside. Fuego del Ande is a Folk album through and through and it is especially interesting to hear Yma's revival of her 1943 hit that she recorded in Argentina in her first sessions there, "Virgenes del Sol," which she sings here in fantastic "Vocalese" style. This was my first Yma Sumac album back in the '60s and is still my favorite - and that is from someone who owns nearly every pressing that exists from all the corners of the world, including many live recordings. Additional general comments: Yma Sumac says her range is five octaves, but the "official" range is 4 1/2 octaves, to answer the reviewer who wondered about it. Also, as a comment to another reviewer, Yma Sumac and Moises Vivanco were divorced by the time this album was released, the divorce having become final in 1957. Supposedly they remarried for the long Soviet Union tour in '60/'61, then divorced a second time after that. Her 1970 recording (released in '71/'72) was reissued on CD as "Yma Rocks!" and is available exclusive through the Official Authorized Yma Sumac Homepage. It is her second best, in my opinion - next to Mambo, of course. She sued to have it pulled because of the liner notes and credits (Les Baxter's claim to have produced it which he did not, and the liner notes making him seem responsible for her earlier career), not because of the recording itself. A note to Capitol Records / EMI (Right Stuff) should they see this: consider a rerelease of the monophonic version of "Fuego del Ande" to go along with this stereo one! They were recorded separately so are like two different albums with the same cover art and songs. Market one as "High Fidelity" (as the originals were) and the other "Stereo.""

Yma's Spanish Side

Don Pierson | 10/06/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yma Sumac, the diva with the 4-octave lungs, is most widely known for her "Peru-via-Hollywood" styled music. In several albums, however, she explored other genres. Closely related, but vastly different, from the lavishly orchestrated Incan anthems she performs so well are the more Spanish-influenced tunes on this album. The arrangements are more spare, less "regal", and, to be honest, a lot less stilted and campy than the music and arrangements usually associated with La-Sumac. Yma, being of both Spanish and Incan descent explores and expands on her roots!"