If I had to describe my idea of a perfect night, an evening like this would pretty much fit the bill! Nothing but me, solitude and lots of music!!!..and, in this case, lots of Peruvian/Cumbia sounds!!
Sonido Amazónico is a deliciously quirky tune that comes courtesy of the Peruvian Cumbia group, Lost Mirlos. I’ve been listening to lots of their music tonight and love them very much! You may recall the LP Blog featuring them earlier this year?
Translating as The Blackbirds (now there’s another reason to love this band – their name!!), Los Mirlos hail from Movobamba (the capital of the San Martin region). Still active to this day, their earliest recordings date back to the early 1970’s when the release of their debut 45 came out in 1972. La Danza De Los Mirlos (The Dance of the Mirlos) was the A-side to their debut single and is also known as “The Cumbia Anthem”!
Formed by brothers Jorge (vocals) and Carlos Rodríguez Gránde (guitar), the group began making records that were centred around the music and customs of their homeland. Such was their success, it gave rise to the popularity of traditional Peruvian song. Initially they started out as Los Saetas (The Arrows), but soon changed their band name to Los Mirlos – a far better title,indeed!
In 1971 whilst still known as Los Saetas, the band moved to Lima where they were joined by vocalist Jorge Rodríguez Grández and drummer Tony Wagner Grández Aguilar. That same year Los Saetas became Los Mrilos – a name that was chosen in honour of the Blackbird that also lives in the Peruvian jungle! The band began touring and their popularity continued to grow, and though Los Mirlos have seen some band changes over the years, they still continue to record to this day!
Sonido Amazónico was issued on the Peruvian label, Infopesa, in 1975. Backed with the equally charming sounds of El Lloron on the flipside of the 45, I really like their earlier stuff and like that their repertoire combines a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks…Enjoy!
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Unpitched percussive instruments are really underrated and Lost Mirlos seems to showcase that in their music. Both songs have an extremely fun and enjoyable sound, not just due to the guitar (which is very enjoyable indeed) but also due to the various layers of unpitched percussive instruments. I can see why you love their sound!!
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Yes, those guitars are really enjoyable and quirky aren’t they! You are so right about those unpitched percussive instruments, they are fun and all those rhythmic layers of shakers and percussion are organic, otherworldly and very glorious.
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