Jolgorio by Peru Negro (CD, Jan-2004, Times Square)

New and sealed! For the last 35 years, Perú Negro has been a primary outlet for the Afro-Peruvian music tradition. Sadly, group founder Ronaldo Campos died in 2001, but his family has carried on the work, releasing Jogorio, the group's second album of originals and classics since his death. As with all Afro-Peruvian music, listeners will hear touches of flamenco-like guitar and clapping, call-and-response choruses, clattering African hand percussion and actual tap-dance-like dancing. At its most upbeat, the album has a carnival-like atmosphere ("Carnival Negro") where it's impossible not to imagine people dancing. But it's the children's singing on "Villancico Negro" that truly steals the show, proving that this music truly is in the hearts and souls of the people from earliest of ages. Not quite up to the stunning standards of the Afro-Peruvian Classics: The Soul Of Black Peru collection, Perú Negro's Jolgorio nonetheless easily captures the essence of the still-vital culture it represents. This item is listed on multiple sites.