The Amazon Fiddle Lamentations of Don Francisco Pezo Alva

This is an album unlike anything you've ever heard. Don Francisco is among the last in a disappearing Amazon tradition--he literally plays for the dead. A self-taught violin maker and player, Don Francisco plays at wakes seated next to the corpse, and his job is to make people cry. This is challenging music, essentially a soundtrack for death and grieving. You'll never hear this on an elevator, but for the the adventurous listener, this a must have—a musical meditation on the journey to the other side.

From Don Francisco’s own words in the liner notes:

“A velorio (wake) happens when a person dies. The family puts that person in an open coffin, and then the rest of the family comes over—and friends, and people from the neighborhood. They mourn the person and light candles. When violin is used, the fiddler sits at the head of the coffin, to the right of the corpse. First come some very gentle instrumental songs. When it comes time to sing, we begin with “Alabado” (Hymn of Praise). Then come other songs. For example, “Cama de Campo” (Earthen Bed) is a song that’s very old and on the verge of disappearing. I only vaguely remembered it from when I was a kid. So I’ve added or replaced words. I’m pretty sure no one sings it the way I do. Really, all these songs here—I remembered them, the tunes, but not so much the lyrics. So I’ve made up a lot of the words so they follow the music. And it’s beautiful, because those songs reveal the good and the bad that we all can be .”

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