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CD Review
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Barnesandnoble.com, CD Review >>
The resurgence of Afro-Peruvian music over the past decade owes everything to one group -- Peru Negro. While artists such as Susana Baca and Tania Libertad took the music from the nightclubs of Lima and coastal cities to international acclaim, much of what is today considered Afro-Peruvian repertoire descends from the pioneering cultural work of Peru Negro in the early '70s. Founder Ronaldo Campos, along with scholar-troubadours such as Nicomedes Santa Cruz and songwriter Chabuca Granda, fashioned a strong African-derived art from the memories of Peru's small, slavery-descended black community. The song-and-dance troupe codified rhythms that were nearly lost -- the landó, festejo, alcatráz, and others -- and which today make up the backbone of most Afro-Peruvian music. But Peru Negro is no stodgy folk group. In fact, under the direction of Campos's son Rony, the unit is rejuvenated, recording and touring with a vengeance. While the group's mastery of the tried-and-true is evident, especially on the landó "Taita Guaranguito," the real delight in Jolgorio is in new material. "De España," a poem set to music by the elder Campos, laments the Spanish conquest, which brought both Christianity and slavery, and is lent added sophistication by the majestic, jazzy pipes of Monica Dueñas. Songs such as this one clearly aspire to the heights of Latin America's highly literate tradition. And yet, on the flip side, Peru Negro explore the African roots of their music with intricate percussion on a variety of indigenous instruments. That mix -- slinky, seductive, sophisticated, and primal -- sums up the appeal of both Peru's black music and these very able practitioners. Mark Schwartz 01/23/04 >> go there
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