Biography
Markama (meaning “to the people” in the Quechua language) was born in Mendoza, Argentina during the first months of 1975. With the aim of creating a new musical project concerned with the popular roots of Latin American soul, the musicians became united and impelled the use of an extraordinary variety of autochthonous instruments which are the expression of their identity. That’s the way it happened. Markama has been, since its beginning, a group of singular characteristics.
The repertory can be classified in three parts.
- Anonymous pieces,
- Pieces composed by contemporary Latin American composers and songwriters.
- Original pieces composed by Markama’s musicians.
Whoever may try to catalogue Markama as part of a certain style of music, will only get a single answer: It is a special affiliation to the music that spans the entire Andes, and by extension, the whole continent. It is nothing more.
Markama does not intend to be identified with native music even though this is Markama’s main source of inspiration. Why? simply because the aim is to generate an aesthetic concept free of any restriction or settled rule.
Up to now, the discography consists of eleven records, one of which has been edited in Japan. The performances have been enormously many, including the ones inside Argentina and the ones abroad, including tours all over United States and Europe. In 1980 Markama performed 26 times in the United States, and repeated this achievement in 1981 ending this tour with three performances in the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the City of New York. There Markama introduced the piece “El Bailarín del Diablo” - “The Devil’s Dancer”.
In May and June of 1985, Markama performed in Europe, with unprecedented success in Italy and Sweden. When Markama came back, the group introduced in Buenos Aires its album “Al pueblo” in the President Alvear Theatre where it stayed sold out for six days.
Markama has received acclaim in Honduras, Mexico, Brazil, and Chile. After their performance in the October 1988 Amnesty International tour of Argentina, where they shared the stage with Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Tracy Chapman, Markama’s acceptance and recognition arrived in the form “Distinguished Citizens” awards in many Argentinean and foreign cities. Other prizes include the ACE ‘92* for their live album, “En vivo”, and nomination to Konex* for the best folk music group of the decade.
In 2002 Markama went into an intense tour throughout the U.S., giving master classes and concerts at Ohio University, and at the Argentinean Club in Miami, amongst other institutions.
After several performances in Latin America, Markama celebrated its 30th anniversary in May 2005. A successful tour through Argentina was done with all the former members taking part of the show.
It is not difficult to realize that Markama belongs to a generation not tied down to conventional rules. Instead their expressiveness aims at managing instruments and voices with the freedom that any maker of culture tries to respect, preserve and imagine as the most genuine way of recognizing ourselves.