SANTIAGO GAY REVEALED
Nighttime activities mark closeted country

By Marc Killinger

Being gay isn't easy in Chile, even in the capital of Santiago, home to a third of all Chileans and a center of international commerce. Strongly influenced by the overwhelmingly dominant Catholic Church, Chilean life is centered on the extended family, and it’s extremely important to appear "normal" and non-controversial. People consciously avoid controversy and even interaction with others, and there is a sameness to the way people dress, black being the preferred color.

Yet under the surface, there is an active if small gay scene, mostly in the capital but also in the old seaside resort of Vina del Mar and adjacent Valparaiso, Chile’s second largest metropolitan area. Smaller cities may have one or two gay bars, though it can be next to impossible for locals to be out of the closet. But surprisingly, when the Chilean congress updated the country’s outdated sodomy laws last year it eliminated the prohibition on gay sex.

Overall, the scene feels like a cross between the U.S. in the1950s and 1990s. Drag shows are common in the major dance clubs, although they often include hunky strippers who show evidence of having spent time in American-style gyms. And while on the one hand they may be decorated in international disco style and charge entrance fees of more than US$10, gay clubs and bars are notoriously difficult to find. This is both because information on their whereabouts is not publicly available to the visitor, and they may not even have a sign on the street.

Neither of the two local gay publications is sold in the thousands of kiosks where Chileans buy magazines and the daily newspaper. Lesbian life is even more undercover than for gay men. Perhaps the most popular gay dance club in Santiago is Bunker, located along with most of the other gay and lesbian establishments in the Bellavista entertainment neighborhood just northeast of downtown across the modest Mapocho River . The area is within walking distance of the Baquedano Metro (subway) stop and reasonably priced taxis are very easy to find throughout the city.

Very popular with Santiago’s "see and be seen" guppy (gay urban professional) crowd as well as onlookers and even non-gays, Bunker features non-stop and very loud techno music and the city’s best show in a huge building whose many levels all have a view of the dance floor The line forms by 12:30 p.m., as it’s two-for-one until 1 a.m. This is the starting time for all dance clubs in Chile, though there are quieter ("pre-dance") bars that open at 10 or so.

The best of these is Vox Populi, also in Bellavista, a convivial pub in the first floor of an old house with a small bar, tables in two rooms plus a back patio (it’s warm enough here for sitting outdoor partying from September through April). Decent snacks include a smoked salmon plate as well as various "tablas," mixed plates of cheeses, salami, olives, pickles, etc. (US$5-7) usually served on cutting boards that are a staple of Chilean bars.

There are several other pubs and dance clubs in Bellavista and the adjacent lower Providencia area (see resource list below for addresses and other information). Sui Generis, on Bombero Nunez a couple blocks up from Bunker, is, as far as I know, Chile’s only lesbian bar.

In addition, two clubs on the city’s main east-west drag, the Alameda (official name, Av. Bernardo O’Higgins), are worth visiting. Naxos is more working class, less pretentious and more friendly than its Bellavista brothers, and is located in a high-ceiling basement space downtown, next to the historic San Francisco church (and adjacent, five-star hotel). Its cover is only about US$4, and the playlist departs from the required techno to include a variety of Latin rock, ballads and even romantic music, especially after, say, 3 a.m.

Finally, the hip, bisexual set flocks to Blondie, also on the Alameda but west of downtown, where three different spaces feature everything from extravagant drag shows to house music, special British punk nights and film showings. This past Monday their "Night of Divas" had a "Happy Birthday Madonna" theme.

Here’s more information about how to find the boys and girls of the night. Blondie is at Alameda 2879 near Metro [subway stop] Universidad Latinoamericano in Barrio Brasil; Bunker, Bombero Nunez 159, Bellavista; Fausto, the other popular, upscale dance club, Santa Maria 0832, Providencia; Naxos, Alameda 776; Sui Generis, Bombero Nunez 363; Vox Populi, Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue 342 at Dominica.

There are two lesbian and gay publications in Chile, El Otro Lado and Lambda News, although strangely, neither has an overall list of bars and organizations. They can sometimes be found in bars, and Lambda News is for sale at Chile’s only women’s bookstore, Las Lilas, inside a courtyard with several arts and crafts shops and bookstores at Av. Providencia 1652. Also see the magazine's website at www.lambdanews.cl.

The web is generally a good resource for queer Chile. www.gaychile.com has news, a list of gay places up and down Chile, as well as links to other organizations and to bar and club websites it has designed and other services -- in Spanish, English and German. The main gay male political organization, Movimiento Unificado de Minorias Sexuales, is redoing its website at www.minorias.in.cl and currently only has information about the upcoming gay pride celebration in September. Finally, the Coordinadora Lesbica lesbian site is at members.tripod.com/coorles.

For more information or a tour of gay Santiago, contact article author Marc Killinger at tamarcos@usa.net

A NIGHT OF STORY TELLING

By Russell Hobart

I'm going to build you a house in the sky
for you to live there.
And then, I'll put up a great sign,
with large clouds that read "Ada Luz."
- translated from traditional song Un Vallenato en el Aire

Colombia: Land of perhaps the world's most brutal and crafty drug lords, home to Medellin, the world's murder capital, supplier of the poison of America's inner-cities, symbol of democracy's great new enemy Ñ drugs. Even to Latin Americans, generally well-informed on other countries in the region, Colombia is best-known for violence and drugs. But it is in this haven of "all things evil" that the ancient tradition of storytelling has met modernity. This fine and magical art has found a place in Santiago, in Bellavista's Casa en el Aire (House in the Sky).

Of all the stories, the first one that should be told is that of the owners (mother and son), Lucy Gonzalez and Hugo Fernandez. Twenty years ago, when Pinochet and his ilk took power, the Fernandez family made a quick decision that it was time to jump ship. France was a common destination for many but they wanted to stay in Latin America, where they would not have to face a language problem or many cultural differences.

Sra. Gonzalez was teaching high school in Colombia when she learned of how Colombians piled into night-clubs to make themselves an audience to a great oral tradition (for those readers who feel at home at the bar, this is not the drinking tradition but that of story-telling). As political conditions became less grave for Chilean exiles, the family returned, though not to their original hometown of Concepcion, having become accustomed to the warm Colombian weather.

An affinity for warm-weather was not the only hunk of their Colombian lives they carried with them - they also brought stories. More accurately, they brought stories, music and stories filled with music to La Casa en el Aire. From Tuesday to Saturday, there is a little of both (Mondays it's just a bar). Tuesdays feature a Colombian troupe which offers a mix of music, poetry and stories. The official day of pure storytelling is Wednesday. This involves a mix of stories from Latin American and occasionally international writers. Thursdays offer another mix of music and poetry with performances like "Amigos de Jazz" and other alternating forms of mixed art. Fridays and Saturdays belong to live music, which usually means Latin-based rhythms like Bossa Nova or fusion.

The stories, though tinged with philosophical meaning, are mainly for entertainment, a purpose they usually fulfill quite well. The storytellers are professionals with the proper timing and vibrant style you would expect from someone with such a calling.

The building, though not quite so romantic as "a house in the sky," has a pleasant cottage-like feel. A lower ceiling and simple design add to this effect. The painted but exposed wooden rafters may have you supposing that you are visiting a friend's country home for the weekend - you are immediately set at ease. Also figuring into the magical feeling is the ceiling art, representing a hot, fiery sun and a cool, happy moon. The walls display the family's Colombian past with posters of pastoral scenes and tourist traps.

However quaint, the layout is not exactly tailored for entertainment. Many of the tables don't have a decent view of the corner set aside as a stage and a crowbar might be handy if you need to get up to go to the bathroom, as the tables are rather close together. As for the remaining tables, half their seats face away from the readers and musicians, making for awkward viewing. This packed-in setting may add to a friendly ambiance but if you like your personal space it is wise to arrive at least a half-hour early to pick out a good seat.

La Casa en el Aire is located at 0125 Antonia Lopez de Bello. Finding it is easy. Just go down Pio Nono (the main strip in the Bellavista neighborhood), and take a right on Antonia Lopez de Bello. It is a little bit past Constitucion on the right side. The place opens at 7 p.m. and the performances begin at 10:30 for storytelling, 11:30 for music-only nights, and 11 other nights. You can call for reservations at 735-0680. On nights with entertainment, Tuesday-Saturday, it costs about $2,000 pesos to enter and the drinks are reasonably priced.

LOS JAIVAS- STILL ROCKING AFTER 34 YEARS

By Bridget Cowan

If South American popular music were an endurance contest, Los Jaivas would have to be one of the front-runners.

After 34 years and 11 albums, this Chilean band - whose name means "The Crabs" - still know how to cultivate a happy dance vibe. They did just that at their gig last Saturday, mixing rock and Andean music and fluctuating between heart-felt drumming and gentle poetry accompanied by panpipes.

Apart from songs from "Hijos del Tierra" ("Sons of the Earth"), their latest album, the band must also have been blasting out a few old favorites, judging by the reaction from the mainly Chilean audience. Surrounded by people shouting along to the words, I felt like an impostor amongst true Jaiva groupies. Kindly, the groupies informed me that, as I wasn't Chilean, I couldn't be expected to know the lyrics.

The room full of obsessive fans was not an anomaly; Los Jaivas are such an institution in this country, that, I thought, it would be strange to be Chilean and not to have picked up the words to their more well-known songs at some point.

Their success may be due to the years when they improvised constantly in an effort "to let our subconscious open up, and to find something that was ours, something personal," says Claudio Parra, one of the band's two keyboard players. "This process led to the creation of our style, which is indigenous and Chilean, a result of the music we always listened to."

The misnomer of "rock band" which many have tagged on Los Jaivas arises from their formation in the '70s, Parra says. "It's a generation thing" that has left its mark on their style, he says, but the group are far from rockers.

Originally from Vina del Mar, they started out playing at local parties and progressed gradually to international fame. Now based in France, they still come back to Chile regularly, and last weekend played to a full house at La Fabrica in Bellavista in a scene which could have been straight out of MTV. Machinery statues, metal doors and high ceilings reminiscent of the club's origins as a factory give the place an industrial ambiance. On the night I visited, there was a suitably cool-looking audience, as well, who, chilling at spread-out tables, resembled the likes of Jameroquai fans with floppy hats and over-sized trainers. It was only the older generation section of the audience who gave the game away that we weren't gathered there to see Jameroquai, but rather Los Jaivas.

The young, lycra-clad drummer, Juanita, wearing a spangly star on her forehead, makes for a bizarre contrast with the other four members of the band, who look like gray-haired friendly uncles. Which is exactly what the two keyboard players, Eduardo and Claudio Parra, are to Juanita, who replaced her father, their brother, Gabriel, as the group's drummer after he tragically died in a car crash in Peru in 1982.

Together with Gato Alquinta and Fernando Flores, the three brothers originally started out in 1963 under the name of High Bass, mixing together cumbias, sambas, bossa nova and the twist, along with other rhythms. In 1969, when they decided to concentrate on improvising, they changed their name to Los Jaivas, and although over time they returned to composition, they still retain the freedom to improvise in solo parts.

From the original, mainly electrical instruments they used in the '60s, they now tease out rhythms on drums, acoustic guitars, rain sticks, bells, tambourines and a trutruca, a long pipe that makes a fulsome, resounding harmonious bellow which would be much more at home in the mountains than Bellavista, but sounds beautiful all the same. The Sampona panpipes, another traditional Andean instrument, are used liberally and bring a vibrant sadness to the music which is complimented by the urgency of the drumming. There is obviously great communication between the group, which Claudio Parra attributes to them living all together with their families in one huge house, first in Argentina when they left Chile in 1973, and then for the following 10 years in France.

It is the experience of being based abroad that allows the group to be objective about Chile and to keep developing musically. Being away from home has also put their music onto an international footing in terms of audience and lyrics. "Hijos de Tierra," the title song of their 1995 album, observes, "We are children of the earth, and its word is our history."

But even having lived aboard for so many years and toured around the world there still remains a quintessential Chilean element to their poetry. Part of this is how they express the paradoxical soothing effect of Chile's turbulent geography; it carries on doing its own thing, erupting when it wants, regardless of what the human race is up to: "Volcano, in my beating heart your insolent lava heals my wounds."

A regional but also universal environmental anger surges in "Bosques Virginales" ("Virgin Forests"), directed at the wanton misuse of Latin America's natural resources and questioning the madness and barbarity threatening native woods. The song challenges modern utilitarian economics, insisting that the woods are where "everything is you (the forest), without more reason for being than the illusion of eternity."

Like these native trees, Los Jaivas too are rooted in Chilean culture. Claudio Parra believes that the future of that culture depends on the creation of a Ministry of Culture, so that "the control is taken out of private hands, and can be given back to the people, a move which requires action from the government."

La Fabrica at Ascencion 426 is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., with either live music or a disco, there is also a restaurant where the average price per person is $10,000.

OLD HABANA IN DOWNTOWN SANTIAGO

By Katherine Ferrey Jule

If you have been desperately searching Santiago for a place where you can rumba your bumba and cha-cha your whatcha... fear no more. CHIP News has found the mana come down from heaven. It is called La Habana Vieja and it brings all the best of the Caribbean right to the heart of Santiago.

La Habana Vieja recalls the wonders of Cuba and other Caribbean islands in its ambiance, food, drink, music, dance, decoration and everything else you can think of. All that is missing are two real palm trees with a hammock (your name embroidered on it) hanging in between. And maybe a total babe/dude fanning you with a giant palm leaf.

La Habana Vieja was originally established by a Chilean-Cuban couple on Avenida Matta, but after a year the space couldn't contain the customers. After searching for another year for the correct relocation, the owners took over the old "Teatro Bolivar" on Tarapaca Street and converted the theater into a bright, cheery and colorful restaurant, bar, live music/dancing center and "naif painting" art gallery.

The philosophy of La Habana Vieja's owners is to have a multiple-use restaurant with an informal ambiance. Here, people may enjoy eating out with their families and listening to music from a band specializing in the Cuban "charanga" performance format. This type of band has eight members and starts out with Cha-Cha-Cha, then moves through a series of Dansones, Rumbas, Salsas and several other styles. While the band performs, you can still hold a comfortably audible conversation. But it is also just loud enough to inspire even the most "two-left-footed" among us to boogie-oogie-woogie the night away. There are also naif art exhibitions planned for July and a series of live poetry-readings scheduled for August. Truly, what more could you want out of life?

La Habana Vieja offers great, moderately priced Cuban fare. If you are unfamiliar with Cuban/Caribbean cuisine, you could start out with drinking a $2,500 "Cuba Libre" or a $2,700 "La Habana Vieja." Each of these beverages is based on rum and Coke and slices of lemon or lime, respectively. When served, you receive a glass that is between half and three-quarters filled with rum, lemon or lime, and a full bottle of Coke. Another typical Cuban drink worth trying is the $2,500 "Mojito," which is based on rum, mint, lemon and sugar. La Habana Vieja also serves Daiquiris ($2,700), wines ($3,200-5,300 a bottle), soft drinks ($1,000) and Cuban beer ($1,500).

For the purposes of munching in between dancing and/or watching the dancing, a $1,500 serving of "tostones" (deep fried and salted slices of green plantain) is an excellent idea. If you are carnivorous, the "croquetas" (deep fried meat balls) are priced at $1,500. Then you might move onto the typical Cuban main dish of "Ropa Vieja" ("Old Clothing") which consists of threaded meat in a spicy tomato and onion sauce accompanied by "maduro frito" (deep fried ripe plantain) and either white rice or the typical Cuban "papa al mojo" (boiled potato covered in a garlic and onion sauce). You could also have the threaded chicken variation of this dish, called "Pollo Habana Vieja."

These two dishes are excellent choices for a first visit, although there are other meat and pork-based main dishes included on the menu. All of the these have a standard price of $3,500.

La Habana Vieja offers three desserts. One is "Panetela Borracha," a huge slice of sponge cake covered in chocolate and bathed in amaretto. Yummy, yummy, yummy. The other desserts are caramel and coconut flans. Ditto, ditto, ditto. All three are priced at $1,000. Among the coffees offered are Cuban coffee and amaretto coffee. These are priced at $1,000 and $1,500, respectively.

There is a weekend-only minimum consumption of $6,500 per person.

For the non-Spanish speakers among us, one of the owners, Keryma Briceno, speaks English.

La Habana Vieja is open Monday through Friday for lunch from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30/4:00 p.m. For dinner, the schedule is Monday through Saturday from 8:00 p.m. to about 3:00 a.m. The live band plays two sets on Friday and Saturday nights. The first set begins at about 11:00 p.m. and the second begins at about 1:00 a.m. La Habana Vieja is at Tarapaca 755 and the phone/fax number, for reservations and arranging for special events, is 638-5284.

WHAT´S IN A NAME?

By Katherine Ferrey Jule

¨A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.¨ Or would it? To test the veracity of this statement, there exists a bar on Irarrazaval, just off Plaza Nunoa, that has no name, no sign out front stating what is inside. Nothing. As if to confirm its non-identity, the locale is commonly known in Spanish as El Bar Sin Nombre ("The Bar With No Name"). The lack of a name, however, does not at all reflect a lack of personality.

It's housed in what was once an old, rather narrow, two-story, mustard-colored, Tudor-style house. The metallic front door, a bit hard on the wrist, opens to a very laid-back ambiance and very, very loud music.

There is a bar just to the left as you enter. Down the center of the first floor is a tall, wooden picnic table which seats a good twenty people. Nearby, there is a row of modern metal and wooden stools with rotating back supports that ask to be leaned on. There are also several four-person high tables with barstools.

Lining the right-hand wall, there is a wooden bench out of which, every-once-in-a-while, protrude some small tables (like the desks we all had to sit at in high school) on which you can rest a plate of food, a drink, or an arm. The lighting is quite unique: a series of lamp shades shaped like hanging cones made of brown paper lend a soft glow to the darkish interior.

The wooden tables upstairs - eight or so - are similar to 19th century school desks and can seat four. The decoration of these is similar to the first floor and the lighting system is repeated.

The waitresses are tall, long-haired, skinny, bare-bellied, tattooed all over and use blue lipstick which matches their eye shadow and the little stars stuck to their cheeks. They also speak English. The music consists mainly of Depeche Mode, Garbage, and other similar bands. On the night I visited, the clientele were primarily young men (gee, I wonder why), but as the night progressed, more women showed up.

Now, what you´ve been waiting for: domestic beers cost $2.50 and foreign beers $3. Pisco sours and caipirinhas are available, along with soft drinks and juices, and flavored coffee laced with Kahlua, Amaretto and other liqueurs. The only sore point is that the cup of flavored coffee is quite small for the $2 it costs. You must order food with your beverages since, as the waitress will tell you, the bar is registered as a restaurant. We ordered one tabla Ñ sliced apples, ham, cheese, pumpernikel bread, sautéed mushrooms and a white garlic sauce on a wooden dish ($7.50), which tasted yummy and fresh. There are also other dishes available, ranging from $1.25 to over $10.

Should you find this a bit weird (or too noisy), try Café de la Isla ("Island Cafe"), right across the street. This place serves Cuban cuisine and other vegetarian, fare. Local beers here cost $3 and foreign beers go for about $3.50. Their vitamin juices run at $3 and they have a fairly good café helado (ice cream coffee) for $4.

The decor is much brighter at Café de la Isla, more tropical vs. the industrial feel of the place that doesn´t have a name. In an inspired attempt to live up to its name, the Café's lamps are made of seashells and the walls are painted in soft blues, browns and white to imitate a beachfront scene. From the outside, it looks like a small restaurant, but there is a back-room and a patio with several tables in the backyard. All the waiters are very friendly (and with bald pates, for some reason) and the music is mostly as Cuban as the cuisine - Silvio Rodr’guez .

Café de la Isla offers salads (in the $5-$8 range), tofu dishes (a little over $5) and typical Cuban food (around $7). If you choose to try the Cuban delicacies, you should also order one of the two brands of Cuban beer sold at the restaurant. But if you are interested in just munching, you could order a plate of cheeses which includes brie, camembert, gruyere and others for $12. For dessert, there are ice creams and yogurt cakes as well as different types of coffees. I must add that the vegetables used in their foods are purchased from organic producers.

One word of warning: the night we went to the Cafe de la Isla, the waiters had confused the old menus with the new ones and of course, the prices had changed. Be sure that your menus say that local beers cost $3 or you might have the wrong menu with the wrong prices. Besides that, it is very much worth going there.

Both of these nifty joints are right by Plaza Nunoa. El Bar Sin Nombre is at Irarrazaval 3442, next to "Automoviles Piamonte", and Cafe de la Isla is right across the street at Irarrazaval 3465. Try one, try the other, or try both. You can't go wrong.

CLUB DE JAZZ

Siddartha Baskivar (Sept. 9, 96)

The Club de Jazz de Santiago certainly lives up to its name and reputation as one of the best watering holes for Santiaguinos thirsty for jazz. At 11 p.m. on Friday night, people are slowly strolling into the large house set amidst dense verdant foliage that announces its presence at No. 85, Avda. Josè Pedro Alessandri with a bright, fluorescent sign. The club is easily accessible, being just a few blocks away from Plaza Nuñoa, that young and increasingly glitzy center of night life that some wags refer to as "Nuñork", referring to the Big Apple.

The newcomers, like me, are almost certainly those who arrive early but, as it soon turns out, we have nothing to feel sorry about. The ambiance in the main hall is rustic. Wooden beams and columns, small round wooden tables and chairs lit up by candles, walls of wood and adobe, with the performers’ dais wedged into one corner. Caricatures of local jazz artists and posters of past legends and festivals of jazz adorn the walls. An old tuba stands at attention high up in one corner of the bar. The atmosphere is relaxed and informal - as it should be - thanks as much to the simplicity of the decor as to the unpretentiousness of its patrons.

There are two advantages of being an early bird - you can get a decent table from which to enjoy the proceedings and you can calmly order drinks and peanuts, as I did while waiting for Claudia Acuña and her group to come on stage.

Claudia Acuña? Till last Friday, the young lady was probably better known in New York than in Santiago! For she can claim the distinction of being the only Chilean to have her photograph at the entrance of New York’s Birdland club where she performed twice during her recent stay there. And how many Chileans have been honored by spontaneous accompaniment by someone as great as trumpeter Freddie Hubbard? On Friday night, the action picked up a half hour before midnight. Accompanied by her group, Ramòn "Moncho" Romero on piano, Alejandro Espinoza on drums and Jorge Rocha on double bass, - familiar and respected figures in local jazz circles - Claudia Acuña seduced the eager audience that packed the hall with a memorable performance featuring old hits like You’ve Changed, But Not for Me and I Fall in Love too Easily.

After the show, the cigarette smoke is slowly beginning to drift away, the night’s gate-receipts are being totted up and there is a mellow atmosphere all around. Fernando Verdugo, the jovial treasurer of the club, willingly agrees to a chat and takes pains to point out that the Club de Jazz is a non-profit institution that offers a forum for jazz enthusiasts, musicians and followers alike, to cultivate their passion by appreciating the performances of established names and by giving encouragement to any amateur wishing to share his musical talents with the faithful gathered. Thus, at times when a particularly good impromptu jam session gets going, the night can easily extend till the early hours of the morning. Today the club boasts some 160 members, musicians all, and while it has become considerably bigger than what it was, the idea is to try and preserve the intimacy and quality identified only by the discerning, that is associated with "la onda picada", as Mr. Verdugo puts it. Since its birth 53 years ago, several international jazz greats, among them Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Mike Stern, have passed through its portals, not to mention a galaxy of local stars like the Angel Parra Trio and saxophonist Marcos Aldana.

The club opens at 10:30 on Thursdays and Saturdays, nights dedicated to "vanguard jazz" (ie, jazz fusion, etc.) and "traditional jazz" (Dixieland, Big Band), respectively. Claudia sang on a night meant for "standard jazz" when the evening commences at 11:30.

There is a cover charge of $3,000 pesos with a $1,000 peso discount for students. The bar is fairly well-equipped, with a variety of drinks ranging from rum, tequila, vodka, all at $2,500 pesos each, to soft drinks, beer and hot beverages for a fifth of that price. Drinks may be accompanied by salted peanuts, potato chips or a slice of pizza. A must for jazz lovers.

JAZZ AT LA CALLE DEL DELFIN VERDE

By Ivonne Butler de James

Two brothers, one, a jazz fanatic and the other, an avid vegetarian, decided to join forces and invest their time and money in what it is they know best. The result is La Calle del Delfin Verde, a jazz club and restaurant featuring vegetarian food in addition to white meats and fish. La Calle del Delfin Verde opened its doors only seven months ago and as yet, has no clear defining lines. It is a place still forging a niche for itself in the busy section of Calle Suecia. Ricardo, one of the brothers, jokingly described the Delfin Verde as a "joint with serious personality problems". After spending some time there, I understood what he meant.

If there is one theme coursing through the club, however, it is jazz. It looks, tastes, and sounds of jazz. It is everywhere, from the life-size black and white mural of a jam session at the entrance, to the colorful manner in which the menu is laid out. They offer a medley of dishes ranging from international plates to sandwiches cleverly categorized under musical themes. We chose the Mexican Jam Session (delicious taquitos) and a saxophone sandwich from the Instrumentos Musicales section, all washed down with a Tito Puente (margarita). The food is tasty and certainly abundant but unquestionably, the main attractions are the musicians and their music.

Delfin Verde, according to the owners, is becoming a place where local musicians go to hang out and are often incorporated into the "nocturnal jam". We were witnesses to this last Friday, when the Angel Parra Trio, a jazz spin-off of Los Tres (a well-known Chilean rock group), casually took over the stage and played some exceptional tunes. The Angel Parra Trio, in fact, recorded Piscola Standard, due out in July, live at the Delfin Verde. Cristian Cuturrufo, a famous Chilean saxophonist (for a quintet of the same name) is also a regular at the club and occasionally takes the stage.

The club contracts groups on a weekly basis, from Monday to Saturday, with a new group each week in an attempt to offer variety.

"Our doors are open to any and all manifestations of jazz," confirms Ricardo, "any group, national or foreign, can present themselves so long as their music is rooted in jazz." La Calle del Delfin Verde hopes to show the public the richness and idiosyncratic styles of jazz. Last month, for example, Irazu played lively Latino jazz while a few weeks later, the Sammy Dominguez Quartet demonstrated the intricacies of "standard" jazz. (Describing any jazz as "standard", however, is contrary to the flowing ideas of jazz itself.)

"We want to demystify jazz," Ricardo explained, "rid it of its conception as mellow, even depressive music...move it away from smoky, dark, and alternative clubs."

The public is quickly catching on. Increasingly, more and more Chileans are beginning to foster a real appreciation for jazz. This is apparent in the number of people who come to Delfin Verde regularly. They are a mixed bag of university students, curious folks who frequent Calle Suecia, and traditional jazz lovers. Surprisingly, a growing number of 15-16 year olds constitutes part of the crowd. Like jazz itself, the clientele at Delfin Verde is neither homogeneous nor can they be described in simple or general terms.

La Calle del Delfin Verde is open Monday through Saturday with live music everyday beginning around 10.30 p.m. The kitchen is open from lunch until 2.00 a.m. There is no cover charge (a surprise for Calle Suecia yet consistent with Ricardo’s and Leonardo’s vision). There is, however, a minimum consumption of $2,500 per person with no obligation to order more.

After all the talk, though, it is best to simply go and experience it for yourself. Jazz, like the club, is personal and this may be the root of the club's perceived identity problem. It does have a distinct personality but one that you, as a client , will feel and know.

As the pioneer, Mr. Louis Armstrong said, "if you have to ask what Jazz is, you will never know."

SATURDAY NIGHT IN CENTRO

By Sidhartha Baviskar (August, ‘96)

Should you find yourself on an unexpectedly warm Saturday afternoon somewhere in the gray and grimy center of this city laid to siege by smog and feel a bit lost, do not lose heart. Nearby, nearer than you think, is Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Hill; Avda. B. O’Higgins 499)) at the foot of which Santiago was founded on February 12, 1541. It has evidently fallen on hard times (the victim of municipal parsimony?) since 1872 when it was transformed into a public park by an important personage bearing that all-too-familiar name, Vicuña Mackenna. And so, perhaps the indigenous Mapuche weren’t terribly wrong after all when they called it Huelèn ("the accursed one"). At any rate, though, the view from the top does provide a distinct perspective on the heart of this metropolis and, if you feel up to it, you may like to return the following day just before noon to hear the cannon being fired as the clock strikes twelve.

Walking up the avenue from Cerro Santa Lucia, and dodging the gypsy women who will fall upon you eagerly in a bid to read your palm (that's just for starters), you will pass the imposing edifice, built at the turn of the last century, that houses the central offices of the local Catholic University and, more importantly, its extension center (tel. 222 4516) - the site for English and Spanish films and video, plays, exhibitions of sculpture and painting, and an excellent cafè, besides.

Should you decide to walk past, you will soon reach Cine Arte Alameda on your left, which, apart from screening critically acclaimed works on celluloid, also has, on the second floor, Santiago’s first Cafè Virtual. The name, however, is somewhat misleading as this young establishment does not extend the bounds of reality for the patron. Its claim to being "virtual" lies solely in the array of computers that lines the far end of the hall and looks down on the busy Alameda from behind glass walls. Their presence is soon explained: you may happily surf on the Internet for an hour, with or without guidance, for less than $3,000 pesos while munching on your pastry or guzzling your drink. The second hour of intrepid cyberspace travel comes gratis, at least for the moment.

But you may not reach Cafè Virtual at all, if you decide to turn left at a quiet street, just across from the Catholic University on Avenue O’ Higgins, that goes by the name of Josè Victoriano Lastarria. As you stroll down Lastarria you will pass the Iglesia de la Vera Cruz . A national monument, this church, so small and unassuming as to almost pass unnoticed, was built on neoclassical lines in 1858 by the French architect Brunet de Baines. It guards the relic of the Vera Cruz that was donated by Carlos V, Emperor of Spain. On the right is a tiny playground - a rare sight in Santiago's city center - with trees, benches, swings and see-saws, the site for many a cozy family scene.

Equally cozy and inviting are the two restaurants that you pass on the left, Don Victoriano and El Gatopardo, which offer a variety of beverages and samples of Chilean and Bolivian cuisine. A few steps further and tucked away to the right is the El Biògrafo cinema named after the cinemas of yore. Like Cine Arte Alameda, it too offers samples of art cinema, at a reasonable price. And round the corner, where Villavicencio meets Lastarria, is a cafè of the same name, a good place to meet afterwards and discuss the movie just seen.

But the real find of the afternoon is undoubtedly the Plaza Mulato Gil de Castro (Lastarria 305-307). Designed in 1982 in houses dating back to early this century, this cultural center was named after a late 18th century lover of the arts, Josè Gil de Castro who was also known as "el Mulato". This Peruvian sea captain painted the original portrait of the national hero, Libertador Bernardo O’ Higgins. The square exercises an almost magnetic attraction, drawing one closer, as much due to its Bohemian air as to its cobblestones.

The short corridors arranged around the small square represent almost the entire gamut of this city’s cultural and artistic activities, with an art gallery, a literary workshop, a school for engravings and sculpture, a bookshop, a restaurant and shops selling handicrafts and other bric-a-brac. It is said that the late national poet, Jorge Teillier, used to come and sit in the square. On the second floor lies the Museo Arqueològico de Santiago which houses an archaeological and ethnographic treasure of more than three thousand pieces drawn from various private collections. Entry to the museum is free and worth a visit, if only to see the mummy of a new-born child belonging to the Chinchorro community that dates back to the period 5500-1500 B.C.

Museo Arqueológico de Santiago: Mon-Fri: 10:30-14:00; \par 15:30-19:00 hrs; Sat: 10:30-14:00 hrs.