Lost in Time: Los Jaivas – Alturas de Macchu Picchu

Style: Andes prog (clean vocals)
Review by: Tim
Country: Chile
Release date: 1981

Although prog rock is a genre that originated in the Anglo-Saxon world, already from the early 1970s onward countless bands outside Great Britain and the USA integrated influences from local music traditions. In countries like Turkey (Anatolian rock), Spain (Andalusian rock / flamenco prog), India (raga rock), Indonesia (gamelan prog) and the French part of Canada (Québec prog) local scenes arose that were inspired by the first prog rock movement but all developed in a unique way. Of course, all over the world there also existed prog bands that adopted a more western sound, but the idea of the west innovating and the rest of the world imitating doesn’t do justice to all the beautiful variations of progressive music that came to life in the 1970s and later.

South America was no exception. The Peruvian Laghonia, the Brazilian Os Mutantes and Bacamarte, and the Argentinian Arco Iris and Bubu were all great bands that leaned towards the western progressive rock sound, while for example the Venezuelan Vytas Brenner, the Peruvian El Polen, and the Chilean Congreso had a stronger focus on progressive folk inspired by local traditions. The topic of our review, however, Los Jaivas, is a band that took the best from both worlds. They managed to create a unique and timeless sound that one could describe as Andes prog. In their warm and happy sound electric guitars and Fender rhodes go hand in hand with a plethora of traditional instruments. The Andes element is in a sense not traditional folk, since instruments from many parts of South-America were combined to form a new sound. Disclaimer: although Los Jaivas is well-known in Chile and therefore technically not underground, in the rest of the world it’s a different story. Therefore I think it is justified to write this Lost in Time about what I think is their best record, Alturas de Macchu Picchu (Heights of Macchu Picchu).

Alturas de Macchu Picchu is based on fellow Chilean’s Pablo Neruda’s poem from 1945 that carries the same title. The lyrics sung on the album are excerpts from that complex work, that in a nutshell criticizes the soullessness of (western) modernity and offers a solution in returning to traditional South-American culture. Machu Picchu, as it is written nowadays, is an Inca city that was discovered only centuries after the age of the conquistadores and it is therefore still relatively intact nowadays. It is therefore not very surprising it was chosen as a historical reference and in this case even the recording location, in the footsteps of Neruda, who visited Machu Picchu for inspiration over a third of a century earlier.

The introductory track “Del Aire al Aire” (From Air to Air) instantly transports the listener to between the South American mountains. Birds are singing and traditional instruments build up a mystical and somewhat ominous atmosphere. Then, in “La Poderosa Muerte” (Mighty Death) a piano section accompanies the traditional section, which grants the track phenomenal emotional depth. The woodwind section is also great, just like the great emotional yet not over-the-top singing that follows*. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, the subsequent synthesizer section might deserve the most praise. First of all, the quality of its sound, especially in 1981, is epic on both the low and high frequencies. This magical artefact just adds that extra bit of flavour to an already stunningly beautiful progressive composition. And for those who fear that the folky elements come at the expense of the rock factor: a guitar solo follows right after. This has everything. In the second half of the composition Los Jaivas switch to a ritualistic Inca interlude, while still including the piano, which at this point sounds as native to the Inca sound as potatoes are to Europeans. Finally, the song returns to its initial symphonic approach, but with new chords, new melodies, and new lyrics. What an experience! Then the last song of the A-side is “Amor Americano” (American Love), that manages to sound fun and quirky in a positive way. It is yet again a great marriage between the ancient and the modern; also, album-wise, it offers variation at the right moment.

*the lyrics being an excerpt from the poem, but it would be a farce if I claimed to know anything substantial about poetry, let alone in Spanish

The B-side opens with “Águila Sideral” (Sidereal Eagle), an initially improvised piano-bass duet that only later had drums, the singing of more of Neruda’s work, and the quena (the traditional Andean flute) added to the recording. The calming harmonies created this way are delightful, while the bass and piano keep varying intricately. Although improvised in nature, the end result stays out of free jazz waters and makes a composed impression. Afterwards, in “Antigua América” (Ancient America), the listener is welcomed with pan flutes and a quena before the prog kicks in. The drums generally serve the album’s compositions on this album, but they get a bit more room to shine here. Although this song could be described as energetic pan flute prog, surprisingly enough a harpsichord is implemented and for some odd reason it feels like it just belongs there. A brave choice by Los Jaivas!

“Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano” (Come Be Born With Me, Brother!) is even more full of joy and life than the previous song and that is no coincidence: the album follows the progression of Neruda’s poem. The start was emotionally neutral (from air to air), then there was sorrow, and by now a new purpose in life has been found and the sound is engulfed in sheer optimism. It’s such a pleasure to hear! Then, “Final” closes the album. It is reminiscent of the start of “La poderosa muerte”, but the mood is far more joyful here. A great end to this concept album. Although the emotional state evolves throughout Alturas de Macchu Picchu in order to really tell a story, the style itself does not start with western prog rock and ends in pure Andean folk, but rather consistently remains the best of both worlds.

In conclusion this album as a whole is phenomenal. Each individual song is not only individually strong, but also serves its purpose in the grand scheme of a story about reinventing one’s purpose in life, on both an individual and societal level. I am also happy that this album didn’t get dragged down by contemporary trends but is a timeless classic instead. Recommended for everyone who wants to feel music!

Recommended tracks: La Poderosa Muerte, Águila Sideral, Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano
Recommended for fans of: Bacamarte, Premiata Forneria Marconi, Tamouz, Pesniary, Guruh Gipsy, El Polen
Final verdict: please just listen to it, often if you can/10

Related links: Spotify | Wikipedia

Overview of all involved labels: Discogs

Los Jaivas is:
– Gato Alquinta: lead vocals, electric & acoustic guitars, bass, cuatro, siku, quena, ocarina, tarka
– Eduardo Parra: Fender rhodes, Mini-Moog, tarka, handclaps
– Claudio Parra: piano, Fender rhodes, Mini-Moog, harpsichord, marimba, tarka
– Mario Mutis: bass, electric guitar, siku, quena, tarka, vocals
– Gabriel Parra: drums, chimes, marimba, timbales, bombo legüero, trutruca, tarka, handclaps, vocals

guest artists:
– Alberto Ledo: vocals and all instruments (1): siku, trutruca, trompe, sleigh bells, bombo legüero
– Patricio Castillo: quena (4), tarka (5)

lyrics are all taken from Pablo Nerudo’s Alturas de Macchu Picchu