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Raíces: Yma Sumac

17:50 H | Topics: Features - Music - Peru - Raices

Raíces is a VL Friday feature saluting Latino music icons of days gone by.

Normally the musical icons we write about on Raices have passed on, so I was happy (yet surprised) to find that a favorite of mine who I thought had left this world is in fact still with us. Yma Sumac, a Peruvian singer with one of the world's most striking voices has been, in recent years (much like Bossa Nova artists) relegated to providing background noise to trendy martini bars and bachelor pads.

It's not uncommon to walk into a tiki-themed bar in San Francisco or New York and hear one of her recordings. But this type of "exotification" was actually the biggest selling point for her throughout her career. Billed as the "Inca Princess", she was Hollywood's (and men's) ideal of what an Incan woman should be. Unfortunately this has made many view her as more of a cult icon than the amazing (4-5 octave range) singer that she is. Some highlights from Yma's Wikipedia entry:

Yma Sumac (born in Ichocán, Cajamarca, Perú September 10, 1922), also earlier spelled Ymma Sumak (quechua translation of "pretty flower") or Imma Sumack is a noted vocalist of Peruvian origin. In the 1950s she was one of the most famous proponents of exotica music. She is remembered chiefly for her amazing voice, which at the time, covered a range of four octaves. She is (with some controversy) credited with singing the highest note recorded by the female voice (surpassing Erna Sack) in the track "Chuncho" in one of her LPs (Inca Taqui 1953).

Yma Sumac may have been born on September 10, 1922 in Ichocán, Cajamarca, Peru as Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri del Castillo. Other dates mentioned in her various biographies range from 1921 to 1929. Some sources [1] claim that she was not born in Ichocá, but in a nearby village or possibly in Lima, and that her family owned a ranch in Ichocá where she spent most of her early life. It is also claimed that she is an Incan princess directly descended from Atahualpa. The story that she was actually born as Amy Camus (which is Yma Sumac read backwards) in Brooklyn or Canada seems to be a hoax.

As colorful as her origins is Yma's music. Whether or not she was descended from Incan royalty, her music certainly transports one to another place and time. Songs sound like chants. Some contain free form poetry, and at time animal noises or gutteral moans that start in the deepest part of her range only to erupt into a high-pitched sound that is almost supernatural.

While many regard Yma's work (and the whole Exotica movement) as camp, no one can deny the strange beauty of the performances. An Yma website quotes a 1954 review in the Herald Tribune as saying:"Some contain free form poetry, and at time animal noises or gutteral moans that start in the deepest part of her range only to erupt into a sound that is almost supernatural."

“Undoubtedly her voice has great beauty and her vocal technique is impeccable. She sings in very low and warm notes, and in very high ones like birds chirping. Her mid-range tones aren't any less enchanting than the extremes of her register. None of the notes that she sang was unpleasant or off-key. Without a doubt her natural attributes are great enough and her tecnique solid enough...her place is in the great opera theatres."

To get started with Yma, I recommend two of my favorite CDs: Voice of the Xtabay and Legend of the Sun Virgin. All of you who are sensitive about the exotification of Incans will have to close your eyes in looking at the very Hollywood cover art, but I guarantee that whether you love her or hate her, her music will definite affect you.

Yma is, in fact, still alive and well (and apparently living in L.A) beyond her timeless music. As a matter of fact, she'll autograph a photo for you when you buy one on her website.

Referenced and related sites:

Yma-Sumac.com
SunVirgin.com
Yma Sumac on Wikipedia
Yma Sumac quiere venir a vivir a Peru (RPP Noticias news article)

Related

• Emotional (Friday, Feb 08 2008)
• La Mala's Musica of the Year (Friday, Dec 28 2007)