El Fabuloso Sonido De Andrés Vargas Pinedo

The Peruvian Amazon was a hotbed of music in the 60s and 70s, but this collection makes it clear that Western ears have only heard a fraction of the music that originated there. Even Analog Africa’s recent, and excellent, compilation of songs by Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical focused on his cumbia output, which has often been the case in the reissue market. This record, on the excellent Peru-based Buh Records, highlights the work of composer Pinedo in the 60s and 70s. Blinded at the age of three due to a nurse’s error, he became a renowned violinist and quena (flute) player whose ensembles showcased a myriad of rhythms popular in the Amazon: pandilla, marinera, changanacui, movido, sitaracuy. The common currency is their buoyancy and drive. On opener ‘Alegría en la Selva’, Pinedo imitates a bird’s song with his lively quena, while ‘Flautero de la Montaña’ has a beautiful pleading vocal melody and a relentless beat, though that’s an accusation that could be thrown at a number of the songs here. What is surprising is how, at times, this music has the swing of Celtic or Breton music, even on traditional melodies like ‘Punchacacho Tutacacho’. It seems there’s a lot more to be discovered.