() is a musical band from
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
. Founded in 1969 in
Quilpué
Quilpué is a city and capital of the Marga Marga Province in central Chile's Valparaíso Region. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (''Ciudad del Sol'') and the urban part of it als ...
, it is a highly acclaimed band with over 50 years of experience fusioning and developing
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
n music.
Began their career in the late 1960s linked to
New Chilean Song movement, however with the advent of the
military dictatorship and cultural constraints of the time, added to the great instrumental vocation of its members, they evolved into a
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
style, and later to a
fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
sound that incorporated elements also from
jazz fusion,
contemporary music,
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
, and
world music, in a style named by them as ''The New Latinamerican Music''.
It is one of the most important bands in the history of the
Chilean music
Chilean music refers to all kinds of music developed in Chile, or by Chileans in other countries, from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to the modern day. It also includes the native pre-Columbian music from what is today Chilean territo ...
, both for his refined musical compositions with lyrics of social and ethnic content, as well as by the good reception of the national and international public and critics. Formed together with
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas is a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, psychedelic, and progressive rock styles formed in 1963 in Viña Del Mar, Chile. They are considered one of the most important and influential artists of all time in Latin America. ...
and
Los Blops, is one of the cornerstones in the new Chilean progressive sound and the '
Chilenization of Rock' between the mid 60's and early 70's.
The main composer, leader of the band, and drummer is
Sergio "Tilo" González, and the lyricist and singer is
Francisco "Pancho" Sazo
Francisco Sazo (Quilpué, March 22, 1953) better known in the musical industry as Pancho Sazo is a Chilean musician and professor of philosophy. Frontman, singer, instrumentalist and lyricist, he is a founding member of the group Congreso, with ...
. Both are founder members alongside Tilo's brothers and ex members (Fernando and Patricio), and Fernando Hurtado.
The band currently includes Tilo Gonzalez, Pancho Sazo, and Raul Aliaga (percussion), Sebastián Almarza (piano), Federico Faure (bass), Jaime Atenas (sax), and Hugo Pirovic (flautes). Tilo's son, Simón González, is a recurring guest member as guitarist.
They have made extensive touring for
North America,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
.
History
Beginnings as folk rock band (1969–1978)
![Premios Pulsar 2019 13](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Premios_Pulsar_2019_13.jpg)
Congreso roots are in 1964, the year they started working in
Quilpué
Quilpué is a city and capital of the Marga Marga Province in central Chile's Valparaíso Region. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (''Ciudad del Sol'') and the urban part of it als ...
(today part of
Greater Valparaíso
Greater Valparaíso (''Gran Valparaíso'') is the second largest metropolitan area in Chile, after Greater Santiago. It takes this name after the city of Valparaíso, the oldest city of the group and the most important harbour in Chile. It ...
) on the core of the three Gonzalez brothers: Patricio, Sergio and Fernando, alongside bassist Fernando Hurtado. They formed a school rock band was called The Stereos, then The Shadows and finally, Los Masters. During this period devoted themselves to instrumental covers of rock songs in English. Parallel to
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas is a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, psychedelic, and progressive rock styles formed in 1963 in Viña Del Mar, Chile. They are considered one of the most important and influential artists of all time in Latin America. ...
, began towards 1969 to experiment with indigenous ethnic instruments. With the addition of bassist and singer
Francisco Sazo, from the beat band Los Sicodélicos, the band had a new training. Since then called Congreso. The origins of Congreso is a mixture of these two groups, influenced like many of his generation, for the
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
. However, the new Latinamericanist winds geared the quintet toward a new style of rock bands as outlined by
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas is a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, psychedelic, and progressive rock styles formed in 1963 in Viña Del Mar, Chile. They are considered one of the most important and influential artists of all time in Latin America. ...
in
Viña del Mar and
Los Blops in
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...
. That touches of folk rock songs describes early 1969 works, mainly with flutes, andean aerophones and charango, as well as pop rhythms as in the fundamental song "Vamos andando mi amigo", which is a version of the hippie youth on this side of the world in the era of
Woodstock
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...
.
In 1971 they released ''El Congreso'', their first album, which included a theme based on the poem by
Pablo Neruda "Maestranzas de noche" and other classics, according to a formula that was presented at the Festival of the
Nueva Canción Chilena
Nueva is the Spanish feminine form of the word for "new" and may refer to:
* Isla Nueva, an uninhabited island in Chile
* The Nueva School
The Nueva School is a private school, with two campuses—the lower and middle school in Hillsborough, ...
that year (at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago ). The Gonzalez brothers resolved then enter to study at the Institute of Music of the
Universidad Católica, which ensnared their group work, but without disrupting their live performances.
The
1973 Chilean coup d'état
The 1973 Chilean coup d'état Enciclopedia Virtual > Historia > Historia de Chile > Del gobierno militar a la democracia" on LaTercera.cl. Retrieved 22 September 2006.
In October 1972, Chile suffered the first of many strikes. Among the par ...
cut soon the process of recording their second album, ''Terra Incognita'', only released two years later and with a limited diffusion, given the cultural space closure. The band did not lower his arms, and became one of the few groups who continued to work in Chile during the early years of the
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
. Fusion music and almost cryptic lyrics were their codes to survive the rigorous state surveillance: "Four black Horsemen / fly by / raising night / fog and fear" say in "Cueca of the apocalypse" (snippet of the song "Arcoiris de hollín"), included in the album ''Congreso'' in 1977, also sometimes referred to as "brown disk" and in a clear reference to the
Military junta
A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
. Two years later they recorded ''La Misa de los Andes'', which was not widely distributed and preceded the first group break up when three members, Fernando Hurtado, Renato Vivaldi and vocalist and lyricist Francisco Sazo, is leaving the group. The latter traveling to
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
for a PhD in philosophy .
Member changes and shift to progressive rock (1979–1984)
![Joe Vasconcellos en Maipú](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Joe_Vasconcellos_en_Maip%C3%BA.jpg)
The first leg of the group had a reduced the power being insert in the dictatorship, but the protest songs were cleverly camouflaged with poetic lyrics and musical complexities. The three Gonzalez brothers took over a year to reassemble the group while maintaining working as support musicians in television orchestras and pop musicians as the Argentine pianist
Raúl di Blasio
Raul, Raúl and Raül are the Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan forms of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph. They are cognates of the French Raoul.
Raul, Raúl or Raül may re ...
. So they met the young Chilean-Brazilian
Joe Vasconcellos
José Manuel Yáñez Meira de Vasconcellos (born 9 March 1959 in Santiago de Chile), better known as Joe Vasconcellos, is a Chilean singer/songwriter and composer of Latin rock, with influences of Latin American fusion and Brazilian popular music ...
, whose latinamericanist interests and his musical training thought he would give a new look to the project. Beside him completed the reshaping of Congreso the recently intregreated pianist Anibal Correa and bassist Ernesto Holman, who not only was an old acquaintance of his times Tilo Gonzalez university in the
Valparaiso, but it also would become one of the most representatives of the new fusion sound of the group. Vasconcellos then assumed as a lyricist, and with that scheme published ''Viaje por la cresta del mundo'' in 1981, one of his strongest works, with some of the most challenging Tilo's compositions as "Viaje por la cresta del mundo", "Hijo del diluvio" or "El descarril" among others, however public recognition would come with the inclusion of a simple song, the classic "Hijo del sol luminoso" written by
Joe Vasconcellos
José Manuel Yáñez Meira de Vasconcellos (born 9 March 1959 in Santiago de Chile), better known as Joe Vasconcellos, is a Chilean singer/songwriter and composer of Latin rock, with influences of Latin American fusion and Brazilian popular music ...
. Congreso then given a clear shift towards
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
, but always manteining a Latin Americanist style.
Moving between the stages of the Nueva Canción Chilena, rock spaces that opened in those years, and college circuits, Congreso consolidated in this new context as a fundamental band of the Chilean scene. With his album, Ha llegado carta (1983) roamed many scenarios, and were hired by CBS-Argentina to record a new production. Vasconcellos left the band, and the group focus its repertoire on instrumentals, which gave life to ''Pájaros de arcilla'' in 1984. In this year Valparaiso's saxophonist Jaime Atenas joined the group from the group Ensemble Jazz-Fusion. This album is one of the most critically acclaimed by specialist in the history of Congreso, however hardly circulated on this side of the mountains, so the home crowd went away, generating a new crisis was settled shortly after the Sazo reinstated (by then, Ph.D., after years of study in Europe)
Return of Sazo and back to democracy (1985–1990)
A new album would cool the style of the group, a reference becoming mandatory in new Congreso: ''Estoy que me muero'' (1986), returning to a more popular style, again created by Sazo letters. Moreover, drummer Sergio Tilo Gonzalez, band leader, had recruited two young musicians from
Fulano; (keyboardist Jaime Vivanco and electric bassist Jorge Campos), giving a boost to the third band. Congreso is aimed at merging with fine touches of jazz, always his own way, with songs like "Súbete a la vereda", "La isla del tesoro" y "Calipso intenso, casi azul" among others.
With renewed formation, Congreso toured Chile in 1987. The result of that tour came the double cassette ''Gira al sur'', which was distinguished by its emphasis on dance rhythms, bright songs and colorful staging, with the band all the fame garnered scattered in twenty years of history. The song "Calypso intenso, casi azul" was the emblem of the new stage, the development and popularity coincided with the
Chilean referendum, 1989 that defined output
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (, , , ; 25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean general who ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, first as the leader of the Military Junta of Chile from 1973 to 1981, being declared President of ...
of
La Moneda
Palacio de La Moneda (, ''Palace of the Mint''), or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secre ...
, and the
Chilean transition to democracy
The Chilean transition to democracy is the name given to the process of restoration of democracy carried out in Chile after the end of the military dictatorship of Pinochet, in 1990, and particularly to the first two democratic terms that suc ...
. In that way edited ''Para los arqueólogos del futuro'' (1989), one of the discs quicker pace in its history, and in which they sang about racial freedom, they played, ironized and deployed all its instrumental resources. According to Sazo, the album "reflects the ability of the American oblivion. Oblivion for the dead, especially for the last time." Songs like "Para la libertad" or "El trapecista" reached high radial difussion, especially "En todas las esquinas" which became one of the iconic themes of the arrival of democracy. The album was the first in the group's history to reach the category of "gold" (for 15,000 copies sold). Congreso retained the formula on the next disc, ''Aire Puro'' (1990), but the mass echo was, this time, more moderate. The success of this period include themes that echoed those living with passion the Chilean transition to democracy, as in the "Aire puro", which allowed them to participate in the legendary concert ''Desde Chile... un abrazo a la esperanza'' of
Amnesty International in 1990 alongside renowned international artists such as
Sinéad O'Connor,
Sting,
Peter Gabriel,
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...
,
Jackson Browne,
Luz Casal
María Luz Casal Paz (; born 11 November 1958) is a Spanish pop singer. She grew up in the municipality of Boimorto, took singing, piano and ballet classes, and moved to Madrid to pursue a career as a musician.
She became famous in the early ...
,
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...
,
Rubén Blades
Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...
, and
Inti-Illimani
Inti-Illimani (; from Quechuan ''Inti'' and Aymara '' Illimani)'' are an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The band was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in ...
, among others.
Conceptual music (1991–1994)
Two
concept albums, of high musical development but little massive understanding, was their next works, both published in 1992. ''Pichanga'' was developed a work based on poems by
Nicanor Parra
Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet and physicist. He was considered one of the most influential Chilean poets of the Spanish language in the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. P ...
, based on the
Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Co ...
, which involved institutions like
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
, Raddabarnen of Sweden, Terranova of Italy, and the Ministry of Education of Chile. ''Fuegos del hielo'' was composed for a modern ballet, in a
contemporary classical music style, referring to the extinction of the
ethnic groups
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
of the
far south of Chile such as
Alacalufes,
Aonikenk,
Yagan
Yagan (; – 11 July 1833) was an Aboriginal Australian warrior from the Noongar people. Yagan was pursued by the local authorities after he killed Erin Entwhistle, a servant of farmer Archibald Butler. It was an act of retaliation after ...
es and
Selknam Selknam or Selk'nam may refer to:
*Selk'nam people
The Selk'nam, also known as the Onawo or Ona people, are an indigenous people in the Patagonian region of southern Argentina and Chile, including the Tierra del Fuego islands. They were one ...
. The work was exhibited at Teatro Municipal de Santiago as well as in the Festival of Italica in Seville, Spain, and the Opera of Budapest, in Hungary, among many other places in the old continent. Each of these works was complex for the general public, confirming the limited commercial vocation of Congreso. Although the group moved away from rankings and charts, remained close to a public of high fidelity.
Dedicated to his musical trades separately, the members of the band for a while down the intensity of creation together until 1994, when, through ''25 años de música'' (a live album, with featured guests like
Isabel Parra , Inti- Illimani,
Eduardo Gatti, Argentine
León Gieco
Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco, better known as León Gieco (born on November 20, 1951 in Cañada Rosquín, Argentina) is an Argentine folk rock performer, composer and interpreter. He is known for mixing popular folkloric genres with Argentinia ...
and several former members of the group), reviewed its history of more than four hours of uninterrupted music.
The new Latin American music and Vivanco's death (1995–2003)
![Jaime Vivanco](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Jaime_Vivanco.jpg)
Two years after this live album, recorded two new original work in 1997 : ''Por amor al viento'' and ''Mediodía''. The first was released independently, due to the poor relationship the band had by then developed with record labels, and in a year that brought great but not massive impact. Mediodía, meanwhile, included live shots for some of his strongest songs.
From the 1990s onwards, many of the most emblematic of Congreso developed musical projects in parallel. Tilo Gonzalez works as a producer of
Magdalena Matthey
Maria Magdalena Matthey Correa, known professionally as Magdalena Matthey (born September 28, 1971, Santiago), is a Chilean singer-songwriter. She works in various genres including folk, popular music, Latin fusion, ballad, jazz and religious musi ...
and musicalizing documentaries. Jaime Atenas worked with the Cuarteto Latinoamericano de Saxophones, Jaime Vivanco and Jorge Campos continued working on
Fulano, while the latter also leads several projects of experimental rock and jazz fusion. Because each member have musical work separately, following disk recording delayed. In 2001, and with 32 years of existence, decided to release a new album inaugurating a different stage, so to publish that year, his new LP, La loca sin zapatos. It is an excellent opportunity to encounter the public with the group. Sazo's work in this album is remarkable in that still doing great lyrics like "Pasillo de amor", a slower, in the line of "Nocturno" which tells the love story of a prostitute and client. On the album also includes a version of "Angelita Huenuman" of
Victor Jara
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
, who had already appeared in the immortal artist tribute album, and "Farewell", with texts by
Pablo Neruda's work belongs to "The poets of Chile". By then,
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
had expired contract with Tilo and the relationship was very strained. Under this situation, Tilo Gonzalez creates his own recording studio and label to enter the wave of self-management. Thus make his production "Macondo" and independent label "Macchi" which debuts the new board and is distributed by
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
. For years, all the stamps belonged to EMI and Alerce.
And comes the fateful year of 2003. While in the capital Estacion Mapocho was watched the remains of
Eduardo "Gato" Alquinta, other news shook the creole music:
Jaime Vivanco (only 42 years old), composer and keyboardist of Congreso and Fulano, among other groups, was found dead at his home commune
Recoleta on January 17. In the wake, "Tilo" Gonzalez, noticeably affected, said: "Right now there is nothing to say, I am very sad, desolate.It's a blow, we feel very strongly." After this hard blow, Tilo decides the name of Jaime's replacement a few months after the fateful fact. Sebastian Almarza is chosen to face this challenge.
Reformation and touring (2004–2011)
![Tilo y Aliaga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Tilo_y_Aliaga.jpg)
Given the low coverage of the music of Congreso in Chile, decided to seek better fortune abroad and manage actions for the internationalization of the whole. Congreso launches tour in the United States with encouraging proposals including participation in an international jazz festival and the ability to distribute the complete discography in North America. It was then that the group finally began its international, especially considering the college circuit U.S. and scenarios of the "
world music". There they won Congreso a new space, which continued to explore for many years. On American soil were in the states of Montana, Nebraska, Texas, California and Louisiana, where they gave concerts, jams sessions and even gave lectures, notable is the participation of Jorge Campos, who spoke about techniques under the Jazz Institute of Music the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Franci ...
at Berkeley, and the intervention of Hugo Pirovic, Myrna Loy Center in a talk on flutes and ethnic instruments. So, a reporter on one of the tours to the United States described his surprise when he realized that Congreso complete records transmitted by the radio in
, as was the case of La loca con zapatos and Los fuegos del hielos.
The group went on his way, and two years after the last album, released another live album ''Congreso de exportación'', with the record being submitted to dash back at Teatro Oriente. The call showed that the band, despite the remoteness of the mass media has a significant and loyal following of audience. ''Congreso de exportación'', alludes playfully as Tilo, to trade agreements with
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and also to their next trip. His international reputation is echoed in Chile so are invited to participate in the
XLVI International Song Festival of Viña del Mar, without compromise, and a sample of perseverance and force of his formula. Congreso passes a good time thanks to their renowned live CD, winning an
Altazor Awards
The Altazor Award of the National Arts or simply Altazor, is a Chilean award which is awarded annually. The winners are chosen by the own creators and performers of the arts. They were established in 1958, but were not awarded until 1999. The a ...
.
On Saturday June 18, 2006 is a day that will hardly be forgotten, as before a packed house, Jorge Campos took leave of Congreso. After 20 years of joint history, Jorge Campos, left. The show this Saturday night at the Teatro Oriente in Santiago was his farewell to the Chilean public and Congreso. The new professional and musical challenges, required him to close the loop and from Congreso to act on new solo projects in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
before returning to Fulano in 2009. The event reached 1,200 people, which forefill the compound where the bassist played for the last time, before traveling to settle in the UK. After the successful presentation of farewell, Congreso began a small tour in Europe that led to the set to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
and
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Federico Faure is called by Tilo to be part of the new line of Congreso.
In 2007 performed a memorable concert at the Centro Cultural Estación Mapocho which brought together all the members that were once part of Congreso since its inception in 1969 less Jorge Campos. In December 2009 a concert performed because of the 40 years of the group, was performed with the symphony orchestra of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago directed by Edward Browne, as well as with the symphony orchestra of
Antofagasta
Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669.
After the Spanish American wars ...
in the
Ruins of Huanchaca. These consisted of orchestral concerts, which will be reflected on a new album which was released in 2014. After nine years away from the recording studio, in July 2010, launched on the market ''Con los ojos en la calle'' as a result of this way back to the stage. The album features songs by Tilo González and Francisco Sazo, and guests such as Brazilian
Lenine and
Ed Motta
Eduardo "Ed" Motta (; born August 17, 1971) is a Brazilian MPB, rock, soul, funk and jazz musician. He is the nephew of late singer-songwriter Tim Maia.
Career
Son of Luzia Motta, sister of Tim Maia and Antonio Motta, from an early age listened ...
, plus the Chilean singer Magdalena Matthey.
Reinterpretations and new album (2012–2018)
![Premios Pulsar 2019 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Premios_Pulsar_2019_04.jpg)
In April 2012 Congreso made a double concert at the Cultural Center Matucana 100, made from an online vote of 20–23 selecting songs rated out of 70 possibles. The concert was recorded and filmed for DVD fulfillment. Finally the release of the DVD entitled ''Congreso a la carta'' was held on September in a concert at the Teatro Oriente meaning the most important audiovisual work of the band.
In January 2014, the project "Congreso Sinfónico" (Symphonic Congreso), finally goes on sale on CD after four years of live performances celebrating the 40 years of the group, performed together with the symphony orchestra of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago directed by Eduardo Browne, as also with the orchestra of the University of Concepción in the homonymous city, as many other orchestras around the country. These concerts consisted of orchestral arrangements from the classical repertoire of Congreso.
On July 26, 2013, they re-release the album ''Pichanga: Antipoemas by Nicanor Parra'' to 21 years of its original edition with a concert in Matucana 100. In the same line, in April 2014 the group performed the album ''Pájaros de Arcilla'', celebrating 30 years of its launch in Argentina. The album was never presented in Chile despite being considered one of the masterpieces of the band given the quality and execution of the compositions.
In March 2015, they released the single ''El fin del show'' at the
Lollapalooza Chile
Lollapalooza Chile is the Chile-based version of the popular music festival Lollapalooza (). It is held in Santiago, Chile.
History
The annual festival launched in April 2011 in Santiago’s O'Higgins Park and features alternative rock, heav ...
concert, included in the compilation album ''Legado de trovadores'', and as a preview of their next studio album.
Continuing with the reinterpretations, the group presented the album ''Terra Incógnita'' (1975) in July 2016, due to its re-release in vinyl record format. They also announce the release of their new studio album, entitled ''La canción que te debía'', for the next few months.
On January 5, 2017, they perform at the Rockodromo 2017 for the first time playing together in stage with
Los Jaivas
Los Jaivas is a Chilean musical group who perform in folk, rock, psychedelic, and progressive rock styles formed in 1963 in Viña Del Mar, Chile. They are considered one of the most important and influential artists of all time in Latin America. ...
, at
Plaza Sotomayor in
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
, also celebrating the 100th anniversary of
Violeta Parra
Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal an ...
, in more than 3 hours of music that featured the presence of 15,000 attendees.
On November 25, 2017, the new album entitled ''La canción que te debía'' (The song that owed you), was finally released in a double concert at the Teatro Oriente in Santiago. They also premiered the video clip of the song ''Premio de consuelo'' for YouTube, which adds to the theme ''Fin del show'' premiered some time ago. The presentation included the participation of lyric singer Pamela Flores, and Simón González on guitar, son of Tilo. It features the intense song entitled ''A las yeguas del apocalipsis'' (To the mares of the apocalypse) in tribute to
Pedro Lemebel. At the same time, the book ''Los Elementos: voces y asedios al grupo Congreso'' of Rodrigo Pincheira, was launched, becoming the first literary work entirely dedicated to the band.
50th anniversary celebration (2019–present)
![Congreso en los Premios Pulsar 2019 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Congreso_en_los_Premios_Pulsar_2019_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2019 for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the band, a tour entitled ''Congreso en Todas las Esquinas'' is intended, with the ambitious plan to present 50 recitals throughout the country. These began in January at Teatro Municipal de Las Condes and at the festival La Cumbre.
On Saturday, April 27, 2019, they performed at the Juan Bustos Ramírez Municipal Theater (Former Teatro Velarde) at his native
Quilpué
Quilpué is a city and capital of the Marga Marga Province in central Chile's Valparaíso Region. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (''Ciudad del Sol'') and the urban part of it als ...
, to celebrate part of its five decades of history and, at the same time, the 121st anniversary of the commune, where In addition, the historical members of the band Sergio "Tilo" González, Fernando González, Patricio González, Francisco "Pancho" Sazo, Fernando Hurtado and Hugo Pirovich were recognized as Illustrious Citizens of the city, in a concert with sold out tickets and a strong presence of family and friends.
On August 24 they celebrated in the Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, the exact 50 years since their first formal concert at the Velarde Theater in
Quilpué
Quilpué is a city and capital of the Marga Marga Province in central Chile's Valparaíso Region. It is part of the Greater Valparaíso metropolitan area. It is widely known as "City of the Sun" (''Ciudad del Sol'') and the urban part of it als ...
. The concert began with videos of greetings and stories of fans of the band, among which some cultural figures such as
Claudio Parra
Claudio Parra Pizarro (born September 14, 1945 in Viña del Mar) is a Chilean musician, pianist, and composer. He is one of the founders and current member of Chilean rock band Los Jaivas. He is an undisputed referent of the piano with a properly ...
,
Bororo
The Bororo are indigenous people of Brazil, living in the state of Mato Grosso. They also extended into Bolivia and the Brazilian state of Goiás. The Western Bororo live around the Jauru and Cabaçal rivers. The Eastern Bororo ( Orarimogodoge) ...
, and
Pedro Aznar
Pedro Aznar (born 23 July 1959) is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has a musical experience in jazz, Argentine folk and rock music and has a successful career as a solo artist. He is well known for giving rock songs a jazz-orient ...
stood out. The musical repertoire toured all its history and discography with special guests for each period of the band, bringing together the founders in the first formation of the 70s'; Fernando González Morales, Patricio González, and Fernando Hurtado. To the band of the 80's;
Joe Vasconcellos
José Manuel Yáñez Meira de Vasconcellos (born 9 March 1959 in Santiago de Chile), better known as Joe Vasconcellos, is a Chilean singer/songwriter and composer of Latin rock, with influences of Latin American fusion and Brazilian popular music ...
, Ernesto Holman, and Ricardo Vivanco. In the 90's with Jorge Campos, Pajarito Araya, and audiovisual references to Jaime Vivanco. In relation to their last decade they invited
Magdalena Matthey
Maria Magdalena Matthey Correa, known professionally as Magdalena Matthey (born September 28, 1971, Santiago), is a Chilean singer-songwriter. She works in various genres including folk, popular music, Latin fusion, ballad, jazz and religious musi ...
and Simón González. Other guests were
Isabel Parra, and
Banda Conmoción
''Banda Conmoción'' are a Chilean ensemble band who mix cumbia and gypsy music with genres such as ska and cha-cha-cha. They are part of the new Latin-American fusion movement and emerged in the early nineties along with groups like Chico ...
. The concert lasted more than four hours and 44 songs were performed, and also had puppet interventions, dancers (ballet and afro), and permanent audiovisual support also touring its art and concept. The audience excitedly supported the master recital at all times.
During November they celebrated the 30th anniversary of one of the most emblematic albums of the band ''Para los arqueólogos del futuro'' (For the archaeologists of the future), in the midst of the
social explosion that was experienced in Chile.
In 2020,
Nano Stern
Nano Stern (born in Santiago de Chile, March 30, 1985) is a Chilean singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer of the “third generation of Chilean singer-songwriters” who appear after the 1990s. His work is linked with popular song movements an ...
, Simón González and under the symphonic direction of Francisco Núñez, made the tribute album to Congreso entitled ''Ya es tiempo'', which has thirteen arrangements of emblematic songs by the band. That same year Congreso releases the single ''La Plaza de los Suenos'' and the following year ''Rock and roll de los misterios'' in what meant the return to the stage after the pandemic.
On December 28, 2021, Patricio González dies at the age of 72, founder and member of the group between 1969 and 2000.
In September 2022, they release their new studio album entitled ''Luz de flash''.
Band members
Current members
*
Sergio "Tilo" González, composition, drums, bandleader.
*
Francisco "Pancho" Sazo
Francisco Sazo (Quilpué, March 22, 1953) better known in the musical industry as Pancho Sazo is a Chilean musician and professor of philosophy. Frontman, singer, instrumentalist and lyricist, he is a founding member of the group Congreso, with ...
, voice, lyrics.
* Hugo Pirovic, flutes, percussion.
* Jaime Atenas, soprano and alto sax.
* Raúl Aliaga, classical and ethnic percussion.
* Sebastiàn Almarza, piano and keyboards.
* Federico Fauré, acoustic and electric bass.
Past members
* Fernando Hurtado: (1969–1978)
* Fernando González: (1969–1992)
* Patricio González: (1969–2000)
* Renato Vivaldi: (1975–1979)
* Arturo Riesco: (1977–1978)
* Aníbal Correa: (1980–1985)
* Ernesto Holman: (1980–1985)
*
Joe Vasconcellos
José Manuel Yáñez Meira de Vasconcellos (born 9 March 1959 in Santiago de Chile), better known as Joe Vasconcellos, is a Chilean singer/songwriter and composer of Latin rock, with influences of Latin American fusion and Brazilian popular music ...
: (1980–1984)
* Ricardo Vivanco: (1980–1991)
* Carlos Gana: (1985)
*
Jaime Vivanco: (1986–2003)
* Jorge Campos: (1986–2006)
* Claudio "Pajarito" Araya: (2001–2004).
Members history
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Discography
Studio albums
* 1971 – ''El Congreso'' (EMI-ODEON)
* 1975 – ''Terra Incógnita'' (EMI-ODEON)
* 1977 – ''Congreso'' (EMI-ODEON)
* 1978 – ''Misa de Los Andes'' (EMI ODEÓN)
* 1981 – ''Viaje por la Cresta del Mundo'' (EMI-ODEON)
* 1982 – ''Ha Llegado Carta'' (EMI-ODEON)
* 1984 – ''Pájaros de Arcilla'' (CBS Records)
* 1986 – ''Estoy que me muero...'' (Alerce)
* 1989 – ''Para los arqueólogos del futuro'' (Alerce)
* 1990 – ''Aire Puro'' (Alerce)
* 1992 – ''Los Fuegos del Hielo'' (Alerce)
* 1992 – ''Pichanga: Antipoemas de
Nicanor Parra
Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet and physicist. He was considered one of the most influential Chilean poets of the Spanish language in the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. P ...
'' (Alerce) (Reissued in 2013)
* 1995 – ''Por amor al viento'' (EMI) (Reissued in 1997)
* 2001 – ''La loca sin zapatos'' (MACONDO – Sony Music)
* 2010 – ''Con los ojos en la calle'' (MACHI)
* 2014 – ''Congreso sinfónico'' (MACHI)
* 2017 – ''La canción que te debía'' (MACHI)
* 2022 – ''Luz de flash'' (MACHI)
Compilation and live albums
* 1987 – ''Gira al Sur'' (Alerce)
* 1991 – ''Congreso 71–82'' (EMI)
* 1994 – ''25 Años de Música'' (EMI)
* 1997 – ''Mediodía'' (IRIS MUSIC)
* 2004 – ''Congreso de exportación: la historia de un viaje'' (MACHI)
* 2012 – ''Congreso a la carta'' (MACHI)
*2015 – ''Legado de Trovadores''
*2018 – ''En vivo Montreal 1988''
Singles
* 1970 – "Maestranzas de Noche" (EMI ODEON)
* 1971 – "Vamos Andando mi Amigo" (EMI ODEON)
* 1972 – "Entre la gente sencilla" (EMI ODEÓN)
* 1972 – "¿Cómo Vas?" (EMI-ODEON)
* 2015 - "Fin del show" (MACHI)
* 2020 - "Plaza de los sueños" (MACHI)
* 2021 - "Rock and Roll de los misterios" (MACHI)
References
{{Authority control
Chilean rock music groups
Nueva canción musicians
Chilean jazz fusion bands