The Parra brothers (Gabriel, drums Claudio, piano, and Eduardo, electric piano) met Mario Mutis (bass) and Eduardo "Gato" Alquinta (guitars and lead vocals) in their childhood and started to play music for fun. They became prominent in Viña del Mar, playing at many gigs with a bossa-nova/bolero style. The former name of the band was High & Bass. However, most of their fans believed they were called "Jaibas" (crabs). After a while they decide to correct their name and definitely change it to Los Jaivas.
After a first phase characterized by a of more tropical sound they began to blend styles, experimenting with hippie sound, progressive rock and avant-garde jazz. Their most recognized feature it's their blending of styles with the traditional sounds -and instruments- of the region.
Discography:
* El Volantin
* Todos juntos
* Sueños de America
* El indio,
* Palomita blanca soundtrack
* Sueños de America
* Mambo de machaguay
* Aconcagua,
* Alturas de machu picchu
* Si tu no estas
* Obras de violeta parra
* Mamalluca
* Hijos de la tierra
* Trilogia el rencuentro
* Arrebol.
Their most famous songs in Latin America are "Todos Juntos", "Mira Niñita" and "Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano", all which are especially cherished by Chileans.
After the military coup in Chile the band moved to Argentina, where they stayed until 1977 when they moved to France. The band formation changed in 1988, when Gabriel died in Peru. His daughter Juanita tooked his place at the drums. In January of 2003, "Gato" (the cat) Alquinta died in Coquimbo (Chile) of a heart attack. His death was a national mourning and more than 400.000 people attendend his funeral. The band continued playing with Gato's children: Ankatu (guitar), Eloy (saxophone)and Aurora (vocals).
A few months after Gato's death, Aurora left the band to continue her career as an actress. Her position was taken by Carlos Cabezas.
A year after Gato's death his son Eloy died too at the age of 33 after from a heart attack. His position was taken in the group by Francisco Bosco.
The band, after 43 years of activity, has gained a cult status and still perform live, regardless the tragic events ocurred in the past years.
Los Momentos
Los Jaivas Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con el alma triste y dormida
Ya la aurora no es nada nuevo
Pa' tus ojos grandes y pa' tu frente
Ya el cielo y sus estrellas
Se quedaron mudos, lejanos y muertos
A tu mente ajena
Cuando la vida se muestra entera
Que el futuro, que cuando grandes
Ahí murieron ya los momentos
Sembraron así su semilla
Y tuvimos miedo, temblamos y en esto
Se nos fue la vida
Cada uno aferrado a sus dioses
Producto de toda una historia
Los modelan y los destruyen
Y segun eso, ordenan sus vidas
En la frente les ponen monedas
En su largas manos les cuelgan candados
Letreros y rejas.
In “Los Momentos”, Los Jaivas sing about the passage of time and the loss of innocence as one transitions from childhood to adulthood. The lyrics describe a person who is walking with a sad and dormant soul, where the dawn is no longer a novelty to their big eyes and their forehead. The beauty of nature, represented by the sky and its stars, is now mute, distant, and lifeless in this person’s foreign mind.
Then, the lyrics become introspective, as the band sings about the fear they experienced when they were told as children that life’s moments are limited and when one becomes an adult, all the good times will be over. They talk about how this idea planted a seed of fear in their minds, and they trembled with the realization that the brief moments of their lives were slipping away. They clung to their gods and their beliefs, but these ways of life made them prisoners to the signs and symbols that defined them.
“Los Momentos” is not only about time but also about the loss of innocence and the awareness of our own mortality. The lyrics beautifully capture the feeling of nostalgia and the fear of the unknown that comes with growing up. The song’s message is universal and relatable, making it a timeless masterpiece.
Line by Line Meaning
Tu silueta va caminando
You walk with a sad and sleepy soul
Con el alma triste y dormida
Your soul is full of sorrow and asleep
Ya la aurora no es nada nuevo
The sunrise is no longer new to you
Pa' tus ojos grandes y pa' tu frente
For your big eyes and your forehead
Ya el cielo y sus estrellas
The sky and its stars
Se quedaron mudos, lejanos y muertos
Are now mute, distant, and dead to you
A tu mente ajena
To your foreign mind
Nos hablaron una vez cuando niños
When we were children, they spoke to us
Cuando la vida se muestra entera
When life seemed whole
Que el futuro, que cuando grandes
That the future, when we grew up
Ahí murieron ya los momentos
That's when the moments died
Sembraron así su semilla
They planted their seed
Y tuvimos miedo, temblamos y en esto
And we were afraid, we trembled, and in this
Se nos fue la vida
Life slipped away from us
Cada uno aferrado a sus dioses
Everyone holds onto their gods
Producto de toda una historia
A product of a whole story
Los modelan y los destruyen
They shape and destroy them
Y segun eso, ordenan sus vidas
And according to that, they order their lives
En la frente les ponen monedas
They put coins on their foreheads
En su largas manos les cuelgan candados
They hang locks in their long hands
Letreros y rejas.
Signs and gates.
Contributed by Levi M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.