Legends Of Calypso

A musical journey through the whole of Chilean music. The album starts out in the more urban north, with a sound that somewhat approximates the Norteño/Tejano sounds of Mexico in many ways. The accordionist, at the very least, seems versed in the Mexican traditions. Pavez then moves into the music of the Central region, with more rural influences mixed in, as well as a much larger influence from direct Spanish lineage. Some mildly tribal music follows, to be followed itself by a portion devoted to music of the Southern end of Chile, again showing a deep influence from the Spanish. While the country has diverse musical forms to the extreme, the album here attempts to show such diversity but fails somewhat. The music at least pays reference to the various forms, but it's all performed in a roughly similar style: that of Hector Pavez himself. Not that it's a bad style, but much of the variety noted in his own liner notes is left ignored in large part, with only some of the original form left for the listener. It's a good album, but not necessarily good at what it proposes to do. Pick it up for an enjoyable listen, but don't expect a thorough overview. ~ Adam Greenberg|