I´m deviating from the cumbia path a little bit and introducing Violeta Parra, one of the early pioneers of Chilean folk. I´ve been a fan of her brother, the poet Nicanor Parra, for a good while and was learning Spanish with the assistance of his "Poems & Antipoems." Unfortunately, that book was lifted from my bag in Cuzco by some no-good Peruvian crook, but he´s pretty celebrated here and his books are widely available.
Violeta moved to Santiago to live with Nicanor in 1929, when she was 15 years old. There, he encouraged her to form the group Las Hermanas Parra and she found some local success, becoming good friends with local Chilean artists like Pablo Neruda.
Violeta Parra - `Miren Cómo Sonríen`("Look How They Smile")
She moved to Paris in 1961 and her kids Angel and Isabel joined the group. She enjoyed a good bit of success there, being the first person from Latin American to display artwork at the Louvre. She moved back to Chile in 1965, seeking to start a commune based on the idea of sparking a revival of Chilean folk called La Reina. She wasn´t really welcomed back and ended up commiting suicide in the commune after she suffered a broken heart when Swiss musician Gilbert Favre and lover left to Bolivia. She was 49.
Add her as a friend on Myspace!
Or download La Tonada Presentada Por Violeta Parra:
