Trompeteros

Oh, to have lived in Peru in the 70s. Well, perhaps not... what with military dictators, the Ancash quake and the rise of the Shining Path. But it was also the decade when a handful of very cool sonoras (bands) took Dominican merengue, Cuban guaracha and rumba, and Colombian cumbia, spliced in 60s psychedelic rock, and created a hot cocktail known as chicha. Sonora Casino signed to the hip MAG label in 1970. Pioneering sonora legend Hugo Macedo led the group and played tight timbalero, while Callao-born Pachito Nalmy sang his heart out. ‘Pasa, Pasa’ is cheeky and charming. ‘Guajira del Amor’ has awesome swing, pulsating percussion and rich vox.

The title-track is all bold, swinging brass. ‘Bobby’, defined as ‘guaracha rock,’ is ‘The Laughing Policeman’ filtered through Old Havana. Four cumbias explore mellow notes and manic rhythms. The standout is ‘Astronautas a Mercurio’, which travels for seven minutes on top of a bass line paying homage to The Beatles' ‘Come Together’, with a cargo of mean trumpet, spaced-out guitar, jazzy vibes and sci-fi effects. Long a collectors' fave, this vinyl reissue is a gorgeous, groovy shuttle to the Lima of five decades ago by way of the cosmos.