This is my second album and it was produced again, and beautifully, by my friend Jim Sutherland. I financed it and to my regret it never got a proper release. This album, in my view, is very rich in term of sounds, rhythms and themes. In some of the tracks I am accompanied by very accomplished musicians from the world of jazz, folk and classical music given the whole album a unique atmosphere full of musical contrasts.

Tragicosmicas' represents my personal cosmos of thoughts born in the light of happy and tragic situations in our mundane life. In short, it is a world of fantasy, born of the reality in which we find ourselves. The songs, a swarm of melancholy and happiness, full of irony and allegory, can be classified as: historical, political, social, envirnonmental and tributes to people like Chico Mendes.

The music and the lyrics of the songs are my own. I wrote many of them specially for the 'Rincon Chileno' ('The Chilean Corner'), a meeting place for the music and poetry that I founded in Edinburgh in 1988. Here I began to discover the great talent of my friend Galvarino Ceron, the Chilean classical guitarist whom I invited to work on this album and whose contribution I appreciate very much.

The musical arrangements of the songs are the fruit of the collective work of Jim Sutherland, Galvarino Ceron and myself, under my 'demanding supervision'.

I would like to thank Giovanna, my Italian wife, for the fundamental role that she played in the realisation of this work.

Album: cover | details 1 | details 2 | details 3

Chico Mendes
A tribute to one of the greatest Latin American men of the twentieth century, Chico Mendes. This Siringueiro* man was murdered in his native Brazil in 1988, as he tried to prevent the destruction of the Amazonian Rainforest, the lungs of our planet.

Senora Maria
MRS MARIA
Maria was a magical name for me, in the Santiago 'barrio' of Yungay where I grew up. This name symbolises the positive attitude and spirit of millions of women in the poor barrios of Latin America in the face of adversity.

Quien es el leon?
WHO IS THE LION?
This is an allegorical song about a very special 'high tech lion' who uses his power to frighten the small animals of our world. Unbelievably this metal 'animal', with sinister eyes, is at large and there is no hunter to catch him. Where are the hunters?

Hijos del silencio
CHILDREN OF SILENCE
To express myself in the country, as a Latin American singer and songwriter, I have to pay. This fact makes me feel that I am condemned, to be culturally gagged. "We are children of silence, without sound in our words, this virtue is taken away from us, to get lost in the emptiness".

Somos un Oceano
WE ARE OCEAN
A song to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Colon in my America. "People subjugated by men on horseback: Indian, land and gold, trophies of the conquest. The gold came to Europe, brought by pirates, silver from Bolivia..."

Tragicosmicas
Humanity is so busy creating and destroying things at the same time, that there is no space for us to enjoy what is beautiful and take notice of what is evil around us.

El pueblito del San Limon
THE VILLAGE OF SAN LIMON
Latin America is Africa. Many of our countries are immensely influenced by African culture. Many black people in our contient are victims of the same kind of apartheid as exists in South Africa. Mandela is a hope for my America too!

El planeta es mi pais
THE PLANET IS MY COUNTRY
I have lived in both hemispheres of the planet and I love what is in it. I know it is in pain, and I would like to help it, but how?

Lengua
TONGUE
"My tongue is made of metal, my eyes are of crystal, my body is of water, my hair is natural, my clothes have a perfume, neighbours made of paper, my house of chocolate, come to earth in a brothel". I love the tongue!

Tu pais
YOUR COUNTRY
What is it that makes all of us feel proud of our countries when sometimes they have given us nothing? Is your country a woman wrapped in a flag? Or is it the funny shape of your country you see on a map? I think we feel proud of our country because it is the place where we receive for the first time the natural feeling of love which comes from the kisses and cuddles of our parents.

Many people encouraged and helped me to make my first musical album which was the first of its kind in Scotland and by a South American singer/songwriter. The very talented musician and composer Jim Sutherland helped me to produce "Debo Cantar Bonito" for free at Pier House recording Studio where I received Peter magic assistance. The result of our team effort was more than a simple "very good!". The Scottish musician Jack Evans helped me with some haunting flute melodies in some of my songs. The late Tony Cuffe, the wonderful Scottish folk musician, and a friend of mine, kindly lent me his guitar to record a couple of my songs. Click here to see letters and reviews.

Album: cover | details 1 | details 2 | details 3

Libre
FREE (Edinb. 1985)
Text by 'Santiago', a prisoner in Chacabuco, Chile.
This poem was written between 1973 and 1975 for a festival of songs and poetry in Chacabuco, Chile, formerly a mining town which was transformed by the dictatorship into a camp for political prisoners.

Somos un oceano
WE ARE AN OCEAN (Edinb. 1988)
In 1992, there will be many celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the arrival of C. Columbus to the new world. The European invaders destroyed the ancient civilizations of the Incas, Aztecs and Mayans. Is this something to celebrate?

Mercurio, 23 de Nov 1975
(Edinb. 1984)
The pro-regime newspaper El Mercurio reported a 'heroic battle' by security forces against 'insurgents' who were killed. A former prisoner later revealed that it was a set up, as they had been arrested the previous day. Several of those killed were personal friends of Carlos.

Viva la 15a Brigada, Viva Nicaragua
LONG LIVE THE FIFTEENTH BRIGADE, LONG LIVE NICARAGUA. (Edinb. 1988)
Written for a celebration in Glasgow of the 50th anniversary of the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War, this song relates the anti-facist struggle of the 1930's to Nicaragua's struggle for survival today.

Quien puede reprimirme el canto
WHO CAN SUPPRESS MY SONG? (Edinb. 1988)
The title of this song affirms the need to speak out, to denounce those evil forces which, while often superficially respectable, are in reality poinsoning the world.

A camilo Jorge
TO CAMILO JORGE (Edinb. 1987)
Text by John Gillies, 1984.
A setting of a poem written by a friend to celebrate the birth of Carlos' son. It combines images of the home of Camilo's father - Santiago, Chile - and of his mother - Carrara, Italy.
For the first time | I hold in my hand | The small, dark, | Italo-Chilean hands | of this beloved | New-born Child | My Scottish | Brother.

Victor, tu musica no murio contig
VICTOR, YOUR MUSIC DID NOT DIE WITH YOU (Edinb. 1986)
A tribute to the great Chilean singer-songwriter, Victor Jara. The text weaves together the titles of some of his most famous songs.

La contribucion
THE CONTRIBUTION (Edinb. 1986)
This song celebrates the changing role of the church in Latin America under the influence of the 'Theology of Liberation', exemplified by such figures as Dom Helder Camara in Brazil, Archbishop Romero in El Salvador, and Fr. Ernesto Cardenal in Nicaragua.

Debo cantar bonito
I MUST SING WELL (Edinb. 1988)
This song expresses the artist's responsibility to use his gifts to the full. His music must be more than simply 'entertainment' when it can be a weapon in the service of those who suffer.