Susana Baca in Wrocław: an Afro-Peruvian voice, “Maria Lando” and traditional instruments
Susana Baca develops Afro-Peruvian song traditions through voice, guitar, bass and local percussion. The article introduces the artist known for “Maria Lando” and explores her musical dialogue with the cultures of Brazil and Cuba.
Susana Baca is one of the figures who played a key role in reviving the popularity of Afro-Peruvian music, both in Peru and around the world.
Her voice is often compared with Cesaria Evora's and Celia Cruz's, with good reason. The New York Times wrote: “Growing out of Afro-Peruvian traditions, Susana Baca's voice creates a tradition of its own. A beautiful, cool, resonant voice.”
The artist’s run of success began with the 1995 compilation ‘The Soul of Black Peru’, released by David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label and featuring her song ‘Maria Lando’.
The artist’s music brings tradition together with the contemporary. During performances, Susana’s accompanying band use instruments typical of the region, including the cajón, a “wooden box” originally made from an upturned fruit crate; the guapeo, a clay pot; and the quijada, made from a donkey’s jawbone. Double bass and acoustic guitar complete the sound. Baca also readily draws on the richness of Brazilian and Cuban music.
In one interview, she describes her musical fascinations: “For me, the music of Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Venezuela or Puerto Rico feels as close as my own native music. I have visited many places in Latin America inhabited by descendants of African cultures. Most are poor and forgotten places. […] I try to write down and then perform songs from those very regions, paying tribute to the presence of African culture that has shaped Latin America. […]”
Baca often writes her deeply lyrical songs with well-known Latin American poets, singing descriptions of extraordinarily evocative images and situations in a gentle, slightly melancholy voice. With her Bolivian husband Ricardo Pereyra, she founded The Instituto Negrocontinuo. At their property in Chorillos, they share knowledge of Afro-Peruvian music, dance and culture. In 2002, “Lamento Negro” was named Best Folk Album of the Year by the Latin Grammy Academy. The same album received a Best World Music Album nomination.
Susana Baca also joined folk supergroup Los Super Seven’s Grammy-winning project with Mexican stars Los Lobos and Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso. Her greatest success, however, was 2000’s “Eco de Sombras”. With guests including John Medeski and Tom Waits, she combined these contemporary artists’ sensitivity with subjects important to her region: the plight of Black slaves and Peruvian farmers’ struggle to survive.
Baca will come to Wrocław to promote her latest album, “Afrodiaspora”. According to the announcement, its 11 tracks were written with outstanding composers Javier Ruibala, Ivan Benavides and Javier Lazo. Musically, “Afrodiaspora” will feature Puerto Rican rhythms, a Mexican waltz, Cuban salsa and Colombian cumbia, among other influences.
Event details
Susana Baca
18 September 2011
White Stork Synagogue
Wrocław
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