Listen Recovery & Secret Stash Records – LA CHAMBA Paying tribute to LOS DESTELLOS with special guest Jose Luis Carballo.

videos coming soon…

LA CHAMBA & JOSE LUIS CARBALLO – Rehearsing for Oct 7th. Photos by La Mina

In the mist of this genre from Perù invading Los Angeles,  5 musicians gather with a legendary producer to create and rehearse the sounds from a band that will never be forgotten.  The sound was a revolutionary one for the people in its territory.  Comas, Lima was the mecca of 90% of the bands creating Chicha or Cumbia Psycodelica.  Jose Luis Carballo is not just another member of this great community.  He is one of the “pillars” of this genre.  Who helped shaped and create a unique sound along with professionalism in every way and movement.

You will have the honor to meet the legend himself on Oct 7th along with the talented guys from LA CHAMBA, who are sealing their stamp as one of the most important bands out of LA bringing a genre of music new to the ears of Angelinos and North Californians… for now!

Thanks for reading.

One heart

Renz De Madrugada

 

5 QUESTIONS WITH JOSE L. CARBALLO by MIKE P for Masstropicas blog

JOSE LUIS CARBALLO

Masstropicas is back with the five questions series. Our first segment brings you a thoughtful read(in Spanish) with Jose L. Carballo a man who is a living legend. In the mid 70s Jose produced and played on many studio recordings and then would go onto to form LA NUEVA CREMA with the pharaoh of chicha chacalón.

He would later form the great LA MERMELADA with various vocal contributions from different vocalists.

Jose also has 3 songs appearing on the next Masstropicas compilation EL SONIDO DE TUPAC AMARU.

INTERVIEW by Mike Pigott aka MIKE P of Masstropicas

What was the first instrument you learned to play and were there any guitar players that had a great influence on the way you approached the guitar?

JOSE: My First instrument was a guitar; I am a mixture of styles a hybrid, I was influenced by the underground artist in the 60’s such names like: Eric Clapton (the Cream), Tony Iommi from (Black Sabbath, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and later I was influenced by “Los Compadres” from Cuba and the “Guaracheros del Oriente” also from Cuba, then there was “Trio Servando Diaz” Cuban too and the classics like “Tarrega”.

What production that you were involved in are you most proud of?

JOSE: The productions that I am proudest of are the ones I did with “Chacalòn”, because I created a style of music, that we can still appreciate today, with many assimilation of how I play the guitar.

For you what is the difference between CHICHA and cumbia Peruana?

JOSE: For me the difference between Peruvian Cumbia and Chicha is only the complexion of the Peruvian in front of the world, in somewhat (denied it’s roots) to not accept the truth of the “Peruvian Musical Cultural Art”. The racism and unwilling to accept its own people of a different region. Going against the word “Chicha” not wanted as a national genre and that way it created a diversity and separation of people mainly in Lima. 

Musically it would be difficult to express this difference, because for example, I was born in San Isidro, Lima.  The hippest city in Lima and I created music that is named Chicha, many hits with “Chacalòn”, “Hijos Del Sol”, “Chacal”, “Viko”, “La Mermelada”, etc. as well, I am a producer of hits to what you know as “Cumbia Peruana” (Peruvian Cumbias), with artist like: Carlos Ramirez, Claudio Moran, Julio Mao (Cuarteto Continental), Raul Serrano (Combo Palacio), Los Cariñosos, etc.  

Jose Luis Carballo like all my followers will call me and will label me, “Chichero” o “Cumbianbero”?, To me was all the same, if they call me either way.  

The importance of my work is that all the songs that come out of this versatile hands, have travel the world and still are this days, titles such as: “La Colegiala”, “Eres Mentirosa”, “Ven Mi Amor”, “Viento”, “Lagrimas De Amor”, “Las Limeñas”, “El Arbolito”, “Traicionera”, “El Aguajal”, “Enfermera”  and many more.  

What is your favorite Black Sabbath album?
JOSE: TO ME,” PARANOID” ; no only is this the best Black Sabbath album, it is one of the best heavy metal albums ever. It includes the legendary singles “Iron Man” and “Paranoid” and is a defining moment in the history of heavy metal.

Thanks to Jose for all of his cooperation and help with the EL SONIDO DE TUPAC AMARU project. We hope you enjoyed the interview an English version will soon follow…. MIKE P (Masstropicas.blogspot.com)

who is JOSÈ LUIS CARBALLO?, brief bio.

Jose Luis Carballo is one of the most influential Chicha guitarist in Peru. He grew up in a poor neighborhood of Lima, surrounded by new migrants from the Andes and started playing guitar at a young age. He played traditional and tropical music and later studied classical guitar. Starting in 1973, he played lead guitar for Angel Anibal’s group Los Hijos del Sol, whose hit, “Cariñito” was one of the earliest successful attempt at fusing Andean music and cumbia. He also led his own band La Mermelada. In the late 70′s, Jose Carballo went on to form La Nueva Crema (named after the band Cream) with back up singer Chacalon and they became the most beloved and most successful chicha band in Peru. Chacalon died in 1994. Carballo now lives in Los Angeles where he still plays with this band La Mermelada.

They came out of and identified with the poor neighborhoods, the “Pueblos Jovenes” on the outskirts of Lima (Ciudad De Dios, Pamplona, Comas, Villa El Salvador, Independencia, etc…) and created a musical hybrid which mixed different musical styles (cumbia, rock, salsa, huayno, guaracah, guajira, son montuno, boogaloo and even classical music).

The creator of la Nueva Crema [Jose L. Carballo] grew up listening to that music and later studied classical guitar, even though he lived at the bottom of a hill, in Pamplona Alta, in the neighborhood of San Juan de Miraflores.

La Nueva Crema blog http://lanuevacrema.wordpress.com/

“The most important thing we did was a fusion of different rhythms- Peruvians, foreign of various styles, including classical.”

“I think it was very influential to have played that music, and lived in those surroundings: Ciudad de Dios/Pamplona Alta (people around me were 90% migrants from the highlands) to come up with this hybrid that you call chicha.” words by Josè L. Carballo