Not Byrned up, Eva Ayllon aims to raise her U.S. profile

September 21, 2004

BY LAURA EMERICK Staff Reporter

If Peru's Eva Ayllon remains an unknown in the United States, then she's entitled to grumble "there but for the grace of David Byrne go I."

After all, her compatriot Susana Baca, who also specializes in musica criolla, is so much better known up here -- thanks to the former Talking Head. Byrne, who now doubles as a world-music impresario, introduced both Ayllon and Susana Baca to U.S. audiences through the compilation "The Soul of Black Peru" (1995), released via his Luaka Bop label.

Ayllon hopes to raise her profile with her first extensive U.S. tour, which includes several dates at the World Music Festival Chicago, and the release of her first American-produced disc, "Eva! Legenda Peruana," on the New York-based Times Square label.

"David Byrne went to Peru to search through various labels' archives to select songs from black Peruvians, and that's how I became part of the project," recalled Ayllon, in an interview from her home in Lima.

But then Byrne came back to Peru to audition artists from "The Soul of Black Peru" disc for his label. He saw all of them, except Ayllon, who was on tour.

One skinny Scotsman can make a difference. After Byrne signed Baca to Luaka Bop, her star soared. "David Byrne opened doors for Susana," Ayllon said. "We play the same music, but I have a different style. When people see me, they'll understand."

That music is rooted in African and Indian genres: lando (a sort of blues), tondero (with elements of flamenco and Cuban son), festejo (percussive dance) and vals (waltz).

Though Ayllon's discography stretches back to the early '70s, her records were not marketed outside her homeland, as often is the case with many indigenous artists. "Promoters never really took the time to expose me outside the Pacific Coast area," she said. "Also, I am so popular in Peru, I never had the opportunity to make a more extensive campaign in the United States."

For the Times Square disc, her producers selected the most representative songs of her career, and then she recorded them in updated arrangements. She singles out the lando "Cardo o Ceniza" as her favorite. "I am committed to the black music of Peru, and that song is similar to American blues in the sense that it portrays a lament. It's also a confession of love that is very sensual, not sexual."

Lando has no real equivalent elsewhere in Latin music. "Although many Africans came to Latin America, in Peru, there's something different, a more native Indian element. Also, the cajon [a box-like drum] plays an important part."

Originally from Peru, the cajon spread throughout the world after star Paco de Lucia introduced it to flamenco in the '70s. "I am happy that they even use it in rock now," she said. "I will be even happier if they realize that it is Peruvian."

On "Leyenda Peruana," Ayllon offers her own cultural fusions. The last two tracks are Ayllon standards rearranged in tropical Latin styles; the salsa "Cuando Llegue La Hora" features American salsero Gilberto Santa Rosa on backup vocals (which he also arranged).

"Gilberto is a big fan of Eva's, and he wanted to do this project for a long time," said Juan Morillo, the disc's co-producer. "He told Eva, 'I want to do the disc, don't ask anyone else.' "

Ayllon and Morillo view her move into tropical Latin as a bridge. "Those songs are very popular in my repertoire, but I wanted to sing them in a different way, as a means of widening my audience --to prove that I can sing other styles, not only Peruvian music."

When she moves to the United States later this year, her fan base should definitely increase. "I promised that I would never leave Peru, but love won the battle," she said, laughing. "So I am moving at age 48, with my two kids, and now I will have more opportunities to present music to rest of the world."

Her husband, a Peruvian-American Jersey guy, will help her with the culture shock. "I won't miss the music too much, because I can play it," she said. "And maybe not the food, because I can cook. But I will miss the love of my people. Whenever I go, they're so generous."