The Soul of Afro-Peru

Perhaps you've noticed, but we've been fairly enamored of everything Peru lately. Could be that we just announced that we'll be sending one very lucky adventurer and one very adventurous chef to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. Well, throughout this whole process we've made all sorts of Peruvian discoveries ourselves. Needless to say, there's a lot more to Peru than the ruins.

One of the most vibrant elements of Peruvian culture that I've come across is the tradition of Afro-Peruvian music. It's a sound that National Geographic describes it as "an entrancing amalgam of Afro-Caribbean beat, flamenco flash and Spanish poetry," and a music as fascinating in it's rich history as it is enchanting to listen to. In many ways it's the Peruvian equivalent of American blues, having grown out of the music played by slaves brought from Africa by Spanish conquistadors. As this music felt the influence of each new generation, a sound was formed which drew simultaneously on African, Spanish, and Andean traditions. However, pervasive racial discrimination throughout the first half of the 20th century caused this music to all but disappear until the 1950s, when Nicomedes Santa Cruz left his blacksmith trade to become an ambassador of Afro-Peruvian culture. In addition to his lively and impassioned music, he formed a theater troupe, wrote poetry, and worked as a print and broadcast journalist, all in order to help resurrect this tradition throughout Peru.

No Me Cumben - Nicomedes Santa Cruz

This resurgence of popularity continued in the 70s with the music of Peru Negro, recognized by the Peruvian government as "The Cultural Ambassadors of Black Peru." Like Santa Cruz, they were formed with the goal of drawing attention to the culture from which they drew their sound. Their fevered performances and focus on musical forms meant to accompany a variety of traditional dances set in motion a dance craze that can still be felt in today's Peruvian nightlife.

Lando - Peru Negro

However, one can hardly discuss Afro-Peru without mentioning the name Susana Baca, the music's reigning diva. Her songs beautifully encapsulate the elements that Afro-Peruvian music draws from, with her Spanish lyrics, the soulful, haunting melodies of the Andes, and the complex rhythms of Africa. Part of the unique sound comes from an array of percussion instruments which were developed in response to a ban on drums in slave communities. These include the Cajon, a fruit crate which you sit upon and thump with your hands, the charange, often made from armadillo shells, and the quijada de burro, nothing more than a dried out donkey jaw bone.

Maria Lando - Susana Baca

This sound was brought from the shores of Peru into the ears of the world largely through the efforts of David Byrne, the former Talking Heads frontman. In between lessons with his Spanish tutor, an Argentinean musician, he was shown a video of Susana Baca performing her breathtaking "Maria Landa" in her backyard. He soon flew to Peru, met with Baca, and recorded songs for what would become "The Soul of Black Peru," the definitive Afro-Peruvian document, and the one responsible for bringing this music to an international audience. If you're interested in hearing more, this record is absolutely the place to start. In fact, all of the songs above are drawn from it. You can find out lots more on the website of Luaka Bop, David Byrne's outstanding record label, which has put out other flat-out classic records by Os Mutantes, Tom Ze, and Zap Mama, to name a few.

If you'd a chance to hear some Peruvian music at the source, check out the Firestone Discoveries site and fill out the application. Who knows, you might just find yourself dancing the Alcatraz atop the Andes!