October 13 - Show #29

Theme song: Chin chon chow - Louie Ramírez

Song-Artist-Album-Label

Latin blues – Dave Pike and his orchestra – Manhattan Latin – DECCA

Tin tin deo – Clark Terry & Chico O’Farrill – Spanish Rice – Impulse!

It’s not unusual – Willie Bobo – Spanish Grease – Verve

Afro mood – Latin Percussion Jazz Ensemble – Just Like Magic – LP Inc.

Pent-up house – The Craig Russo Latin Jazz Project – In The Middle – Cagoots Records

Pogo sticks – Bill O’Connell with Dave Valentin & Bob Malach – Latin Jazz Fantasy – Random Chance Records

The Katanga patrol – Tanaóra – Día Real – Moondo Records

Merceditas – Gato Barbieri – Bolivia – Flying Dutchman/BMG

Me caí – Pacifika – Asunción – Six Degrees Records

Lía – Carmen Lamarque – Live in Lima – Self-produced: carmenlamarque.com

Feio nao e bonito – Oscar Castro-Neves & Paul Winter – Brazilian Days – Living Music/Windham Hill

Tres curumins – Lani Hall – Brasil Nativo – Windham Hill Jazz

Flor amorosa – Altamiro Carrilho – Wind of Brazil (um sopro de brasil) – Adventure Music/Núcleo Contamporaneo

Terra do indio – Marcos Ariel – Terra Do Indio – WEA Latina

Amalgam – Mike Clinco – Neon – Whaling City Sound

Sancochao – Richie Zellón – Landología-Afro-Peruvian Jazz – Songosaurus Music

Landología – Richie Zellón – Landología-Afro-Peruvian Jazz – Songosaurus Music

Landú – Manuel Miranda – Compilation El Sonido del Jazz-Afro Jazz Peruano – TDV Perú



Highligths of the show:

The show ended today offering a sample of jazz made in Perú. Having been played a few times in Latin Soul, it needs a review on the so called Afro-Peruvian jazz. Next, the seminal album of this style, Landología.



Richie Zellón is a deep well read and studied virtuoso guitar player whose career on music teaching goes along his career on music composition and scattered works released through the years. He is original from Lima, Perú, where he first pursued music studies under the direction of the by then director of the Symphonic Orquestra of Lima. Later on he pursued studies in the US as well as leading jazz ensembles, founding a Latin jazz label for the promotion of new artists. A little introduction to Mr. Zellón is required when talking about the album Landología for what it means in the musical scene from Perú, and so Southamerica. It is the seminal work of the so called “afro-peruvian jazz”. This album has made new artists feel inspired and start a career on the of these two musical languages such as jazz and the afro-peruvian, on one hand, and the Peruvian criollo music tradition on the other. First released in 1982 under the name 'Retrato en blanco y negro', it has been reissued in 2007 with the title of 'Landología – Afro-Peruvian Jazz – La histórica primera grabación realizada en 1982'. A truly long title aiming to put things in its place: many Peruvian jazz bands from today have followed the path set by Mr. Zellón´s pioneer album. And what may you find when you start listening? First thing one notices is the fondness for rhythmical percussion instrumentation obtained with the “cajón”, which a wooden box where a musician is sit on top and hitting with his hands. That's the quintessential Peruvian percussion instrument. The presence of it in the album -and usually Peruvian jazz albums- is from beginning to end. The instrumentation in general is marked by the steady beat and the remarkable hollow sound marked by the bass. A contemporary jazz taste also gives a patina to the whole album. The tracks are instrumental with a strong remark on bass, steady cajón beats, and Mr. Zellón guitar plucking. The outcome is a great fusion of styles where the esence of the criollo traditional Peruvian music and the Afro-Peruvian is encapsuled and lead with the guitar harmonies. At times offering a naïve sound, for the simplicity and playfully rhythm, like in track 5 'Festejo', joyful as in tracks 2 and 3, 'Landología' and 'Sancochao'; going to more straight contemporary jazz as in track 6 'Historia de amor en El Carmen'. Truly enjoyable is track 7 'Para una dama distante' and ending the original album with a coda to "Landología" as track 8, 'Café con leche' and short 9 'Mueve tus pies' are. Hopefully the new 2007 release comes with bonus tracks live. The long 13 minute theme 'La gran Cocoroca' just envelops you in the musical notes and makes you definitively fall for the album. In conclusion, "Landología", the title is in itslef neologism very appropriated for what the album encloses: landó is the original name by which is know the Afro-Peruvian traditional music in this Southamerican country, until which the African rhythm of Angola´s londu arrived back in the day, and being given today a new twist by contemporary jazz musicians from Perú, such as the impulse given here by Richie Zellón, and his large ensemble.