Recital

Album review

At a time when almost no one could have expected new material from the long dormant ESP label or the reclusive Yma Sumac, here comes a newly discovered recording of Sumac...and it's on ESP...and it's live! Recital is a live recording from Romania in 1961, featuring her musical partner and husband, Moises Vivanco, on guitar and full orchestral accompaniment on many tracks. The first track is one of several cuts that just feature the orchestra, and the listener is immediately struck by the excellent sound quality. One might have thought that poor sound quality played a role in this recording remaining unreleased, but that is not the case. These seem to be radio transcriptions, as the liner notes give translations of an announcer's introductions to the songs (which are edited out of the release itself). The great sound allows one to hear all the nuances of Sumac's performance from her whispers to growls to flights of high-pitched fancy. Her voice is simply amazing. "Goomba Boomba" and "Amor Indio" are uptempo highlights with swinging orchestral accompaniment. "Cueca Chilena" and "Ccori Canastitay" are female duets with Cholita Rivera accompanied by just Vivanco on guitar. But it's on the moody "Chuncho" that Sumac pulls out all the stops, making unreal sounds and even getting some echo added to her voice to excellent effect. Yma Sumac may still be seen by some as kitsch, but the fact is that she was an amazing vocal talent the likes of which has not been seen since. Listeners who know her real value will be delighted with this excellent live date.
© Sean Westergaard /TiVo