Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) – “The Annex Sessions”
“Coastal Music of Peru” / “Música Costeña del Perú”
Marina Lavalle – vocals
Marcelino Santiago “Coco” Linares Zegarra – Guitar
Pedro Rosales – Cajon
When enslaved African populations were brought to work in coastal agricultural areas of Peru during colonial times, they brought along their musical traditions. In Peru, those traditions mixed with Spanish popular music of the nineteenth century, eventually growing into what is commonly known as Afro-Peruvian music. The Marinera, festejo, landó, tondero, zamacueca, and contrapunto de zapateo musical genres, among others, involve rich dance and ritual traditions.
The atajo de negritos and yunsa dance forms are traditional Afro-Peruvian expressions from the southcentral coastal department of Ica. This predominantly rural area harbors one of the largest concentrations of Afro-Peruvians in the country. These dances are cultural manifestations of their locally developed identity, memory, and musical and ritual knowledge.
MARINA LAVALLE
Afro-Peruvian singer Marina Lavalle is one of the most distinctive performers in the Bay Area and one of the great voices of modern Peruvian music. An important figure in the resurgence of Afro-Peruvian music, Marina nurtures a carefully crafted blend of contemporary and traditional sounds. Accompanied by guitar, base and Peruvian cajón, she renders a soulful and vibrant interpretation of an array of rhythms in her musical heritage such as: Landó, Festejo, and Zamacueca, just to name a few.
MARCELINO SANTIAGO “COCO” LINARES ZEGARRA
He was born in San Luis de Cañete in 1955. He graduated from the National Conservatory of Music specializing in Classical Guitar and is considered one of the most outstanding guitarists, composers, arrangers and musical directors in Peru.
He has been deserving of various distinctions such as the one received in 1978 as Best Young Arranger. Throughout his professional career, he has been in charge of conducting important orchestras in Peru and abroad, including the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, of which he was guest conductor in 1993.
As an arranger and musical composer, Coco Linares has written more than 40 symphonic music orchestrations; His arrangements of El Cóndor Pasa for the Lima Philharmonic Orchestra stand out. He has also orchestrated the Chabuca Granda Creole Mass for the Archbishopric of Lima. In addition, he has written various musical arrangements for television programs such as “Mediodía criollo” and “Una y mil voces”.
He has participated in various musical productions with artists such as Eva Ayllón, Cecilia Barraza, Cecilia Bracamonte, Los Zañartu, Las limeñitas, Jesús Vásquez, Óscar Avilés and Arturo “Zambo” Cavero, among others.
The Ministry of Culture recognizes Marcelino Santiago “Coco” Linares Zegarra as a Meritorious Personality of Culture 2015 for his outstanding contribution to Peruvian musical culture.
PEDRO ROSALES
Proyecto Lando director Pedro Rosales is a renowned cajon player celebrated for his fierce, energetic playing, his expressive vocal interpretations, his sensitivity as an accompanist, and his creative and prolific compositions.
Born in Lima, Peru, Pedro discovered his passion for the cajon at the age of fourteen, taking classes with maestro Ernesto Sandoval at the Museo de Arte de Lima. By 1989, he had joined folklorist Julio Casanovas’ Tradiciones Peruanas ensemble as a percussionist. In 1992, Pedro moved to San Francisco, where he co-founded the experimental ensemble Malambo Kombo with pianist Jorge Molina. In 1995, he co-founded De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, who released four albums under his musical direction through 2013: “El Retorno” (2001), “Diaspora Negra” (2009), children’s album “Huaranguito” (2011) and Marina Lavalle’s “Sutil” (2010). In 2009, Pedro founded Proyecto Lando, releasing a number of original compositions in collaboration with arranger Felipe Pumarada, and performing extensively throughout Northern California.
Pedro’s skills as a cajon player developed under the guidance of his mentors, master Afro-Peruvian percussionists Manuel “Manguey” Vasquez, Eusebio “Sirio” Pititi, Braulio Barrera, and “Lalo” Izquierdo (founder, choreographer, percussionist/dancer of Peru Negro Cultural Association). Pedro is honored to have accompanied many of the most celebrated Peruvian singers and artists, including Pepe Vasquez, Jesus Vasques, Luis Abanto Morales, Arturo Zambo Cavero, Oscar Aviles, Lucia de la Cruz, Lucila Campos, Peru Negro, Bartola, Jorge Luis Jasso, Manuel Donayre, Rosa Flor, Carlos Hayre and Elizabeth Panchano, among others.
Pedro is well-known in the Bay Area music scene as a collaborator, sharing his knowledge and curiosity with musicians immersed in a variety of Afro-latin traditions.
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.