OK… this is really good. You’re not going to believe me, and I’m probably going to sound incredibly naive but this has got to be one of the undiscovered gems of the 50′s.
Imagine a throatier than usual Shakira decided to go back in time and work with the “Eskimo” period Residents and you can get some idea of what this sounds like. Sumac has a huge vocal range, and most of the other stuff I’ve heard by her is what I’d consider novelty-lounge mambo, but not this – she whoops and yelps (and sings) her way through most of this album like some proto-Diamanda Galas diva, and I can’t help but love it. How many albums from 1957 can you put on and have people say “What the hell is this?”
“Legend of the Jivaro” might very well have been a calculated effort to sell records, or maybe to try to add some bona-fides to Sumac’s own legend, but who cares. It’s a strange and powerful record from a time when commercial artists didn’t take these kind of chances… Patti Page it ain’t.
Keepers:
Jivaro
Sejollo (whip dance)
Shou Condor (giant condor)
Sauma (magic)
Nina (fire arrow dance)
Sansa (victory song)
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