San Lucas Band, The: La Voz de las Cumbres (Music of Guatemala) (Vinyl LP)

First reissue of these cult 1974 recordings of a Mayan brass band playing funeral dirges and popular songs in its distinctive extended harmonic and rhythmic style. The members of the San Lucas Band lived in the mountain village of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, playing local events of both religious and social nature. The pride of its town since 1922, the band represented a fast-disappearing musical tradition when these recordings were originally released in 1975.

Its unique sound derived from an unusual combination of instruments, a repertoire including pieces dating from more than fifty years before the recordings were made to more recent ones, and above all from the highland Maya style of its playing, which is characterized by a preference for freer rhythmic structures and a wider variety of pitches than Western scales allow.

One of Jon Hassell and Charlie Haden's favorite records, it was nominated for a Grammy Award upon first release and has remained much beloved by a small community of enthusiasts for decades. A profound and rewarding musical experience for all adventurous listeners, notably fans of Albert Ayler, microtonal and raw cosmic music.

1. Marcha número cuatro (March Number Four) 
   
2. Marcha número tres (March Number Three) 
   
3. Marcha número seis (March Number Six) 
   
4. Chufa (The Chuj) 
   
5. El son de los altos (The Son from the Mountain Tops) 
   
6. Las tres botellas (The Three Bottles) 
   
7. La chirimía (The Chirimía) 
   
8. Noches eternas (Eternal Nights)