Peru Negro Jolgorio CD

Personnel: Eder Campos (vocals, bells, palmas); José Durand (vocals, bells); Sandra Dueñas (vocals, palmas, background vocals); Nereyda Cuadros, Rivelino Martinez, Monica Dueñas, Fiorella Ayala (vocals); Roberto Campos (whistling, quinto, congas, bongos, bata, djembe, bells, palmas); Frank Perez (guitar, palmas); Tito Manrique (guitar); Mauro Edu Campos, Hector "Jereto" Ferreyra (quinto); Maria Elena Pacheco (violin); Cesar Peredo (flute); Sofía Buitron, Oscar Brunce, Juan Castro, Erika Alfaro (palmas, background vocals).
Audio Mixer: German Villacorta.
Liner Note Author: Juan Morillo.
Recording information: Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Kanta Studio, Lima, Peru; TDV Studio, Lima, Peru.
Unknown Contributor Role: Hector "Jereto" Ferreyra.
Arranger: Roberto Campos.
In existence since 1969, Peru Negro are possibly the longest-standing exponents of Afro-Peruvian folkloric culture. Essentially made for live performance, to just hear them on CD is to miss the dance aspect of their act -- a vital part. However, the music is strong enough to stand on its own, such as the percussive, polyrhythmic "Carnaval Negro," or the lyrical tondero "De España," with its flamenco overtones mixed with a decidedly African sensibility. The traditional carnival dance, "Son de los Diablos" is wonderfully sprightly, the massed backing vocals giving an almost choral aspect to the sound, with guitar and bass -- the only non-percussive instruments -- carrying a melody that's essentially a simple riff in a brilliant piece of arranging. But while Peru Negro might be a folkloric ensemble, it's also worth remembering that they're professional entertainers, well trained, and used to appearing in stage and in the studio. That gives a gloss to the disc that wouldn't happen if they were, say, from a coastal village. So the musical quotient is increased (and most of the songs are self-composed, based in the tradition rather than taken directly from it), but there's nothing wrong with that. It helps make this a complex, frequently beautiful disc (just listen to the many layers that make up "Alcatraz," for example). Susana Baca might be the brand leader in Afro-Peruvian music, but she's far from being the only exponent. Peru Negro deserve the exposure and praise they've received -- and will continue to get, on the basis of this. ~ Chris Nickson
Peru Negro is a Peruvian music and dance troupe, whose repertoire blends West African rhythms with urban folk tunes and, on certain selections, Spanish guitar melodies. On JOLGORIO, Peru Negro explores the music of Peru through a mix of both new and traditional repertoire.
Pieces such as "Carnaval Negro" and "Negrito" celebrate the Afro-Peruvian culture. On the former, one really gets a sense of how connected this music is to the tribal drumming of Nigeria. For this piece, Peru Negro combines sophisticated, well-structured hand drumming with the sounds of happy revelers and the exaltations of various singers. "De Espana" emphasizes this ensemble's Spanish influence. Featuring an electric bass and indigenous hand-percussion instruments, this minor-key song presents a virtuosic flamenco guitar melody. Overall, Peru Negro can never be fully appreciated on record since dance is one-half of this company's artistic conception. However, JOLGORIO does offer listeners a chance to experience this fascinating style of Latin music without having to travel to Lima.

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