La Voz de las Cumbres (Music of Guatemala)

by The San Lucas Band

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1.	Marcha número cuatro (March Number Four) 09:15	buy track
2.	Marcha número tres (March Number Three) 06:59	buy track
3.	Marcha número seis (March Number Six) 07:31	buy track
4.	Chufa (The Chuj) 04:35	buy track
5.	El son de los altos (The Son from the Mountain Tops) 04:10	buy track
6.	Las tres botellas (The Three Bottles) 04:45	buy track
7.	La chirimía (The Chirimía) 04:27	buy track
8.	Noches eternas (Eternal Nights) 02:45	buy track

about

First reissue of these cult 1974 recordings of a Mayan brass band playing funeral dirges and popular songs in its distinctive extended harmonic and rhythmic style. The members of the San Lucas Band lived in the mountain village of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, playing local events of both religious and social nature. The pride of its town since 1922, the band represented a fast-disappearing musical tradition when these recordings were originally released in 1975. Its unique sound derived from an unusual combination of instruments, a repertoire including pieces dating from more than fifty years before the recordings were made to more recent ones, and above all from the highland Maya style of its playing, which is characterized by a preference for freer rhythmic structures and a wider variety of pitches than Western scales allow. One of Jon Hassell and Charlie Haden's favorite records, it was nominated for a Grammy Award upon first release and has remained much beloved by a small community of enthusiasts for decades. A profound and rewarding musical experience for all adventurous listeners, notably fans of Albert Ayler, microtonal and raw cosmic music.

credits

released January 12, 2024

Recorded in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala in 1974 by Kathryn King and Linda O’Brien
Originally released in 1975

Reissue produced by Vincent de Roguin, Kathryn King, and Linda O’Brien-Rothe

Notes by Linda O’Brien-Rothe
Audio transfer by Scott Hull
Audio restoration and mastering by Timothy Stollenwerk
Design by Xavier Robel and Vincent de Roguin

Front cover band photo by James McCormac
Insert photos by Kathryn King and Linda O’Brien

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