Group’s leader adds touch of theater to sound of the Andes. Sukay, purveyor of high energy music of the Andes, has traveled the globe spreading its traditional Bolivian panpipe melodies. Still, founder and lead vocalist Quentin Howard remembers Idaho well. "The first time we played in Boise was in ‘84," she says. "It’s funny, because you come from New York from one end of the country to the other, and you think ‘Boise, wow, do you think the people will like the music we play?’ "And that night, the people gave us a standing ovation during the first intermission. I said to the guys, "This is one of the warmest audiences we’ve ever had.’ It was wonderful." Sure, Quentin. Nice try. "No, no, no," she insists, then adds a story too bizarre to be fiction: "We played in Idaho Falls, too, and there was square dance. A square dance and then Sukay in the community center, with all those beautiful quilts. The costumes of the women were competitive to ours. They were great. We felt right at home."

Adaptation has always been a key to Sukay’s success. A native of Brooklyn, Howard first stumbled upon Andean music at a folk festival. She was dazzled by the art form, learned to play the kena (a notched flute), and took it upon herself to share the beautiful music with her own country. She formed Sukay in 1978. The group’s initial performances were much like a showcase of ethnomusicologists. But as Howard’s knowledge and abilities grew, so did her aspirations. While Sukay’s early work seldom left the confines of traditional South American music, the group now blends multitudes of instruments—even bongos and electric mandolin—with traditional Bolivian song.

Much credit, Howard says, goes to Eddy Navia, a neo-folk musician who joined in 1989 after releasing three gold albums in Bolivia with his previous group, Savia Andina. As Sukay’s new artistic director, Navia brought sweeping musical and composing skills. He also brought his 15 year old son, Gabriel, who plays the charango—a 10 string, guitar like instrument made from the shell of an armadillo.

Sukay’s tremendous success in both North and South America has opened many doors. A few, Howard says, may have been better off left closed. "It’s a funny challenge we have now," she says. "What I see in the cities—and not in Boise, because you don’t have groups on street corners—but after being so spoiled and the only Andean group in a decade, we saw this influx of Andean groups in cities, usually pirating material and bringing the Andean music down from a constant level to a level that’s almost mediocre. So that challenged us. How do you face that?"