Chicha is the name of a corn-based liquor the Incas distilled in the days before The Conquest, and the word's mysterious, boozy etymology makes it perfect for the musical style that bears its name. Chicha - the music - was spontaneously distilled during the culture clash of the '60s when the Indian population of the Peruvian Amazon blended Columbian cumbias with American rock & roll, particularly the twang heavy sound of surf music. With cheap electric instruments, Amazon Indians used the syncopated beat of cumbia as the foundation for melodies that sound to western ears like Andean folk music played on electric guitar supported by Tex-Mex style Farfisa. When the Indians moved to Lima, chicha became a thriving subgenre, but since the 70s the style has been dying out. Olivier Conan, owner of New York's Barbés nightclub and record label, discovered the music on a 2005 trip to Peru. In 2007, he put out a compilation called The Roots of Chicha. The music so captivated New York's downtown crowd that he put together Chicha Libre, a combo comprised of New York's musical scene makers, and started playing the old hits, and some new compositions, to packed houses. Part of the charm of the old chicha recordings had to do with their distorted, lo-fi approach, something that you can't match in a Manhattan recording studio. Nonetheless, Sonido Amazonico!, named after a hit by the chicha band Los Mirlos, is a sunny, upbeat collection guaranteed to bring a silly smile to your face. Vincent Douglas' plays a twangy guitar and Josh Camp plays a rare Hohner Electravox, an accordion-like instrument that sounds like a 70s Farfisa, anchor the band's timeless sound (the Electrovox is an electric hybrid; no air passes through it).
Like reggae, the chicha groove is so recognizable, and flexible, that almost any style of music can be played using it. The playing here has a lightness and humor that the originals lacked, but Chicha Libre's not making any claims about being authentic or keeping a lost tradition alive. They're playing it for kicks, and they supply plenty of 'em. ~ j. poet, All Music Guide
DID YOU KNOW THATChristina Mara Aguilera, who is a famous American singer, has Ecuadorian origin.His father was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador.Only 26 years, she has already made a place for herself in the world of American music. Over the last eight years, Christina Aguilera has produced six albums, including Christina Aguilera (1999), Mi Reflejo (2000), My Kind of Christmas (2000), Just Be Free (2001), and Back to Basics (2006).
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador has many famous people:Oswaldo Guayasamn (painter), Jorge Icaza Coronel (writer), Jefferson Leonardo Perez Quesada ( olympic sportsperson), Betty Pino (journalist), Jos Ayala Lasso (ambassador), Diego Cordovez (ambassador), and Galo Plaza Lasso (former secretary of the Organization of American States (O.A.S.).
DID YOU KNOW THATSurprisingly,the small country of Ecuador has produced two of the best tennis players in the past century.Pancho Segura was one of the best tennis player in the 1940s and 1950s.Francisco Olegario Segura, best known as Pancho Sgura, was born on June 20, 1921, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.Like Guillermo Vilas or Jos Luis Clerc (Argentina), Ral Ramrez (Mexico) and Alejandro Olmedo (Peru),Andrs Gmez was also one of the best tennis players in Latin America. Losing only set in four rounds of play, Andrs Gmez eased into the 1990 French Open final against Andre Agassi (United States).He was one of the Third Worlds most famous athletes in the 1980s and early 1990s.
DID YOU KNOW THATDifferent from Cuba (communist dictatorship) and Venezuela (military dictatorship), Ecuador is a democratic state based on a representative government and the three branches of national power
DID YOU KNOW THATIn 1972, Jorge Delgado Panchana, who was born in Guayaquil (Ecuador), became the first Ecuadorian to classify in the finals at the Olympic Games, where he ended fourth in the world in the 200-meter butterfly style competition in Munich, West Germany (currently Germany). Jorge Delgado was one of the best athletes of Latin America in the 20th century.At the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City, Mexico, he won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle swimming competition. In the 1970s, Jorge Delgado Panchana was coached by Jack Nelson, who was born in the United States.
DID YOU KNOW THATThe South American country is a popular travel destination.It possesses an exceptionally rich and diverse plant lifeEcuador lends itself to mysticism.
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador has had many famous sportsmen and women in the 20th century: Andres Gmez (tennis), Francisco Segura (tennis), Rolando Vera (track and field), Jorge Delgado Panchana (swimming), Jos Cedeo (taekwondo), Duvan Langa (taekwondo), Jacinta Sandinford (track and field),Nancy Vallecilla (track and field), Nicolas Lapentti Gmez(tennis), Boris Burov (weightlifting),Galo Legarda (billiards), Mariuxi Febres (swimming) and Alberto Spencer Herrera (soccer).
DID YOU KNOW THATLike Volcans National Park (Rwanda), Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia), Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)and Iguazu Waterfalls (Argentina and Brazil), Galapagos National Park is one of the nature wonders of the world.It is the most important natural monument of Ecuador.
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador is famous in Latin America as the birthplace of Oswaldo Guayasamn, one of the best painters in the 20th century.
DID YOU KNOW THATThe biodiversity of Ecuador is one of its greatest riches.Bird life is prolific Ecuador ranks fifth in the world for the number of species it hosts.In Ecuador we can find more than 1.445 species of birds (compared to only 600 in the United States).
DID YOU KNOW THATThe 5th Taekwondo World Championship was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador,in February 1982.National teams from 36 countries came to Guayaquil for the competition.
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador is rich in resources such as shrimps, bananas, flowers,coffee and petroleum.
DID YOU KNOW THATRosala Arteaga Serrano de Fernndez de Cordova was elected president of Ecuador for 3 days (February 9,1997-February 11, 1997).She was Ecuadors first female president.
DID YOU KNOW THATWithout a doubt, the most famous sportsperson in Ecuadorian history is Jefferson Leonardo Prez Quesada.Surprisingly, he won the gold medal in 20-kilometer walk at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
DID YOU KNOW THATWith a total area of nearly 109,500 sq.km, Ecuador is bigger than the United Kingdom, Israel, Luxembourg, Singapur, Bahrein and Hong Kong combined.More than 13 million people live there.
DID YOU KNOW THATAmerican first lady Eleanor Rosalynn Smith Carter visited Ecuador in 1978.
DID YOU KNOW THATJorge Icaza (1906-1978) is Ecuadors most famous contemporary writer.He wrote the widely acclaimed Huasipungo (1934).
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuador is one of the oldest republics in the Third World.Ecuador became independent country in 1822,
DID YOU KNOW THATBetty Pino, a distinguished journalist, was born in Ecuador.
DID YOU KNOW THATEcuadorian culture reflects an admixture of Spanish, African and native Indian influences, similar in many respects to the traditions of Peru and Colombia.
DID YOU KNOW THATAt least thirty percent of the countrys natural land resources were dedicated to conservation with laws prohibiting hunting,exploitation and trapping in park areas.
DID YOU KNOW THATMara Soledad Diab Aguilar is one of the most beautiful Ecuadorian woman of all time.She was named Miss Ecuador-Universe in 1992. Miss Ecuador won Miss Photogenic during the Miss Universe 1992 Beauty Pageant held in Bangkok, Thailand.
DID YOU KNOW THATBetween July 13 and July 29,2007,Ecuadorian delegation participated in the Pan American Games held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, winning 5 gold, 4 silver, and 10 bronze medals. Overall the Ecuadorian team ranked eleventh
DID YOU KNOW THATFrederick Ashton, a world-famous dancer and choreographer, was born on September 17, 1904, in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
DID YOU KNOW THATGalapagos tortoise is a national symbol of Ecuador.
DID YOU KNOW THAT2004 was the second time the Miss Universe pageant was held in South America. The site was mystical Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.For the second time, Australia (Jennifer Hawkins) won the universal crown.There were a number of big favorites among Ecuadorian journalists, including Miss Ukraine (Okelsandra Nikolayenko), Miss USA (Shandi Ren Finnessey) and Miss Venezuela (Ana Karina Aez Delgado)....Maria Susana Rivadeniera Simball became the second Ecuadorian woman to reach the semi-finals in Miss Universe. Miss Ecuador 2004 impressed judges with her personality, beauty and intelligence. One of the judges was Jefferson Prez (gold olympic medalist).
DID YOU KNOW THATIn 1996 Quito, the capital of Ecuador, had a population of only 1,487,523.
DID YOU KNOW THATThe national sport in Ecuador is soccer, called ftbolEcuador qualified for the 2006 FIFA World CupEdson Arantes do Nascimento,best known as Pele, once said, They play the most modern and surprising soccer in all Latin America.
DID YOU KNOW THATPope John Paul II visited Ecuador in 1985.
DID YOU KNOW THATMike Judge, who is a famous American animator and producer, was born in Guayaquil,Ecuador.
DID YOU KNOW THATNaturalist Charles Darwin visited Ecuador (1835) and was delighted by the botanical and entomological diversity, collecting plants and animals from the Galapagos islands
DID YOU KNOW THATThe first largest city in Ecuador is Guayaquil.This city hosted the 4th Swimming World Championship in August 1982.
DID YOU KNOW THATfirst lady Martha Bucaram de Rolds (1979-1981) led the Ecuadorian delegation to the United Nations Denmark Conference on Women in 1980.She was a woman that always worked with love for Ecuador.
Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer.Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry.Heve studied political science and journalism.He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso".He is an expert on foreign affairs. Futhermore, Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latina America.
He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). His favorite film is "Gorillas in the Mist".Some of his favorite books are The Return of Eva Peron and the Killings in Trinidad (by V.S.Naipaul), "Las Mujeres de los Dictadores" (by Juan Gasparini) and Murder of a Gentle Land (by John Barron and Anthony Paul).His personal motto is "The future is for those people who believe in the beauty of their dreams" by Eleanor Roosevelt.
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"Esperanza," bassist/vocalist/composer Esperanza Spalding's debut on Heads Up International, is set for worldwide release on May 20, 2008. Armed with uncanny instrumental chops, a siren voice that spans three languages, and composing and arranging skills that weave together the best elements of the old-school with the progressive, this 23-year-old has crafted a debut album that takes a completely fresh and refreshing approach to jazz by borrowing from the rich traditions of soul, pop, world music and so much more. 
