Does the lambada speak to you?

The lambada (Llorando se fue) was very popular at the end of the eighties and made the dance floors vibrate in both hemispheres. This smash hit was introduced by the French/Brazilian group called Kaoma, and its popularity owed a lot to the performance as well as the words that accompanied the exotic rhythm, the well-chosen name of lambada.

Unfortunately, they copied the lyrics without regard for basic copyright and intellectual property laws implying they were the authors. What they were not aware of was that the real composers, Los Kjarkas, had copyrighted the words in Germany. Thus, Kaoma had to pay damages and publicly acknowledge their plagiarism.

The original song composed by Los Kjarkas was written in 1984 to the rhythm of the saya-caporal (an Afro-Bolivian rhythm). It is just one more theme of the huge number of recordings produced by Los Kjarkas. The group was first organized in the mid-sixties with the goal of promoting folkloric music.  

The group Los Kjarkas was founded in Capinota (Cochabamba, Bolivia), in 1965 by the Hermosa brothers and Edgar Villarroel. The name comes from the Quechua word kharka that means strength.

The group grew out its members' desire for entertainment as they went from town to town in order to promote folkloric music and have fun. At first they stuck to satisfy their public's demands for the classics (mostly Argentine zambas). Then the traditional Bolivian music was limited to carnival music, but little by little they began to play at peñas (live performances in restaurants, bars, reception rooms, etc.), spreading the country's own rhythms like cuecas, huayños or important composers (Roncal, Gilberto Rojas, Teófilo Vargas, etc.).

Not long after their debut, the members abandoned this project to dedicate themselves to their respective professions. Then, Gonzalo Hermosa took charge of rebuilding the project with other musicians like Eddy Carpio, Antonio Canelas and Alcides Mejía.

In little more than a decade, los Kjarkas perfected and revolutionized Bolivian music (its composition and performance). They did their first concerts in La Paz in 1975 and that same year represented Bolivia in the Folkloric Music Festival in Brazil.

This ensemble inspired a revolution in the history of Bolivian music since they were pioneers in creating and popularizing a new way to interpret traditional Bolivian music. Now their music is known and heard around the world.

Their first album, Bolivia was issued in Mexico in 1976, and it contains nine compositions from Gonzalo Hermosa, the most important of which is "Bolivia" which became the second national anthem and a must-play at all their concerts.

After this success, two of the brothers who were in the group before decided to return: Ulises and Elmer Hermosa. With Ulises in the group they could include valuable music, thanks to his compositions and his impressive voice accompanied by the wind instruments of Gastón Guardia.

In 1977 their second album came out Sueños milenarios de los Andes. The group became know through their tours in Bolivia, South America, the US, Europe and Japan.

In 1980 they published Condor Malku where they started include romantic themes that moved away from traditional folklore with innovations in the rhythms and words. This album highlighted the artistic abilities of the Hermosa brothers in songs like Ella es or Pequeño amor, songs that speak of love with profound and poetic lyrics.

In 1981, Julio Lavayen and Ramiro de la Zerda joined the group, and Los Kjarkas issued the album Desde el alma de mi pueblo with the hit song Por un sueño de amor.

So CD by CD, Los Kjarkas became more and more famous and the most important group in Bolivia during the eighties with their influence crossing borders and oceans.

In 1984 Los Kjarkas were invited to the Fifteenth Popular Music Festival in Japan where more than 1800 singers competed for first prize and where Ulises Hermosa's composition Florcita Azul came in tenth place.

As the years went by, different musicians and composors came and went from the group who left us with memorable songs (Ritmo negro, Mi samba mi negra, El picaflor, No temas enamorarte) which Los Kjarkas keep performing.

In the 80s they also created the most important songs of their recordings: Canto a la mujer de mi pueblo, Wayayay, Imillitay, Oruro, Tiempo al tiempo, Chukiago Marka, Solo, etc.

In 1989 they issued the only instrumental (no voices) album called Ch’uwa yaku.

Moved by the death of Ulises Hermosa in 1992, who died of cancer after a lengthy struggle in Houston where he composed El árbol de mi destino, the group published his song. The next year they published Hermanos, which features Taquirari of their beloved brother with lyrics by Gonzalo who describes the story of the Hermosa family. That same year they founded the Kjarkas Music School in Lima, Peru, in order to spread and transmit the traditions of Andean music. In 1994 they created their first foundations in Ecuador and Bolivia with the same goal.

During the nineties, Rolando Malpartida, Eduardo Yañes, Alcides Mejía, Miguel Mengoa and José Luis Morales joined the group, which continued producing successful songs like Señora su hija, Mi pecado, Ave de cristal, A los 500 años, La pícara y El líder de los humildes. 1997 saw the release of the video Por Siempre of their concert and CD of the same name at the La Paz Presidente Hotel.

One of their biggest concerts before 40,000 fans was recorded in 1999 and is included in the album El concierto del siglo.

Together with fresh music from young men like Gonzalo Hermosa, Jr., Lin Angulo and the Japanese musician Makoto Shishido, Los Kjarkas published new compositions like: Lección de vida, Saya sensual, Kamanchaca, etc.

They published their most recent CD in 2006, 35 años, en conmemoración al aniversario del grupo. Today their success continues with this album and songs like Fría (Taquirari), Munasq'echay (K'antu), and they received the golden disk for the sale of more than 2000 copies of this last production.

This year they recorded the song No te puedo olvidar with the group Prisma that merges the richness of folkloric sounds and instruments (charangos, zampoñas, etc.) with electronic instruments and Prisma's signature accordion.

They admit that a good part of their success is due to the creation of their innovative instruments and the contrasts in the melody of the wind instruments (quenas, zampoñas) and stringed instruments like the ronroco (largest and deepest of the charangos, which they created) with the rhythm of their percussion instruments like the ancestral huanqara (a type of drum).

In 2010, they group has six members: Gonzalo Hermosa Gonzalez, Elmer Hermosa Gonzalez, Gaston Guardia Bilboa, Makoto Shishido, Lin Angulo, Gonzalo Hermosa Camacho.