Yma Sumac -

Yma Sumac (September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008) was a Peruvian vocalist and performer who was popular with international audiences during the 1950s. Distinguished by her outlandish getups and expressionistic five-octave range, she recorded a string of albums in the mambo/exotica vein, most notably the Les Baxter-conducted Legend of the Sun Virgin (1952) and the Billy May-orchestrated Mambo! (1954), both issued stateside on Capitol.

A 1972 reunion with Baxter yielded the psychedelic/art-rock album Miracles, which cast Sumac as a forebear to upcoming exotic female performers like Lene Lovich, Nina Hagen, Toyah Willcox, and Danielle Dax.

Background

Yma Sumac was born Zoila Emperatriz Chavarri Castillo on September 13, 1922, in Callao, Peru. Her father, Sixto Chavarri, came from Cajamarca and owned land there, while her mother, Emilia del Castillo, taught school. Her family held land in Ichocán and Ancash before its 1934 move to downtown Lima. Private tutors taught Chavarri before Catholic school in Lima. She sang in church ceremonies and local festivals before her high-school graduation. At Instituto de Santa Teresa, she studied psychology after performances at the Pompa de Amancaes and Teatro Municipal de Lima.

During the Lima festival circuit, Chavarri met composer-bandleader Moisés Vivanco. Vivanco brought her into his Compañía Peruana de Arte for her 1942 radio debut. She used the name Imma Sumack on the broadcast. On June 6, 1942, she married Vivanco. The group toured Argentina and Brazil under the Conjunto Folklórico Peruano billing. Sumack cut twenty-three Odeon recordings during the Argentina sessions. Rio appearances at Urca and Radio Tupi made Sumack the featured name in the company.

In Bolivia, Sumack and Vivanco met singer-dancer Yolanda Rivero, who soon used the first name Cholita. With Rivero added to the act, Sumack and Vivanco reached Mexico as the Inka Taky Trio. Mexican president Manuel Ávila Camacho invited Sumack to sing at Palacio de Bellas Artes, and the trio worked Mexican concerts, festivals, and radio programs through the end of the year. The Inka Taky Trio reached New York in 1946. The group worked small rooms and institutional bookings after its South American billing failed in the American market.

The trio played a 1947 Pan American Union concert in Washington. The act then joined a 1948 South American program at Carnegie Hall. The trio cut Capitol demos in 1949 after it added a Cuban musician to the act. Sumack appeared with Vivanco and Rivero on We the People and twice on Arthur Godfrey’s program. Capitol brought the group to Los Angeles and changed the singer’s billing to Yma Sumac, the focus of their contract. The label paired Sumac with arranger-conductor Les Baxter for the 1950 sessions. Vivanco and lyricist John Rose contributed to Voice of the Xtabay, with a studio orchestra drawn from Los Angeles film studios. Sumac sang a Hollywood Bowl program with conductor Arthur Fiedler before Capitol issued the 1950 album Voice of the Xtabay.

Voice of the Xtabay

Yma Sumac released her debut album, Voice of the Xtabay, in October 1950 on Capitol.

The album presents an orchestral-and-percussion song cycle built around the Sumac range; Les Baxter directed the orchestra, and Moisés Vivanco wrote seven titles. Sumac alternates sustained low tones with sudden high-register leaps, and the arrangements answer with short percussion figures and orchestral swells.

Voice of the Xtabay sets ceremonial vocal display against light orchestral color, strings, and sharply separated register drama. “Taita Inty” vaults through high coloratura phrases and tests the upper register. “Tumpa!” scatters clipped syllables across a broken vocalize before a three-octave ascent cuts the center. “Ataypura” glides on a solemn lead with long-held notes and broad contour. “Choladas” loosens the set through dance accents and quick vocal turns. “Wayra” flits through lighter vocal play and brief rhythmic lift. “Xtabay” hushes the closing line into a low-set, nocturnal cadence.

A1. “Virgin of the Sun God (Taita Inty)” (3:06) – Vivanco
A2. “High Andes! (Ataypura!)” (3:04) – Vivanco
A3. “Chant of the Chosen Maidens (Accla Taqui)” (2:43) – Vivanco
A4. “Earthquake! (Tumpa!)” (3:20) – Vivanco

B1. “Dance of the Moon Festival (Choladas)” (2:33) – Vivanco
B2. “Dance of the Winds (Wayra)” (3:02) – Vivanco
B3. “Monkeys (Monos)” (2:40) – Vivanco
B4. “Lure of the Unknown Love (Xtabay)” (3:18) – Baxter/Rose

Capitol lifted “Virgin of the Sun God (Taita Inty)” as a July 1951 single (b/w “Lure of the Unknown Love (Xtabay)”). Voice of the Xtabay reached No. 1 on Billboard Best Selling Pop Albums during its 1951 run.

Legend of the Sun Virgin

Yma Sumac released her second album, Legend of the Sun Virgin, in February 1952 on Capitol.

The album extends the Vivanco-directed orchestral frame across twelve titles, with composer Hernán Braña credited on “Karibe Taki” and Vivanco credited on the remaining pieces. Legend of the Sun Virgin favors sung lead lines, ornate vocal effects, and suite-like section changes under plush orchestral cover.

“Karibe Taki” unfurls from aria-like coloratura into a closing passage with altered weight and contour. “Montana” sways as a waltz-lullaby with simple motion and a restrained upper line. “No Es Vida” sprints through rapid syllable runs. “Zana” pivots from sober chant to a festival passage with male chorus. “Kuyaway” reshapes “Amor Indio” through a denser lead and wider register span. “Suray Surita” concentrates the set’s ornate register play in a compact vocal line. “Kon Tiki” closes with clipped chant phrases, sharp upper-register turns, and a formal procession cadence.

A1. “Karibe Taki” (3:04) – Braña
A2. “Witallia! (Fire in the Andes)” (2:22) – Vivanco
A3. “Lament” (3:17) – Vivanco
A4. “Kon Tiki” (3:08) – Vivanco
A5. “Montana” (3:40) – Vivanco
A6. “Zana” (2:02) – Vivanco

B1. “No Es Vida” (2:20) – Vivanco
B2. “Kuyaway (Inca Love Song)” (2:44) – Vivanco
B3. “Suray Surita” (3:18) – Vivanco
B4. “Mamallay!” (2:59) – Vivanco
B5. “Panarima” (3:26) – Vivanco
B6. “Cori Canastitay” (2:20) – Vivanco

Legend of the Sun Virgin reached No. 5 on Billboard Best Selling Pop Albums.

Inca Taqui

Yma Sumac and Moisés Vivanco released the third mainline Sumac album, Inca Taqui, in August 1953 on Capitol.

The album narrows its frame to compact chant settings by Vivanco, with Moisés Vivanco and His Peruvians as the named backing ensemble. Sumac places short calls against low replies on the A side, and “Chuncho (The Forest Creatures)” pairs whistle-like upper tones with low forest calls over sparse backing. The closing side moves from the title-patterned character piece “Llulla Mak’ta (Andean Don Juan)” into the farewell cadence of “Ripui.”

Inca Taqui narrows the backing to ritual cues, quena color, and close vocal register movement. “K’arawi” murmurs in a low voice before the line lifts into a romance-like cadence. “Cumbe-Maita” calls through abrupt chest-to-head leaps. “Incacho” rises from ceremonial aria to a da capo turn and final coloratura swell. “Chuncho!” growls, whispers, whistles, and flickers through bird-call staccato over sparse guitar and percussion. “Malaya!” tolls from solemn processional chant into a festival passage. “Ripui” recedes in contralto farewell phrases.

A1. “K’arawi (Planting Song)” (3:20) – Vivanco
A2. “Cumbe-Maita (Calls of the Andes)” (3:09) – Braña/Vivanco
A3. “Wak’al (Cry)” (2:32) – Vivanco
A4. “Incacho (Royal Anthem)” (3:11) – Vivanco

B1. “Chuncho (The Forest Creatures)” (3:41) – Vivanco
B2. “Llulla Mak’ta (Andean Don Juan)” (2:28) – Vivanco
B3. “Malaya! (My Destiny)” (3:28) – Vivanco
B4. “Ripui (Farewell)” (3:00) – Vivanco

Inca Taqui reached No. 5 on Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums.

Mambo!

Yma Sumac released her fourth mainline Capitol album, Mambo!, in 1954 on Capitol.

The album places Sumac with Billy May and the Rico Mambo Orchestra, which frames her high-register calls and low syllabic drops inside short mambo pieces. Capitol expanded the title on a 1955 LP with “Goomba Boomba,” “Cha Cha Gitano,” and “Carnavalito Boliviano.” Mambo! narrows Sumac’s vocal display to dance-band punctuation, with brassy riffs, chant syllables, and clipped response phrases.

“Bo Mambo” struts through bright brass hits and upper-register swoops. “Taki Rari” snaps through short call phrases and quick refrain turns. “Gopher” chatters on playful syllables without animal imitation. “Chicken Talk” lurches through brassy figures and comic title stress. “Malambo No. 1” stamps over timpani and thick percussion while the lead holds a glossy upper line. “Five Bottles Mambo” rattles through bottle-clink syllables. “Indian Carnival” brightens the set with brisk carnival accents. “Cha Cha Gitano” swerves into delicate Spanish-accented passages.

A1. “Bo Mambo” (3:20) – May/Vivanco
A2. “Taki Rari” (1:51) – Vivanco
A3. “Gopher” (2:16) – May/Gozzo
A4. “Chicken Talk” (3:04) – Vivanco

B1. “Malambo No. 1” (2:55) – Vivanco
B2. “Five Bottles of Mambo” (2:47) – May/Vivanco
B3. “Indian Carnival” (2:05) – Vivanco
B4. “Jungla” (2:22) – May/Vivanco

Capitol issued Mambo! Part 1 and Mambo! Part 2 as 1955 EPs. Mambo! reached No. 18 on Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums.

Legend of the Jivaro

Yma Sumac released her fifth mainline Capitol album, Legend of the Jivaro, in January 1957 on Capitol.

The album returns Sumac to a Vivanco-directed ritual-song format, with chorus and percussion supporting short title pieces, festival cues, lullaby material, and animal-linked calls. Moisés Vivanco wrote eleven of the twelve titles; Bill Hitchcock wrote “Hampi (Medicine).” Legend of the Jivaro centers chant episodes, choral replies, and ceremony-marked dance titles across a compact vocal set.

“Jivaro” calls the war-cry material in short declamatory phrases. “Sejollo” lashes a quick pentatonic whip-dance figure. “Yawar” darkens the line with blood-festival weight and clipped vocal stress. “Sansa” chants victory material through group support. “Aullay” hushes into lullaby contour with choral polyphony. “Batanga-Hailli” compresses the festival passage into brief group response. “Wanka” closes on broad, wind-marked vocal motion.

A1. “Jivaro” (2:56) – Vivanco
A2. “Sejollo (Whip Dance)” (1:38) – Vivanco
A3. “Yawar (Blood Festival)” (2:31) – Vivanco
A4. “Shou Condor (Giant Condor)” (2:27) – Vivanco
A5. “Sauma (Magic)” (3:44) – Vivanco
A6. “Nina (Fire Arrow Dance)” (2:13) – Vivanco

B1. “Sansa (Victory Song)” (2:51) – Vivanco
B2. “Hampi (Medicine)” (3:08) – Hitchcock
B3. “Sumac Soratena (Beautiful Jungle Girl)” (1:42) – Vivanco
B4. “Aullay (Lullaby)” (3:43) – Vivanco
B5. “Batanga-Hailli (Festival)” (1:34) – Vivanco
B6. “Wanka (The Seven Winds)” (3:04) – Vivanco

Capitol issued three Legend of the Jivaro EPs in 1957, with Part 1 pairing “Jivaro” and “Sejollo (Whip Dance)” with “Batanga-Hailli (Festival)” and “Wanka (The Seven Winds).” The album reached No. 43 on Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums.

Fuego del Ande

Yma Sumac released her sixth mainline Capitol album, Fuego del Ande, in April 1959 on Capitol.

The album uses Moisés Vivanco and His Orchestra Tipica, with Sumac set inside a more direct Andean song repertory. Capitol issued the album in mono and stereo, and it became the final Sumac album for the label. Fuego del Ande pares the vocal spectacle to tighter song forms, with castanets, guitar, and twisted piano figures under direct lead lines.

“La Molina” percolates from a bright opening into a measured work-song cadence. “Flor De Canela” sways through a poised lyric phrase. “Gallito Caliente” clips the rooster material into a brief comic vocal turn. “La Pampa y La Puna” opens the register across a broader refrain. “Dale Que Dale” drives through repeated worker-song phrases and chorus pressure. “Llora Corazon” pleads through a slower lament line. “Virgenes Del Sol” ascends through formal hymn contour. “Clamor” recedes on a farewell-toned close.

A1. “La Molina (The Mill Song)” (3:25)
A2. “Flor de Canela (Cinnamon Flower)” (3:20) – Granda/Vivanco
A3. “Gallito Caliente (The Hot Rooster)” (1:55)
A4. “La Pampa y la Puna (The Plains and the Mountains)” (3:06)
A5. “Dale Que Dale (The Workers Song)” (3:08)
A6. “Llora Corazón (Crying Heart)” (3:00)

B1. “Huachina (Enchanted Lake)” (3:26)
B2. “La Perla de Chira (The Pearl)” (3:43)
B3. “Mi Palomita (My Pigeon)” (3:13)
B4. “Vírgenes del Sol (Virgins of the Sun)” (2:50)
B5. “Gallito Ciego (One-Eyed Rooster)” (2:10)
B6. “Clamor (I Won’t Forget You)” (2:56)

Bill Miller produced Fuego del Ande. The album reached No. 30 on Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums.

Recital

Yma Sumac released the live album Recital in 1961 on Electrecord.

The Romanian 10-inch issue presents Sumac in concert with Moisés Vivanco, Cholita Rivero, and the Radio-Television Variety Orchestra; the program draws from earlier Capitol repertory and places two Rivero duet features on side A and side B.

Recital preserves Sumac’s concert sequence with wider stage scale, spoken spacing, and exposed shifts from contralto weight to high coloratura. “Amor Indio” swings through uptempo orchestral accompaniment while the lead keeps a rounded central line. “Goomba Boomba” vaults through brisk stage rhythm and short syllable figures. “Cueca Chilena” duets with Cholita Rivero over a bare guitar pattern. “Ccori Canastitay” narrows the same duet setting to a close folk cadence. “Taita Inti” ascends through formal upper-register display and held high notes. “Chuncho” murmurs, growls, whistles, and trills through echo-shaded vocal effects.

A1. “Gumba Bumba”
A2. “Taita Inti (Imn Soarelui)”
A3. “Cueca Chilena” – Vivanco/May

B1. “Amor Indio”
B2. “Supay Taki (Fluierul Magic Indian)”
B3. “Marinera”
B4. “Hori Canastitai” – Vivanco

Vivanco conducts “Gumba Bumba,” “Amor Indio,” and “Marinera”; Sile Dinicu conducts “Supay Taki.” Vivanco plays guitar on “Taita Inti (Imn Soarelui),” “Cueca Chilena,” and “Hori Canastitai.”

Miracles

Yma Sumac released her final studio album, Miracles, in 1972 on London Records.

The album reunites Sumac with Les Baxter and places her voice over a four-piece rock lineup: guitarist Chuck Cowan, organist Richard Person, bassist Roger Cowan, and drummer Skippy Switzer. Baxter wrote the first nine titles and produced the album.

Sumac uses clipped calls, low-register syllables, and high wordless figures across the Baxter material. “Remember” opens with a steady electric-band track under wide vocal leaps; “Medicine Man” and “Let Me Hear You” use shorter phrase cells, and “El Condor Pasa” closes the album with a slower Andean line.

Miracles sets Sumac’s wordless chants, shouts, murmurs, and register leaps against a hard-edged electric band. “Remember” surges through guitar riff pressure while layered voices cross low calls, high arcs, and clipped exclamations. “Medicine Man” coils around organ color and stacked vocal layers. “Let Me Hear You” punches the title demand into short choral replies. “Flame Tree” brightens the set with a clipped dance pulse and quick vocal turns. “Magenta Mountain” slows over a simple accompaniment while Sumac thins the closing ascent to a pianissimo high E-flat.

A1. “Remember” (4:05) – Baxter
A2. “Medicine Man” (3:02) – Baxter
A3. “Let Me Hear You” (2:25) – Baxter
A4. “Tree of Life” (2:53) – Baxter
A5. “Flame Tree” (2:44) – Baxter

B1. “Zebra” (2:49) – Baxter
B2. “Azure Sands” (2:35) – Baxter
B3. “Look Around” (2:15) – Baxter
B4. “Magenta Mountain” (3:00) – Baxter
B5. “El Condor Pasa” (4:50) – Robles, arranged by Milchberg

Baxter produced Miracles for Bob Kreppel, Jim Branciforti, and Bob Covais, and Marcellino designed the cover package. Miracles reached No. 205 on Billboard’s Bubbling Under The Top LP’s chart in April 1972.

Discography: