Inti-Illimani Shines for 40 Years
Johnson County Community College |
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The 2006-2007 season marks the 40th anniversary of Inti-Illimani (pronounced Inte-E-gee-mane) and a third visit to the Carlsen Center. As part of its 40th Anniversary Tour, Inti-Illimani performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center, Johnson County Community College. The program lists music from the group’s four-decade history, including classics such as El Mercado Testaccio , Danza di Cala Luna and Fiesta de San Benito , as well as works from the group’s latest CD, Pequeño Mundo , featuring jazz-flavored compositions.
Inti-Illimani is known for its hauntingly beautiful Latin American music and advocacy of human rights. The eight talented musicians play more than 30 wind, string and percussion instruments in a synthesis of multicultural compositions and vocals.
This famed Chilean ensemble takes its name from the words "sun mountain" in the Ayamara dialect (Inti - sun, Illimani –mountain near La Paz, Bolivia). Its music combines Latin American, Afro-Latino, American Indian and European chamber music.
The original Intis had a much different mission than Andean music when they met in the ’60s at Santiago Technical University to become engineers. Luckily for the world, their love of music encouraged their restless souls to explore the indigenous cultures of Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina. In some of the poorest, purest and most ancient cultures, they discovered Andean music and a sense of their roots. Their music became a form of protest against oppression and social injustice known as "Nueva Canción" (new song). In 1973, the leftist Chilean President Salvador Allende was deposed in a coup by Pinochet while Inti-Illimani was on tour. The young musicians did not return home for fear of political persecution, as happened to fellow Chilean musician Victor Jara, who was publicly tortured and murdered by the Chilean military in late 1973. Italy became their home for the next 14 years, a time in which they explored the sounds of other cultures, now heard in their music.
In 1988 when democracy was restored in Chile, the Intis returned to their home, where they were warmly welcomed back at the airport by 5,000 people. The band's history has forged the complex textures heard in their music – the blending of colorful sounds with sophisticated composing techniques.
Now 40 years and more than 34 albums later, Inti-Illimani’s music, influenced by their numerous encounters with other cultures, has evolved into its best sounds yet. Since 2002, Inti-Illimani has welcomed four new members who add a contemporary sound to the Inti style. Jorge Coulon remains the last active founding member, and Manuel Meriño, guitarist and composer, is now musical director.
Musically more modern, Inti-Illimani’s message remains unchanged: hope for a better world.
Tickets for Inti-Illimani are $20 adult, $10 youth (12 and under), available by calling the Carlsen Center box office, 913-469-4445, or online at www.jccc.edu/CarlsenCenter.
