Before resuming the above interview-translation in this fresh post, some additional facts.

Before 1970, the Inti-Illimani line-up included Ernesto Perez de Arce, from Chile, and Max Berru, from Ecuador; Jorge Coulon was a member, but not yet his brother Marcelo.

Perez de Arce dropped out shortly before Inti-Illimani went to Europe, that is to say, shortly before the coup which stranded the band away from South America.

Marcelo Coulon did not join Inti-Illimani until they had been in exile for several years, in Western Europe; he replaced someone whose name I can't remember, who decided to leave the group.

Max Berru continued with Inti-Illimani until 1997. By then the Chile government had been transformed, and the exiles were permitted to return from Europe; Berru's departure was amicable, and a farewell concert punctuated his retirement.

A year later, Jose Seves left Inti-Illimani.   

With the year 2000, the greatly increased demand for Inti-Illimani and their recordings, prompted the re-release of some of the earliest recordings in their back-catalogue. This in turn led to the realization of reunion-style performances. For these, Inti-Illimani dressed in the red ponchos of their leftist youth, which can be seen on at least one of their early album cover photos. The performances brought back, just for the purpose of reunion, Ernesto Perez de Arce and Max Berru. Jose Seves returned for the performances, then rejoined the group.

2001 was the year that Horacio Salinas walked out, never to return; he was immediately replaced with a newer, younger musical director.

Jose Seves left, for the second and final time, in 2002.

"Vina del Mar" was a festival that took place in 2004, after which Horacio Duran quietly took his leave of Inti-Illimani.

And here I resume my rough English translation of Horacio Duran's interview in Spanish, at www. solo-rock.com, in 2008.   


Duran: ....I told the others that, No, we cannot deny those of us who really are Inti-Illimani, very specific persons such as Max Berru, the Coulon brothers, Salinas, Seves, and myself. In truth, I have always said this one thing, that I have never recognized in Marcelo Coulon someone who made any musical decisions in the band. Formally he is part of the group and we worked together on many recordings....I identify five individuals, amongst them the determining presence of a former member, this was Ernesto Perez de Arce, because he played a fundamental role in creating the musical style of this group.

....It is true that we three no longer wanted to work with him [Jorge Coulon], it was a time of tension, we concluded that it would not be possible. He is very close to his brother, and in reality the dividing line formed in 2001, owing to the rest of us wanting Marcelo Coulon to leave, and there started this "if he goes, I go," and that produced the rupture. The three of us have said from the beginning: here are two groups, we ought to share our name in some manner...

Journalist: But Jorge Coulon, from what can be seen, does not agree...

Duran: No, no way. Up to the present day he says that our group is fake, and in reality this is a "porfia" on his part which has no sense, and I greatly regret that he gets himself stuck in so obtuse a position. Me, I believe that [Jorge Coulon] is just as much Inti-Illimani as I, Horacio Salinas, Jose Seves, and Max Berru....for him [Jorge Coulon] to go on with this obsession that the only "Inti" is HIS "Inti," and besides there is this web page that speaks super badly [literally, "super mal"] about us, this is absurd, because we want to share the mark of the group.