CANCIÓN DEL SUR

After LOS JAIVAS escaped Chile following the military coup that installed the dictator Pinochet in power, the band spent four years in Zárate, Argentina just north of Buenos Aires and transcended its Chilean origins and became one of Latin America's most popular and influential folk rock bands ever. After the release of the band's third self-titled album also known as "El Indio," LOS JAIVAS became extremely popular in not only Chile but all across Argentina and then the entirety of Latin America. The album catapulted to the role of one of Latin America's top selling albums ever and launched the band into a whole new level of superstardom. The following years found an extensive touring schedule, television appearances and other media opportunities.

The next album to appear was the 1977 release CANCIÓN DEL SUR which found the band exploring the vaster wealth of indigenous sounds of the southern regions of South America particularly Patagonia. Having toured through various Latin American countries since "El Indio," LOS JAIVAS were veritable ethnomusicologists and researched and then incorporated the various stylistic differences between regions and nation states. While expanding its native Chilean heritage to include the greater pan-Latin American sound spectrum, LOS JAIVAS also added the moog synthesizer to the progressive rock aspects that had steadily been increasing since the band's earliest improvisational recordings.

Given all the diverse influences that went into this album's making, CANCIÓN DEL SUR sounds less cohesive than its predecessor with influences ranging from Uruguayan traditions with "Dum Dum Tambora" to the Patagonian folklore that inspired the title track. Not forgetting its own heritage, the track "La Vida Mágica, Ay Sí!" begins the album with a salute to the Chilean cueca while "Canción para los Pájaros" showcases the tribal sounds of the Amazon. The longest track, the all instrumental "Danzas" evokes a bit of some of the more experimental approaches of the past with a "heartbeat" style of percussive drive accompanied by a Western modern classical musical approach that allows the indigenous pan flute Andean folk flavors to commingle with a stronger European dominated recipe. While the guitar playing is clearly not the dominant feature on CANCIÓN DEL SUR, the Santana inspired Latin rock guitar sweeps are allowed off the leash.

The closing "Frescura Antigua" follows in the footsteps of previous albums by offering an unadulterated track of pure indigenous folk music. The later CD re-releases feature several bonus tracks that offer even more insight into the band's explorations during this period. The band would soon leave Argentina and relocate to France where it would begin its new chapter that would change the ratio of indigenous folk to the dominance of European flavored progressive rock. This album was well received but not quite as popular as "El Indio" which offered a perfection that this album lacks. While that album feels cohesive from beginning to end, this one on the other hand feels more scattered as if the band had spent too much time promoting itself and touring rather than focusing on crafting strong compositions.


Overall this is a decent album but feels more like a space filler than an album that was as well crafted as previous ones. Clearly the band's attention had been splintered to the point where it couldn't put all its energy into the songwriting process and while all the tracks are totally listenable and even pleasant, they don't seem as innovative or cutting edge as "El Indio" and actually seems like it should've preceded that album rather than follow. The next few years would find the band in transition with only one collaborative effort emerging in 1979 with Brazilian folk singer Manduka before the band starting a totally new chapter starting with its prog fan favorite "Alturas de Machu Picchu" which would be released in 1981. While a nice tribute to the various ethnic groups scattered across the southern regions of the South American continent, CANCIÓN DEL SUR just doesn't hold up as well as previous releases.

3.5 rounded down