Songs and carnival music of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Northern Argentina - recorded for BBC Radio 3 FM "World Routes" in May 2010, broadcast 2010.10.16 Hi-MD PCM master

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Banning Eyre heads into northwest Argentina, travelling through the provinces of Salta and Jujuy to hear the songs and carnival music of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, a mountain valley in the foothills of the Andes.

Away from the Europe-centric metropolis of Buenos Aires, the northwest of Argentina is characterised by a history of invasion, where indigenous groups such as the Aymara and Coya were conquered first by Incas from the Altiplano, then by the earliest Spanish conquistadors in the 15th Century. The music of the Humahuaca valley is a mix of pan-pipes and end-blown flutes, frame drums and cow horns, mixed with guitars, accordions and mandolins; songs are sung in Spanish as well as Quechua, and the Virgin Mary is venerated alongside Pachamama.

In the fertile Humahuaca valley Banning meets local musician Tomas Lipan, who tells stories of his childhood embarrassment at eating local foods and playing indigenous instruments, rather than eating spaghetti and playing guitar, and the cultural pressure he felt not to express his indigenous heritage. He sings with immense love of his hometown Purmamarca.

Fortunato Ramos, poet, teacher, restaurant owner plays carnival music with his band in the town of Humahuaca, as well as the spectacularly long horn, the erquencho.

Michaela Chauque is a young quena (end blown flute) player, who draws heavily on the ancestral music, and performs a song about the Pucara de Tilcara, a pre-Incan fortress, as well as singing Coplas from the Tilcara Carnival.

Banning also discovers a mechanical Saint that delivers clockwork benedictions.




01 Introduction

02 Talk

03 Tomás Lipán — Purmamarca
Composer: Gueyo Mealla
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie in Purmamarca

04 Interview with Tomás Lipán

05 Tomás Lipán — Copla
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie in Purmamarca

06 Interview with Tomás Lipán

07 Tomás Lipán — La Linda Margherita
Composer: Jose Maria Mercado
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie in Purmamarca,

08 Talk

09 Fortunato Ramos — Taquiña
Composer: Trad Performers: Carlos Toconás (guitar), Hernán Lahas (charango), Cristian Urbina (quena, zampons, chas chas), Darío Urbina (bombo), Gonzalo Puchades (electric bass)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Peña Fortunato Ramos, Humahuaca,

10 Interview with Fortunato Ramos

11 Fortunato Ramos — El Quebradeño
Composer: Trad Performers: Tomás Lipán (guitar and voice), Carlos Toconás (guitar), Hernán Lahas (charango), Cristian Urbina (quena, zampons, chas chas), Darío Urbina (bombo), Gonzalo Puchades (electric bass)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Peña Fortunato Ramos, Humahuaca

12 Talk

13 Michaela Chauque — Chauque - El Antigal
Composer: Trad
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

14 Interview with Michaela Chauque

15 Michaela Chauque — Copla Vallista
Composer: Trad
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

16 Interview with Michaela Chauque

17 Michaela Chauque — Coplas de Carnival
Composer: Trad
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

18 Talk

19 Grupo Chakra — Soy de la Puna
Composer: José María Mercado Performers: Tomás Lipán (sikus and voice)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

20 Talk

21 Grupo Chakra — Santa Rosa / Saca Tripa
Composer: Trad Performers: Tomás Lipán (sikus)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

22 Talk

23 Grupo Chakra — Carnival Music
Composer: Trad Performers: Tomás Lipán (anata)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie at the Pucara de Tilcara

24 Talk

25 Bagualero Vasquez — Coplas
Composer: Trad
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie in Salta

26 Talk

27 Bagualero Vasquez — Coplas
Composer: Trad Performers: Tomas Lipan, Silvia Barrios (voice, caja)
BBC Recording by sound engineer Andrew Smillie in Salta