by Mariana Marcaletti
Herald staff

“Corazón de pájaro is a miniature album, a fragile and refined whisper that stares and knows what has collapsed in Argentine culture. That’s why Teresa sings. She raises her voice assertively because she is aware of the need that these poor countries of the southern part of the world have to start all over again. She gracefully and skillfully picks the memorious wings of a bird that doesn’t give up,” Teresa Parodi’s colleague Liliana Herrero says.

Collecting and revisiting Argentine and Latin American folk music gems is Teresa Parodi’s intention. The singer-songwriter and composer has just released her new material Corazón de pájaro, a selection of not-so-known classics and also songs she wrote.
The stability she has achieved with the passing of years is reflected in the tracks, as well as in her decision to incorporate melodies from several parts of the country and the continent. This, she says, is the result of a lengthy career that has given her the freedom to come up with something unrelated to her previous repertoire.

Northeast star looking for more. “People associate me with the music of the northeast, because I have always done this kind of music. But I have learnt melodies from various places. I have never tended to show this unknown side of me. And the same has happened to me as a composer: I have written songs that are not exclusively dedicated to my region’s folk music because I am keen on Argentine music in general, or Latin American music. But I have never had the opportunity to perform this aspect of myself in front of an audience.”
She hasn’t presented this nationwide repertoire before for a few reasons. “When I started out in music, I put all my energy into fostering my place’s music. And it seemed to me that this was a generational decision: the musicians who were born at the same time as I was felt we needed to contribute to the circulation of our homeland’s art forms. We were committed to it, so that we could expand it in the future. Not only did we add important changes to the music of the songs, but also to the poetry, to the contents. We took the plunge to use new melodies, and our bravery made our expressions grow. We developed music and, therefore, made it more profound.”

Having done this, Parodi felt that now is the right time to try new folk music styles, which are more connected with other regions. “As it has been a while since I begun, I’m entitled to say I’ve contributed to my province’s music. I have a strong repertoire, it’s established and I have been recognized for my work as an author. All this helps me to say that right now I’m ready to present the rest of the songs wrote by myself that are not related to music from the north east. I am also glad to sing the classics that I’ve always performed in private but never in public. In my live concerts, I include songs written by me that aren’t from my region and the audience was responsive. People took it naturally. I would like to share this aspect of me with people, to prove them that now I feel like doing this”.

The title of the album makes reference to the reason why Parodi wanted to include unfamiliar songs created by world-renowned Argentine authors. “I did the song Corazón de pájaro with Horacio Molina a long time ago, but we have never recorded it. I chose the name of the track to be the title of the album because it sumps up the concept. The CD is about flying away over various lands, discovering new regions through singing and the love for music. Corazón de pájaro can also be a metaphor: like a bird, I choose freedom.”
Even the album cover was planned to suit the material’s requirements. “Instead of a bird flying, which would be the commonplace to illustrate the album, I selected the image of an artist. There is a man grabbing a guitar and lying on top of it. He is listening to the guitar and, through the instrument, he can hear his heart. It’s by Oswaldo Guayasamín, who is a great painter from Ecuador, who went missing. He is one of America’s greatest visual artist. He is extraordinary, his images look like poems. I chose him because his masterpieces have music and poetry, it’s unbelievable. I admire him deeply.  When I saw his work, it caught my eye.”

Unfamiliar songs unravelled. Recalling the moment when she decided which songs will be included in Corazón de pájaro and which were going to be left out, Parodi gave priority to two elements: the quality of the artist in question and the number of versions that have been made of that song. The fewer times a hit has been performed, the better because it offer a chance to let people know of the track’s existence.

“There are a lot of songs written by the best authors in our country that hadn’ot been sung very often. We must not forget young people, they need to get to know Argentina’s marvellous music. If we don’t sing this extraordinary repertoire, songs are bound to be forgotten. It’s great looking for the hits that are hidden. The only song that has many versions is Jorge Fandermole’s Oración del remanso. I recorded it because I am in touch with the people of El remanso, because they like how I sing this track and I wanted to give them this gift.”

There are also more personal parts of the album such as Atahualpa Yupanqui’s Tú que puedes vuélvete, which is dedicated to her father. “This was the song he liked most. I wrote the phrase “because I haven’t forgotten”, to tell him that I still remember that he was so hooked on that song. It meant a lot to him. He passed on to me his love for music, and his passion for Yupanqui, to his deepness. My father is no longer in my life, he died when I was 18, he was 47. I didn’t have time to show him everything I have achieved. When I was a teenager, I would sing at small venues but he didn’t have the chance to see me hit bigger stages. Although he wasn’t a musician, he taught my his love for it. He had an extraordinary record collection, with classical and folk music. I was brought up listening to this. He gave me all the necessary tools to come up with my work.”

Also for emotional reasons, she dedicated the album itself to Horacio Castillo. “He was an extraordinary guitarist and composer. He should have been one of the musicians on this album as we had rehearsed together. But he had to travel to Chaco, and on his way there his car crashed due to the fog on the highway and he passed away. He was so young and talented, he had so much to give, a bright future. It’s a tragedy.”

Emotional and sad, Teresa Parodi pull herself together and continues talking about the tribute she makes to María Elena Walsh. “Although there are several recreations of her hit Barco quieto, I decided to perform it because this is a song that I like a lot. Mercedes Sosa revisited La paciencia pobrecita, it was so beautiful and I have always enjoyed listening to it. The same happened to me with Armando Tejada Gómez’ Primera soledad, a track that has not been performed by many singers.”
With guest artists Oscar Alem, Mariana Baraj and Horacio Molina, Teresa Parodi invites everyone to discover her new approach to music. The Metropolitano theatre is the venue where she will present today and tomorrow the material that has always taken her breath away, but has remained hidden until now.

profile

— As the guest singer in Astor Piazzolla’s quintet in 1979, she toured with them in the provinces.
— Over 20 albums were released, including Canto a Los Hombres del Pan Duro (the lyrics are poems by writers such as Jorge Luis Borges and Leopoldo Marechal), Letra y Música (with her chamamecero colleague Antonio Tarragó Ros), Correntinas (with Ramona Galarza) and Autobiografías (the most representative songs of her career such as Apurate José, Canción para Verónica and La Negra Eulogia).
— In 1995, she received the Konex award for the best author/composer of the decade.
— Three years ago, she was declared Illustrious Citizen of BA city for her national and international career as a folk music artist.
— She has just returned from a visit to Israel as well as gigs in Europe and the US.
— She is a member of the Sadaic composers’ association board.