ABSTRACT
Sumac, Yma b. 1924, Ichocan, Peru Singer Sumac’s extraordinary (five-octave) vocal range and expressive performances have made her popular with successive generations. O f indigenous descent, her career blossomed in a Hollywood enamoured of the exotic; she would appear on stage as an Inca ‘princess’ surrounded by erupting volcanoes. Her album ‘Voice of the Xtabay’ (1951) topped the charts for two years. Her popularity waned in the 1960s though she continued to record and perform. In the 1980s she was rediscovered by contemporary artists like Cindy Lauper and began to tour again, culminating in a performance at Montreal’s 1996Jazz Festival. Her whole songbook is now available on CD.
