The Island of Chiloé: Chiloé is the second largest island in Chile. It is located in southern Chile and is separated from the Chilean mainland by the Chacao Strait and the Gulf of Corcovado. The island is 190 km from north to south, and averages 55-65 km in width (‘Gobernacion’ website).
Chiloé province is part of the Los Lagos region (Region de los Lagos), which includes the Chilean lakes region on the mainland north of Chiloé. The administrative centre of the province is Castro, The province is made up of ten communes: Ancud, Castro, Chonchi Curaco de Vélez, Dalcahue, Puqueldón, Queilén, Quellón, Quemchi, and Quinchao.
According to Oscar Gacitua Gonzalez in the introduction to Musica en Chiloé by Jaime Barria. Today’s music in Chiloé is primarily of external origin. These external influences are from such diverse places as Europe, Africa the rest of South America and Central Chile). Jaime Barria argues that in the case of music, the mestizaje (intercultural mixing) was more considerable than for other items like food, medicine and mythology. However, with time, the original sounds were lost and a tonal system brought by the colonisers was adopted suggesting a pattern more akin to hegemonic domination rather than mestizaje.
Viaje a Chiloé: The conception and germination of Viaje a Chiloé took place first during fieldwork in Chiloé and then was further developed upon my return to Australia. Actually documenting the creative process that occurred throughout this period was difficult since musical ideas arose and changed as a result of a variety of lived experiences and experimentations. Regarding the overall design of the album, I decided that I would create nine tracks each of which would use ideas based on nine different dance styles/rhythms (danzas chilotas) from Chiloé. The nine dance styles/rhythms I used were ones that I understood were of great importance to musicians and folkloric practitioners of Chiloé. The songs in question were El Lobo Chilote, El Rin, El Chocolate, La Nave, La Huillincana, El Pavo, El Cielito, Pericona and La Trastrasera. These are the nine tracks that appear on the album.
You can learn more about music of Chiloé and the production of this album by purchasing the book written by Waldo and two other colleagues: Música de Chiloé: folklore, syncretism, and cultural development in a Chilean aquapelago. Lexington Books. ISBN (Electronic) 9781498528863, ISBN (Print)1498528856, 9781498528856
Artist
Waldo Fabian
Genre
Latin, Jazz
HWA Engineer
Recording and Mixing by Frank Kerestedjian
