Takillacta: Andean Songs--Takillacta: Music of the People

Central to the music of the Andes presented here is the "Andean" flute. Traditionally made with clay, animal bones, or silver, the contemporary Sikus are constructed from bamboo pipes of differing lengths, lashed together with leather (this instrument is sometimes referred to as the pan flute). A second Andean flute is the Quena, a single piece of bamboo, played vertically by covering and uncovering nine holes in the shaft. This music also employs the folk sound of the Charango, a mandolin-like instrument with five unison pairs of strings. The Bombo is a low-pitched percussion instrument carved from a tree trunk and covered with animal skin. The sound of these folk instruments is at once mellow and fertile as is the music made with them. The band making this music is Takillacta, a multicultural collection of musicians dedicated to the folk music of Peru.

This is windy music that is atmospheric and rural. The melodies are simple and resolve elegantly. This music is full of hooks that one will be humming for days after listening. As a mode of exposure for this music, Naxos World could have done no better than secure Takillacta for this recording.

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