Review:

on 2011-06-16 CharlesMartel Said:

You know those Bolivians you see in the High Street, dressed in traditional ponchos and hats, playing away and trying to flog their CD's. Like me, you have probably stopped briefly to listen to their music and wondered what it would be like to own such a CD and to be able to listen to it when you wanted. Well, this is one of those CD's. I had always wanted one of these CD's after listening to evocative sound of the pipes waft enticingly across the streets on numerous occasions.

The spontaneity of the music, just performed there on the street to whoever happened to be passing by also added to the allure. Music like this is not designed as art, it is music for the people and of the people. It is music which represents a part of the everyday lives of ordinary people. It is rooted in the environment from which they originate and as such reflects the traditions and the concerns of the people who play it. It is the exact opposite of some of the pretentious crap put out by too many bands these days. Thankfully, the prog rockers have left this alone and we have been spared the dubious benefits of some middle-class public-school educated wanker doing his own interpretation of Andean folk music.

It is, in fact, a great set of songs, evocative of the high Andes. Sadly, because it is a studio recording, it is somewhat over produced and some of the spontaneity which makes it so appealing when you hear it being played on the streets has gone. Because of this, it gets severely marked down. It might help if I could understand Spanish better - let alone Aymara (or is it Quecha  I really do not know). Be that as it may, I am a firm believer in the view that one does not need to understand the lyrics of a song in order to appreciate the music for the music should stand alone on its own merits.

However, putting aside any negativity, the musical format is essentially the same as that played on the streets. The small pipes are still there amid the domination of the sound by the small guitars and ukuleles. There are occasional accompaniments of simple drums and various sorts of rattles and tambourines. The vocals are often sung in a chanting style, whether as a solo voice or with vocal accompaniment. Perhaps a bit more echo on the vocals would have been beneficial, if only to increase the sensation of openness which the music usually conveys. After all, this is music which is usually played in the open air and therefore it can come across a bit stilted and forced in a studio setting.

The band is part of the Ayni collective, which from what I can gather seems to be a largish troupe of roaming musicians all linked together by this reference point of a production team, Ayni. Who is who is therefore rather difficult to ascertain and at times some of the songs sound as if they are being done by a completely different group of people. Still, listen to it and dream you are in Cuzco or somewhere (that is in Peru I know, before any know-it-all's write in to try to catch me out). I still do occasionally when I need to dream, but otherwise this gets little airplay these days.

And yes, when I encounter the roving bands of Bolivians on the streets, I always stop and listen awhile and perhaps throw a few coins.
Rating: 6/10