“Weaving in and out of the shaman's body, which is the same as the body of the song, these songs are the medium by which spirits are conjured, witchcraft laid to rest, and the universe put on edge. Treat them accordingly. They might change your life."

Santiago Mutumbajoy
Yage Pinta!
latitude 05
CD
2007-03-06

Nearly 80 minutes of hypnotic, droning wild microphone field recordings of shamanic ceremonies recorded by celebrated anthropologist Michael Taussig.

“Weaving in and out of the shaman’s body, which is the same as the body of the song, these songs are the medium by which spirits are conjured, witchcraft laid to rest, and the universe put on edge. Treat them accordingly. They might change your life. They did, mine.They are sung by Santiago Mutumbajoy whom I taped with a cheap old tape-recorder at different times, mostly in 1976, when I was living with him and his wife Ambrosia. Their two room wooden house sat on a hill in the cloudforest near the town of Mocoa where the Andes drop into the Putumayo River Basin in southwest Colombia. Today their son, Luciano, carries on the practice there, while their daughter, Natividad, sustains it in neighbouring Caqueta province. For the whole night, under the influence of a hallucinogen called yagé, the healer sings his song the power of which is due not to words, lyrics or poetry. Instead it lies in the quality of the sound and the way that sound creates pictures in your mind while dissolving your body. The singing is the key to the magical power. It is that power. It is what brings the healer and the patient into the realms of the spirits that lie within and behind every visible thing.” — Michael Taussig

Proceeds from the sale of this compact disc will be go to Fundación Renacer, a Bogota, Columbia based outreach& rehabilitation organization for sexually exploited children and adolescents.

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About Jay Babcock

I am an independent writer and editor based in Tucson, Arizona. In 2023: I publish an email newsletter called LANDLINE = https://jaybabcock.substack.com Previously: I co-founded and edited Arthur Magazine (2002-2008, 2012-13) and curated the three Arthur music festival events (Arthurfest, ArthurBall, and Arthur Nights) (2005-6). Prior to that I was a district office staffer for Congressman Henry A. Waxman, a DJ at Silver Lake pirate radio station KBLT, a copy editor at Larry Flynt Publications, an editor at Mean magazine, and a freelance journalist contributing work to LAWeekly, Mojo, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Vibe, Rap Pages, Grand Royal and many other print and online outlets. An extended piece I wrote on Fela Kuti was selected for the Da Capo Best Music Writing 2000 anthology. In 2006, I was somehow listed in the Music section of Los Angeles Magazine's annual "Power" issue. In 2007-8, I produced a blog called "Nature Trumps," about the L.A. River. From 2010 to 2021, I lived in rural wilderness in Joshua Tree, Ca.

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