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School me on Victor Jara

DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
edited February 2014 in Strut Central
I don't mean the ugly circumstances of his death - I knew all about that before I'd ever heard a note of his music. It was only until hearing El Aparecido on that Trish Keenan mixtape that circulated following her death that I realised this was the first time I actually had heard a note of his music. Now I'm living in Berlin, I see his records around the city quite often - some more than others - and I figure that some of them must be worth copping.

Speak to me.

  Comments

  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    While living in Chile for some months I learned a lot about Jara and his importance for the left movement. You'll see his face painted in murals everywhere. He is equally treasured as Violetta Parra and Pablo Neruda. I also was exposed a lot to his music but I think (as with many folk artists) it's all about the lyrics. I never heard a thing that struck me on a musical level.
    The reason you find so many of his records in Berlin is, that the german left solidarized a lot with Chile after Allende got elected and even more so, after the Pinochet coup d'??tat. Berlin was a center of the left students movement and you'll most likely will find a lot of Violetta Parra and Inti-Illimani, where all the Victor Jara records come from.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    Canto Libre (1970) is the only one I've got that I really like. Maybe if I spoke the language I'd get more out of his records but on a musical level I appreciate more than like most of what I've heard. Pongo En Tus Manos Abiertas was recommended to me recently and, of course, it's the one Jara record that I never see in the wild. Youtube has full Jara LPs for days.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    disco_che said:
    While living in Chile for some months I learned a lot about Jara and his importance for the left movement. You'll see his face painted in murals everywhere. He is equally treasured as Violetta Parra and Pablo Neruda. I also was exposed a lot to his music but I think (as with many folk artists) it's all about the lyrics. I never heard a thing that struck me on a musical level.
    The reason you find so many of his records in Berlin is, that the german left solidarized a lot with Chile after Allende got elected and even more so, after the Pinochet coup d'??tat. Berlin was a center of the left students movement and you'll most likely will find a lot of Violetta Parra and Inti-Illimani, where all the Victor Jara records come from.

    Thanks, man. I figured it'd have something to do with Berlin being smack in the middle of a communist state during the period in which Jara became such an iconic figure on the left. Seen a few Violetta Parra and Inti-Illimani around and about too.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    El Derecho de Vivir en Paz has some good tunes as well.

    from what I understand his own recordings were limited since he was killed fairly early in his career. I think there are a lot of records that just repackage his music, so you get the impression that he's got tons of albums but I don't think that's the case.

    It's hard to appreciate his music without being into Nueva Cancion in general and understanding the political context in which it was made. A lot of artists recorded his music, like Quilapay??n, Violeta Parra, Soledad Bravo, and Mercedes Sosa, and in some cases their versions are better than his originals (maybe not in the case of Quilapay??n, unless you're a big fan of pan flutes). I don't think he was a great singer or guitar player, it's all about his lyrics really, some of which serve kind of as a document of what was going on during that time in Latin America.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Flomotion said:
    Youtube has full Jara LPs for days.

    Thanks, this is a very useful tip. I keep forgetting about the delights that can be unearthed by entering the "[artist name]+full+album" search string into YouTube.
  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:


    Thanks, man. I figured it'd have something to do with Berlin being smack in the middle of a communist state during the period in which Jara became such an iconic figure on the left. Seen a few Violetta Parra and Inti-Illimani around and about too.

    Funnily enough this has much more to do with west-german students movement, then with Berlin being surrounded by a socialist state.
    You'll find tons of these records in other west german unversity towns like Hamburg, Frankfurt, Marburg etc. Students solidarized with a lot of countries that had a military dictature like Greece & Spain. In leftist bookshops and record stores you'll find greek protest songs, songs from the spanish civil war, songs of the italian resistance alongside the chilean records.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    ppadilha said:
    El Derecho de Vivir en Paz has some good tunes as well.

    from what I understand his own recordings were limited since he was killed fairly early in his career. I think there are a lot of records that just repackage his music, so you get the impression that he's got tons of albums but I don't think that's the case.

    It's hard to appreciate his music without being into Nueva Cancion in general and understanding the political context in which it was made. A lot of artists recorded his music, like Quilapay??n, Violeta Parra, Soledad Bravo, and Mercedes Sosa, and in some cases their versions are better than his originals (maybe not in the case of Quilapay??n, unless you're a big fan of pan flutes). I don't think he was a great singer or guitar player, it's all about his lyrics really, some of which serve kind of as a document of what was going on during that time in Latin America.

    Yeah, I see that album around a lot. There does seem to be a lot of compilations and repackaged versions of his stuff out here.

    Listening to the El Derecho de Vivir en Paz album right now - very much of its time lyrically, of course, but it's got that unique kind of soulfulness that I find is common to a lot of South American music, particularly Brazilian stuff. I really like his voice too. I'm going to grab the next copy of this I see.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    disco_che said:
    DocMcCoy said:


    Thanks, man. I figured it'd have something to do with Berlin being smack in the middle of a communist state during the period in which Jara became such an iconic figure on the left. Seen a few Violetta Parra and Inti-Illimani around and about too.

    Funnily enough this has much more to do with west-german students movement, then with Berlin being surrounded by a socialist state.
    You'll find tons of these records in other west german unversity towns like Hamburg, Frankfurt, Marburg etc. Students solidarized with a lot of countries that had a military dictature like Greece & Spain. In leftist bookshops and record stores you'll find greek protest songs, songs from the spanish civil war, songs of the italian resistance alongside the chilean records.

    Yeah, I've noticed this too. Lots of collections of Irish rebel songs in the "folk" sections, albums telling the story of the Paris Commune, all kinds of peculiar-looking records. I really need to start taking a punt on some of this stuff.
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    It's interesting how often you come across Jara records in London, almost always the posthumous comps. He's not quite up there with Leo Sayer in the charity shop stakes but I see his records most weeks. His wife came back after the coup and Jara's death was a huge cause celebre in 70s London so not that surprising maybe but it wan't limited to intellectuals and lefties.
  • GibboGibbo 124 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:

    Yeah, I've noticed this too. Lots of collections of Irish rebel songs in the "folk" sections, albums telling the story of the Paris Commune, all kinds of peculiar-looking records. I really need to start taking a punt on some of this stuff.

    Not to derail the thread but Irish rebel songs are really hit or miss and that stuff can descend into twee, maudlin shite fairly quickly. But if you do happen to come across any of The Dubliners early albums on the Transatlantic label these are well worth picking up. They didn't really do political material (rebel songs, etc.) but they're the best example of Irish folk music I've heard but it mightn't be to everyone's taste.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    I thought there was an Inti-Illimani lp of Victor Jara songs, but maybe I had it mixed up because I was listening to all that stuff at the same time in my life.
  • ppadilhappadilha 2,244 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    I thought there was an Inti-Illimani lp of Victor Jara songs, but maybe I had it mixed up because I was listening to all that stuff at the same time in my life.

    I wouldn't be surprised if there is one. I think I've seen a Violeta Parra or Mercedes Sosa lp of only Victor Jara songs too.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,169 Posts
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36647387

    A Florida jury has found a former Chilean army officer liable for the murder of the popular folk singer and activist, Victor Jara in 1973.

    It found that Pedro Pablo Barrientos killed the folk singer in the first days of Augusto Pinochet's coup.

    ppadilha
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