Los Caracoles – Maybe Manyana

An album of original South American music from Segundo Nitor and Angela Zammataro from Far North Queensland.
All songs are sung in Spanish except track 5 which is in Italian.

Los Caracoles – Maybe Manyana
Performed by:
Segundo – voice, guitars, bombo
Angela Zammataro – voice, bombo
Reece Dobie – piano accordion, track 1

 

CD review by Tony Smith

 

This album by Los Caracoles has songs in both Spanish (9) and Italian (1), showing how rich are the traditions of Chile as brought to Australia by recent immigrants.

Los Caracoles were Segundo Nitor (voice, guitars, bombo) and Angela Zammataro (voice, bombo).

They thanked guest piano accordionist, Reece Dobie, photographer Deevah Melendez and typesetter Nadia Zammataro.

The title track has words and music by Nitor.

For all songs, the English translation is given with the Spanish (or Italian).

This song suggests the importance of going with the flow as you cannot see the future.

A highlight among the songs is Victor Jara’s ‘Angelita Huenuman’.

Victor Jara was tortured and murdered by the Pinochet regime in 1973 because of his protest songs.

Many singers, including Christy Moore and Alistair Hulett, have covered poet Adrian Mitchell’s tribute: ‘He fought for the people of Chile with his songs and his guitar/ and his hands were gentle his hands were strong’.

This is followed by two other Nitor songs ‘La madre tierra’ (‘Mother Earth’) sung by Zammataro and ‘Chacarera of Immigration’: ‘go find us a space without discrimination’.

This song has a very Spanish, slightly Flamenco feel.

‘Angioletto’ in Italian or ‘Little Angel’ by Zammatero is a poignant song about a child ‘gone to play with the stars’.

It opens with a child’s voice.

Then follow Nitor songs ‘La Luz de la Candela’ (‘The Light of the Candle’) and ‘La Lamento de la Quena’.

Both songs concern the fate of the Indigenous people of Chile, the moreno and morena.

Zammataro recites the English words at the beginning of the song.

The quena is the bamboo Andean flute.

‘Pescador Artesanal’, a tribute to the fishermen of southern Chile, has words by Nitor and music by Zammataro.

This is a strong folk ballad.

‘Cancion de Nostalgia’ is by Nitor.

‘The samba I have not forgotten/ in the streets where it remains/ living in my heart’.

‘El Ex General’ has words by Nitor set to music by Juan Carlos Carrillo of Chile.

It is based on a 1998 poem by Nitor published in an anthology of Hispano-American poetry in Australia, edited by Silvia Cuevas-Morales.

Carrillo is a music teacher from Nitor’s native city.

Some lyrics are spoken by Zammataro.

The general is paralysed by his conscience.

In more recent years, Los Caracoles (the shells) have released a couple more albums and the ensemble has increased in size to six players.

They are a very popular act at festivals especially around Cairns.

Nitor and Zammataro began by playing such earthy and sunny music that it is small wonder other Australians originally from Latin America have wanted to join the happy band!