Perú Negro:  Oct. 13, Overture Center’s Overture Hall.  Spanish Colonialists banned African Peruvian’s use of traditional drums.  But talent and ingenuity always trump cultural oppression, and the ban simply gave birth to the cajón and the cajita, instruments constructed from converted wooden boxes that provide the rhythmic underpinnings of Afro-Peruvian music.  This energetic troupe of musicians and dancers keeps these unique percussion instruments front and center, delivering a potent live performance that includes a couple dozen participants.  Clearly one of the best early bookings at the new Overture Center.

-- By Tom Laskin