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└────────┘ 25.03.2007
freshhh!
artist: Va
album: Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul Of Black Peru
label: Luaka Bop
cat: 9 45878-2
year: 1995
genre: Latin
sub-genre: Afro-Peruvian, Rare Grooves
source: Cdda
grabber: Eac
encoder: LAME 3.97 V2 --Vbr-New -V 2
quality: VBRkbps / 44,1kHz / Joint-Stereo
size: 70,5 MB
link: http://www.luakabop.com/afro_peru/cmp/album.html
─┐└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│tracklist.
no. time track title
01 05:38 Maria Lando
02 03:01 Yo No Soy Jaqui
03 03:52 Canterurias
04 03:18 Samba Malato
05 02:34 Enciendete Candela
06 04:25 Azuca De Cana
07 03:40 Prendeme La Vela
08 03:32 Lando
09 04:11 Toro Mata
10 02:27 Son De Los Diablos
11 02:31 No Me Cumben
12 03:40 Una Larga Noche
13 03:42 Lando
14 04:38 Maria Lando
15 02:03 Zapateo En Menor
total time: 53:12 min
─┐└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
│release notes.
The slinky funk of Peru's black communities - the legacy of Spanish
slave trade - was a secret on the international scene until Luaka
Bop's Afro-Peruvian Classics: the Soul of Black Peru. An entrancing
amalgam of Afro-Caribbean beat, flamenco flash and Spanish poetry,
the music of Peru's African communities has undergone a renaissance
in that country. Now revered in Peru on a par with our devotion to
the Delta, Afro-Peruvian music has turned the world's impression of
the Andes upside down.
----------------------
This is secret music - a collection of beautiful songs and
infectious grooves that's been hidden for years in the coastal
towns and barrios of Peru. It's not the guys with flutes and drums
in woolly hats - it's music of the black Peruvian communities.
Black Peruvians? Yes, Peru was involved in the slave trade too -
and this wonderful, funky music is part of that legacy.
This music survived (barely) within the black communities, and was
not accepted outside of those communities until the spark of black
pride, ignited in the 1960s, caught fire in the '70s and '80s. Now,
in the '90s, this music is the pride of Peru - cassettes of it are
sold on the street alongside techno, Megadeth and Andean folk
groups. And while it maintains its funky roots, it has attracted
the creative talents of the best contemporary musicians, writers
and poets who have furthered the evolution, growth and spread of
this music. It's not a secret anymore ù and it's yours to dance to.
Some Notes on the Songs:
Casa Blanca, Matalapo, Villarona, Acari, Cutucan, San Luis, San
Regis, El Carmen, El Guayabo and Canene, all mentioned in the
lyrics, are black Peruvian communities.
The three main dances in Afro-Peruvian circles are the Land, Samba
Malato and the Alcatraz. Toro Mata, Son de los Diablos, and
Zamacueca are also dances.
A Zig Zag History:
Though the story of Afro-Peruvian music is an ancient one, it has
become widely known only recently. Centuries old, this music
started to gain recognition in Peru 40 years ago and became
popularized only in the last 25 years. It was born in the coastal
barrios and towns and was reconstructed and resurrected thanks to
the work of a few artists and historians. Perhaps, since so much
seems upside-down or backwards in this story, we ought to begin at
the end.
Nowadays, it isn't unusual to go to a party or a music bar in Peru
and, after an hour or two of the latest American pop hits or the
newest salsa records, hear the unmistakable sounds of Afro-Peruvian
music-both old and new simultaneously. Not only does it fuse well
with the imported sounds which are so popular in Peru today, but it
has become an inseparable part of the current music scene. Whether
they are found in jazz, reggae, rock or in ballads, the
instruments-and most of all, the rhythms of Afro-Peruvian music-are
basic and now essential ingredients in contemporary Peruvian
popular music.
This is the happy ending to a long story that begins tragically
with the forced movement of slaves that ended within South America.
The beginnings of slavery in 15th century Peru were different from
the rest of the Americas. Although in Brazil or Central and North
American countries it was common to import large groups of slaves
from the same African tribe, only small and geographically
dispersed ethnic groups were brought to Peru. This was meant to
discourage rebel movements around tribal chiefs, and as such, made
almost impossible the preservation of communal traditions. Without
a common language or tribal authority to remind them of their
roots, Peruvian slaves were progressively integrated into the
culture and language of their new country.
As a result, Afro-Peruvian music is a unique blend of Spanish,
Andean and African traditions. The language comes from Spain, as
does the preference for poetic forms like the dΘcima and the copla,
and the guitar as a musical instrument. From the Andes come the
pantheistic religiosity common to both African and Andean cultures,
and the melancholy of certain musical forms like the Yaravi, and
the Hatajo de Negritos or the Danza de Pallas. And from Africa come
the visceral and seductive rhythms, passed down from generation to
generation through dance.
And dance is what really gives meaning to this music. You can feel
it the first time you hear it. Afro-Peruvians dance during thier
suffering or their joy, at parties or funerals, at work or rest. In
this culture, the body asks for free and ample expression, without
judgment. One reason why this ancient tradition remained so
marginalized, first in the living quarters of slaves and later in
the black urban neighborhoods, was precisely because free bodily
expression-sensuous, erotic and festiveûwas too explicit for more
conservative social groups. Words like 'indecent', 'immoral' and
'obscene' were used to describe these dances. Only a few, such as
the marinera and tondero, were ever accepted into the official
folklore.
It is not coincidental that this rebirth of Afro-Peruvian music
took place in the late sixties and early seventies. The sexual
liberation and international black pride movements were factors, as
was the political atmosphere of the moment. The first years of a
leftist military dictatorship in Peru favored nationalistic
expressions, which helped to popularize and push to the fore the
long hidden work of many artists and musicians.
It was probably the appearance of a musical group called Peru Negro
which rescued black music and dance from obscurity and finally gave
name and form to something that, until that time, seemed fragmented
and elusive. Until the early seventies practically no one, outside
of specialized circles, talked about ôAfro-Peruvian musicö as such.
ôToro Mata,ö a theme included in Peru Negro's first record and
danced in their show, was an absolute success and was even sung by
the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. The attractive choreography of
Victoria Santa Cruz had a strong impact on a country in search of
its cultural identity. People were conscious of the need for change
in their impoverished country. Beginning again requires
self-knowledge and self-pride, and in that sense, this music was a
revelation for a part of society that had been marginalized. The
Afro-Peruvian fever was contagious. Soon everybody danced,
imitating Peru Negro.
Finally, no discussion of Afro-Peruvian music would be complete
without reference to its unique instrumentation. One rarely sees
more humble musical instruments used more effectively. Besides the
guitar (the only instrument inherited from their old masters) the
most important instrument is the cajun, a simple wooden box upon
which the player sits and plays with his hands between his legs.
But you can't use just any wooden box. Nowadays the caj≤n is built
by instrument makers, and even if it is not as sophisticated as a
guitar or violin, it must be built under specific conditions which
foster its rich resonance. There are no schools that teach caj≤n
and there is no way to grasp its interpretation from musical
scores. Unknown outside Peru some years ago, it is not unusual to
find it today in some Brazilian, Cuban or even Spanish flamenco
groups. The famous Spanish flamenco guitarist and composer, Paco de
Lucφa, has incorporated the cajun in his ensemble for the past ten
years. Other Afro-Peruvian instruments include the quijada de burro
(a jaw bone of a burro, with loosened teeth which vibrate when
struck), and the cajita (a little wooden box with a top that is
opened and shut in rhythmic time).
The selection of music included in this recording is a perfect
introduction to the variety of Afro-Peruvian rhythms and forms.
Songs like Samba Malata, Toro Mata, and Son de los Diablos belong
to the most ancient forms of music and dance born in the 17th and
18th centuries, like the Land, Festejo, Alcatraz or Inge.
Nevertheless, some of them have become modernized. It is
interesting to compare the Land sung by Lucila Campos, for example,
with the one by Chabuca Granda. The former is related to the
deepest, most primal needs of joy and sensuality, while the second
is a sweet, melodic contemporary piece. The songs interpreted by
the younger generation in this selection ù Cecilia Barraza and
Susana Baca - are related to their ancestors too, but only as the
foundation for each artists' original work.
Today, the black population in Peru is not very large, even if the
country's 'melting pot' makes it difficult to speak about race.
Black music and dance traditions have kept their original forms in
some towns south of Lima, such as Chincha and Ca±ete. But history
here is everything but pure. Afro-Peruvian music is still
developing. It doesn't sound like any of its Caribbean or Brazilian
relatives. It sounds different; it moves the dancers in a different
way. And if it sounds like this history goes backward and forward,
from one side to the other, it may be because its movement is
restless and doesn't want to be reigned in. This music is an
invitation to life and to the mysteries of its creation.
Enjoy!.
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keep your mind, your body and your soul open...
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