Photo: Paige Stasney - Girl plays at an improvised soccer goal in a settlement near Vicco, Peru (~4100m/13500 ft above sea level)

I've been collecting music from the Andean Cordillera during college and for years afterward. Please e-mail any corrections or comments. There is a wide - and growing - variety of examples here. I hope you'll be inspired to look further into the music and other sociocultural facets of the Andes region and South America in general. Be sure to check your local listings for live performances of this music. CDs are also available.

If you can help with more information on the artists, titles, and record numbers, be sure to email me.  If you are an artist represented on these pages, please contact me with purchase information for your recordings, and we will post it for our visitors - Email: Jim

Plus...MORE SONGS with notes by Paul Farren of the London group,  ACHALAY. This is wonderful hand picked music from Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru, Uruguay and Colombia.

Online Streaming MP3 Radio
Antena Sur - (Huancayo, Peru - not 24 hours) - Direct to your player
Peru Folk Radio -  (Trujillo, Peru - 24 hours) - Direct to your player
These commercial stations work in all players.  Good stereo sound.  Peruvian radio broadcasting has a different style from that in the US and Canada.  When there is a live announcer, they create a sort of fun party atmosphere.   Recorded announcements are overproduced and loud by American standards.  While American announcers may "talk up" the instrumental beginning of a music selection, these announcers may intrude during any instrumental parts.  When the playback computer is running unassisted, this doesn't happen.

Great music here. These are fun to listen to, especially if you understand Spanish.  Peru Folk Radio has metadata to announce each music piece in your player.  Antena Sur may arguably have a stronger folklorico slant, but try them both since they have different playlists.  There are other online Peruvian radio stations, but these two are the ones I recommend, and they should both be in your player's favorite list! 

Music Files - the Andes

Get free Real Player SP

Newer

• 'Los Pobres Tambien Somos Felices' ~~  Los Aukish
• 'Sube A Nacer Conmigo' ~~ 'Zumampa'  -  Los Calchakis
• 'Palomitayqa' - Dolly Principe
• 'Kay Mayu' - Qary Bastidas
• 'Contigo Sera Mi Corazon' - Maya Andina
• 'Gritaré Tu Nombre' - Karal
• 'Baila Morena' - Pueblo Andina
• 'Quintucha' - Runas
• 'Chiquitina' - Signos
• 'A Don Ata' - Dolly Principe
• 'El Caso Wayanay' - Chopkjas
• 'Luna Bonita' - Marcela Morelo
• 'Rumisonqo' - Betty Lafuente
• 'Mamitay' - Teo Rios

Older (pre-80s)

• 'Pollerita'  - Bolivia//Los Chacos
  If you can find this classic out-of-print recording, buy it on the spot - "El Condor Pasa - La Flute Magique avec Los Chacos". You'll love every tune. Barclay is a French record company; this LP was released in 1969.
• 'Los diez mandamientos del matrimonio' -  Bolivia//Los Incas
  "The 10 commandments of marriage" 
• 'Una Luz en los Andes' - Bolivia//Ronald Soliz with Grupo Kjashwa
  "A Light in the Andes"
• Agnus Dei - Misa Criolla - Argentina/Ariel Ramirez
• Gloria - Misa Criolla - Argentina/Ariel Ramirez
• Danza del Altiplano - Bolivia//David Burgess, Guitar
• 'Dueña de mi ser' - Bolivia//Aymuray/Carlos Rene Crespo   
• 'Rumbo al Socavón' - Bolivia//"heading for the mine" (morenada)/Zulma Yugar
• 'Quiero Yo Bailar' - (morenada) Bolivia//Los Rupay 1:52
• 'Cacharpaya' - Bolivia//"song of farewell"/Los Rupay ensemble 1:54
• 'La Paloma' - Chile//Los Folkloristas (Mexico) 2:12
• 'Una Paloma' - Bolivia/traditional - male vocalist  2:03
• 'Llamerada' - Bolivian Altiplano dance//Los Calchakis
• 'Vamonos' - Bolivia//Aymuray/Carlos Rene Crespo
• 'Huayra Muyhoj' - Argentina//Los Calchakis
• 'Tata Quillacas' - Bolivia//Los Yuras  BUY CD
• Yo Ya Me Estoy Yendo'  - Bolivia//Los Yuras BUY CD
• 'Ankatuma' - Bolivia//Los Yuras BUY CD
• 'Caballito Blanco' - Bolivia//Los Yuras BUY CD
• 'Tema de la Mina' - Bolivia//Los Yuras BUY CD
• 'Campanas del Olvido' - Colombia//Los Chacos
• 'El Rio Blanqueno' - Colombia//Los Guacharacos
• 'Escogio mi Corazon' - Ecuador//Aymuray/Carlos Rene Crespo
• Andean 1 - Peru//Dr. Raúl García Zárate, guitar and vocal
• 'Tinkuna' - Eddy Navia//Cumbre(The Summit)/Sukay
• 'Daniela Soledad' - Eddy Navia//'En Charango' CD
• 'Soncoyman' - Peru/Ecuador yaravi//Sergio Cuevas, harp
• 'Sicuris' Bolivia//Los Chacos
• 'La Boliviana' - S. Bolivia-N. Argentina//Los Chacos
• 'El Tarapaca' Argentina//Los Chacos
• 'Munahuanqui' Peru//Los Chacos
• 'Negrita'- Argentina//Los Chacos
• 'Borrachito Ladron' - Bolivia//Los Chacos
• 'Indiecito Dormido' N. Argentina//Los Chacos
• 'El Condor Pasa' Peru//Los Chacos
  El Condor Pasa was arranged in 1913 by Daniel Alomia Robles. More information
• 'Bayon de Madrid' - Paraguay/orquidea//Sergio Cuevas, harp
• 'Viva Cochabamba'  (sicuri)- Bolivia//K'jarkas
• 'Kunatakiraki' - Bolivia/huayno//Sukay
• 'Vuelo del Condor' - flute/ensemble
  "Flight of the Condor"
• 'Bailando Con Los Sikuris' - Los Ruphay
  "Dancing to the Panpipes" 
• 'Koli Pankarita' - Bolivia//sung in Aymara/Zulma Yugar
• 'Rosa Carmin' - Savia Andina
  A cueca by Néstor Olmos played by Savia Andina using guitar, charango, quena flutes, and large drum (bombo).
• 'Chirihuayrita' - Bolivia//Savia Andina
• 'Hoy te Pido Que Me Olvides' - Ecuador//Sukay
• 'Morenita' - Bolivia//Amaru
• 'Ronda de la Ceiba Ecuatoriana' - Rafael Manriquez
• Unaimanta - Bolivia/Ukamau
• 'Imillita' - Bolivia//Awatiñas 
  Sung in Aymara. A full Awatiñas page coming soon!
• Hanacpachap Cussicuinin - Thought to be the first multi-voiced music composed in the New World, this simple but intriguing piece is found in a collection of sacred music compiled in 1631, but was likely written some years earlier...more Lyrics
• Bolivia Vocal  - unknown
• 'Me Querido Potosi' ('My Beloved Potosi') - Bolivia//Enriqueta Ulloa - BUY CD
• Aguinaldo Jibaro - Harp Fusion, University of Arizona, USA
• Dalia Morada - Enriqueta Ulloa - BUY CD
• Paloma Del Alma Mia - Ana Cristina Cespedes - BUY CD
• De Regreso - Emma Junaro - BUY CD
• Añoranzas - Grupo Bolivia - BUY CD
• Bartolino Sisaman - Luzmila Carpio -BUY CD
• Senora Su Hija - Los Kjarkas -BUY CD

Music Files - nearby regions or similar styles
These will also be interesting to Andes region music lovers

• Ecuadoran Tune Played in Ragtime
• 'Barlovento' - Venezuela//Los Caracas - Lyrics
• 'El Gavilán'  - Venezuela//live performance/
  música llanera/vocal/harp/ensemble - Lyrics
• 'La Gota Fria' (vallenato)- Colombia//Carlos Vives - Lyrics
• Folia - Rodrigo Martinez - a favorite!
• Rodrigo Martinez - vocal 1:39
• 'Passacaille' - a pretty French passacaglia sung in Spanish
• La púrpura de la rosa (The Blood of the Rose) - First staged in 1659 in Peru, this is the New World's first known opera composition. The brief clip is from the music by Torrejón y Velasco.  More info about this early opera is available by searching on the Internet.  There are occasional contemporary performances. CD More info
• 'Spanish Tarantela' - the Spanish influence - Lucas Ruiz de Ribavaz
• 'Branle gai' - the French influence - Pierre Attaingnant (c. 1494 - 1551)
  Here's a short little piece with harp, guitars, and a shawm (preceded the oboe)
• 'Que dises, mei bon fraire' - the Spanish influence- old song from French Provence 
• Ayo visto lo mappamundi - Italian Renaissance
  ("I've seen the map of the world") The tune has an atmosphere and styling not unlike some Andes tunes. Ironically, it was inspired by the explorer voyages of the 15th century, which had sad dire consequences for indigenous populations of the day.
• 'Song'  - it does have harp and flutes, but this song has nothing to do with the other music except that it's extremely pretty - my favorite example of European operatic singing. Our Boleadora visitors have broad tastes. Recorded from a long out of print vinyl LP.

• 'Kak za Donom za rekoy'  This isn't Andean either but is a sample of the music on my Russian folk and dance music website RICHKA.COM. Be sure to check it out!

SUPPORT THESE ARTISTS The music here is presented in low quality monophonic sound to make this page as globally universal as possible. If you'd like to buy this music in full CD stereo, you can search for artists, titles, and regions on Amazon, eBay, on general search engines, and of course at stores in your locality in the International Music section. 

If you like this site and its music, please put a link on your website. Do not link the individual music selections. Due to potential copyright issues, there is no downloadable music - it is available on some links however.