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CD Review
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The World, CD Review >>
Afro-Peruvian music is getting more and more attention outside Peru these days. Bands like "Peru Negro" and "Hijos del Sol" have made inroads here in the United States, for instance. Peruvian singer Eva Ayllon is going to give it a try now. She's been known in her home country for more than 30 years. But she's just released her first US-produced record entitled "Eva! Leyenda Peruana," or Eva, Peruvian Legend.
Eva Ayllon can easily claim the title of living legend. Born in Lima in 1956, she grew up singing the music of her native coastal region. Those songs, like Ayllon herself, are heavily influenced by African slaves transported to Peruvian shores hundreds of years ago. Today, Ayllon is the queen of those coastal songs. Ayllon opens her new album with a song called "Negra Presuntuosa," The Presumptuous Black Woman.
Ayllon: This is a song about a beautiful black woman who has a spectacular body and all men look at her... A bit like me, no? (laugh) All men in the village fall in love with her but she pays attention to no one... Because she is too vain. And that, is not like me.
"La Negra Presuntuosa" is sung in the typical coastal song style of lando, the Peruvian equivalent of the blues.
Ayllon: The lando is a lament, a rhythm to complain to, to fall in love to, it's a very sensual rhythm.
But the style Ayllon is even better known for is the "festejo".
Ayllon: The festejo is a rhythm of celebration and joy but some songs are meant for seduction, the music gets you going, and there are even some songs that are not intended for children.
Ayllon says "Raices del festejo" is one of those songs that everyone in Peru knows. When Ayllon sings it, her fans go crazy.
Ayllon: "Raices del Festejo has a flavorful rhythm that is played in local festivals. It's about a father trying to send his son to school. But the son replies "No, I want to sing, dance and play music."
Ayllon says she's always identified with the character of the son. For her at least, the career choice worked. Ayllon has performed in the US before, but it's been almost exclusively for Peruvian audiences. This month though, she's begun her first major concert tour here.
09/21/04 >> go there
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