Mambo

Description

From "Bo Mambo" to "Carnalito Boliviano," Yma Sumac's fifth album showcases all her vocal abilities, sometimes a bird of paradise, sometimes a baroque empress... Descendant from the last Inca emperor, this Peruvian soprano made her debut in her teens. Shortly before turning twenty, she married musician Moisés Vivanco, then emigrated to Los Angeles where, from the fifties onward, she established her voice, her name, and her extravagant personality. In 1954, Mambo! was released, mostly written by Vivanco and arranged by Billy May. It confirms her talent as an opera-loving actress, serving exotic melodies. Borrowing from both swing and mambo vocabulary, the orchestrations of the Rico Mambo Orchestra are remarkable, and, elevated by Yma's explosive character, they instantly illuminate a time that was still very shy in terms of musical openness to the outside world.