Yma Sumac: "Birds"

Capitol 6F-1819. Inimitable Peruvian chanteuse Yma Sumac has a very specific style that is not always to everyone's tastes, but 1951's "Birds" is a strangely enthralling piece. Like the similar "Chuncho (The Forest Creatures)," it is one of Sumac's expositions of vocal technique and animistic multi-voicing. Improbably, Yma Sumac and "Birds" were featured in the forgotten 1951 Broadway musical "Flahooley," and, while the track didn't see long-playing release on a Sumac album proper, it could be heard (along with two other Sumac numbers) on the same cast recording. Composer and husband of Sumac Moises Vivanco provides an hypnotic arrangement that makes "Birds" an excellent companion to Xavier Cugat's "Flute Nightmare." For more exotica gems, see the Exotica Project, One Hundred Dreamland 45s: http://exoticaproject.com/