[.ca] Exotica Collection

From Amazon.com:
In 1950, at the dawn of an era of musical exotica (in which composers such as Esquivel, Martin Denny, and Les Baxter would test the limits of hi-fi strangeness), Yma Sumac entered the scene. She was a diva from the Andes with a four-vocal octave range, an unrelenting trill, and great looks, and she became an overnight sensation. Within years of her debut LP, Voice of the Xtabay, Sumac recorded more concept albums, starred in a Broadway musical (Flahooley), and appeared onscreen with Charlton Heston in 1954's Secret of the Incas. Truth be told, exotica music's popularity was short-lived (only to resurface again with the '90s lounge culture), and many would claim Yma Sumac was merely American housewife Amy Camus spelling her name backwards. No matter. This is still great, hilarious music unlike any other. With composer-husband Moises Vivanco, Sumac created a hybrid jazz, mambo, and world music that was the perfect showpiece for her vocal pyrotechnics. She scats, she trills, she bellows, but--mostly--she entertains. This disc collects Sumac's very best works, three unreleased tracks (worth hearing for the opening to "Negrito Filomino"), and extensive liner notes. --Jason Verlinde

Chronique amazon.fr:
Ses disques moisirent dans les bacs des soldeurs au rayon exotica puis dans ceux de l'easy listening avant qu'elle ne soit redécouverte, rééditée, et étiquetée world. Erreur grossière : "incredibly strange music" serait plus exact pour définir l'univers de cette princesse descendant d'Atahualpa, dernier empereur Inca, et l'impressionnante virtuosité de sa voix couvrant cinq octaves. Si l'on a pu dire d'un instrument comme le Theremin qu'il imitait la voix humaine, celle d'Yma Sumac évoque on ne sait quel instrument étrange. Les ambiances de ses disques rappellent la jungle d'Ellington, les processions de Sun Ra, Oum Kalsoum, la Callas ou Mahalia Jackson sur "Black, Brown And Beige". The Ultimate Yma Sumac compile le meilleur (Mambo, Legend Of The Jivaro, Voice Of Xtabay) de celle que Diamanda Galas et Nina Hagen revendiquent comme influence majeure. Curieux et envoûtant. --Philippe Robert

good, but not what I expected.:
I enjoy Yma Sumac quite a lot, but there was one song in particular that I was looking for, and I assumed that since this was her "most famous" pieces of music, it would be on there. It wasn't. So, I have to keep looking. Anyway, it's a good, broad sampling of her work, showing her range of style and talent. But if you're looking for that one famous song that's always in television commercials and movies, you won't find it here.

Yma Sumac: The Power of 4 Octives:
Although Ms. Sumac could sing in 4 octives, her material ran from pretty exotic and lush to absolutely dreadful. Who cares?? In some ways she was the "Ed Wood" of the music world, and so over-the-edge, you could hardly believe it. I remember when she was popular and yes, we really did take her totally seriously. But let's face it, we never heard anything like her... and she was incredibly entertaining. This colllection will amaze, delight and completely blow you away. It's like nothing else in popular music you have ever heard. For an instrumental version of this type of wonderful ultra lounge music, may I suggest the CD called "Sacred Rites" by Elisabeth Waldo. It is one CD made from her best 2 vinyl albums of the late 1950s. Fantastic!

Which singer has the greatest range?:
Having been aware of Ms Sumac since the 1950s, I am still amazed at her voice range. Has there been anyone else with a greater range? I have heard that Julie Andrews also has a 4 octave range.

Sheer power and beauty in an amazing vocal range:
I love this recording! Wow!!!! I have been singing for over thirty years and this is the first woman I have EVER heard who can sing both higher AND lower than me! "Chunco" is unbelievable! Her singing, coupled with the brilliant music of Vivanco, makes her recordings an essential part of any serious musician's collection. Folks, don't wait, don't think, just buy this woman's music! I will say that I enjoy her voice more on the earlier music, as they seem to be more fitted to her big, vibrant, exotic, Incan priestess vocal pyrotechnics. I find myself just listening over and over - she is truly amazing, and is in a class head and shoulders above all other coloraturas, because of the sheer power she has in the entirety of her range.

One of the greatest singers of all time!:
Yma Sumac has one of the greatest voices ever! A range spanning the entire tenor, alto, and soprano ranges, Yma produced music from her heart. She is currently finishing up a new recording which should be out soon. A wonderfully different singer!

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