Los Jaivas

Los Jaivas are a legendary Chilean rock band known for combining their progressive influences with South American folk music. The group was formed in Viña del Mar in 1963 by brothers Eduardo, Claudio, and Gabriel Parra, plus Eduardo “Gato” Alquinta and Mario Mutis. They started performing at social gatherings under the name The High & Bass until 1969, when the band decided to change their name to Los Jaivas. Inspired by Chile’s University Reform, the group completely rebooted their style, which became highly-improvisational and incorporated the use of traditional Latin American instruments. After a couple of self-titled releases in 1971 and 1973 (popularly known as El volantín and La ventana, respectively), they fled to Argentina amidst Chile’s 1973 coup d’etat. Their third self-titled album (aka El Indio) was released in 1975 and became massively successful in Argentina. Concerned by Argentina’s unstable political climate, they moved to France in 1977. Only one year after their arrival, they performed at the famous Olympia Theatre and spent the following years touring through Europe. Alturas de Machu Picchu (1981), conceived as a musical companion to Pablo Neruda’s poem of the same name, was a huge global success and spawned a TV special presented by Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. After the death of drummer Gabriel Parra in 1988, Los Jaivas released Si Tú No Estás (1989), a collection of romantic, synth-pop-inspired songs that served as tribute to the late musician. A subsequent European tour ensued, with Juanita Parra filling in for her father on drums. Six years later, Hijos de la Tierra (1995) was hailed by many as a return to form, where the group reconnected with their Latin American roots. Following their participation on a tribute album to Chilean folk singer Víctor Jara in 1998, they released Mamalluca (1999), an album based on Eduardo Parra’s poems that was recorded with a symphonic orchestra. Even though “Gato” Alquinta, their main vocalist, died in 2003, the band continued to tour both locally and internationally, adding Alquinta’s offspring to their lineup. In 2013, Los Jaivas celebrated their 50th anniversary with a show at Parque Forestal de Santiago, featuring a career-spanning photograph expo and several guest appearances by Los Tres, Chancho En Piedra, and Inti-Illimani, just to name a few.

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