ALTURAS DE MACCHU PICCHU EN CONCIERTO

As far as I can tell, before (and after) this concert in November 1998 LOS JAIVAS never performed live their masterpiece ''Alturas de Macchu Picchu'' in its entirety . The band often included in live set ''La Poderosa Muerte'' and ''Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano'', sometimes they also played ''Del Aire al Aire'' and rarely, in 2000s, ''Amor Americano''. Thus this live performance, 17 years after studio album release, is an important event in the band's career.

In the intro (''Del Aire al Aire'') Eduardo Parra recites quotes from Neruda's memories of his impressions when he saw Macchu Picchcu, legendary ancient city of incas. All other songs sound very close to originals, only amplified with the energy of live performance. 6-piece band (including multi- instrumentalist Carlos Cabezas, then guest musician, now constant member of LOS JAIVAS) at times sounds like an orchestra. Keyboards duo of Eduardo and Claudio Parra is incredible as always, Juanita Parra's solid drumming and inventive bass playing of Mario Mutis give solid base to the songs. I leave to musicians and specialists making comparisons between drumming skills of Juanita and Gabriel Parra, in my opinion Juanita inherited lots of her father's talents. Gato's voice is in a good form here, his guitar solos still effective. Trutrucas and numerous folk instruments, together with vocal harmonies, give the music strong Andean feel. Great live performance!

''... Una sorpresa'' is birthday greeteengs to Juanita Parra. In the end musicians and audience sing ''Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano'', one of the catchiest LOS JAIVAS songs, together.

Excellent concert, sound is perfect, though I can't believe the whole show lasted only 46 minutes. I'd prefer double or at least 70-minutes plus live album. A year later the band released another live record, ''Los Jaivas En Concierto: Gira Chile 2000'' with old and new songs. Together both CDs are a nice pair, but both were printed in limited number of copies and now are hard to find items. If you like LOS JAIVAS and find any of them, grab without thinking!