My Peru diary - day 15 (all about the BIG SHOOT)

Peru diary (Dec. 19, 2014)

Well, yesterday was the BIG SHOOT, the reason that I scheduled my trip when I did, so that I could get all three great percussionists together:  Lalo Izquierdo, Juan Medrano Cotito, and Huevito Lobatón.

We filmed the conversation part in "my apartment."  l to r:  Cotito, Huevito Lobatón and Lalo Izquierdo.

And they were, well, great!

We started off by filming a conversation between the three of them, in which I presented three topics and asked them simply to talk about them.  The first topic was...how did they learn Afro-Peruvian rhythms.  Of course, I knew they had all learned as kids in their homes, watching parents, family, and friends but I wanted them to talk about this in front of the camera.

They did, indeed, talk.  After an hour on the topic, I had to raise my hand and ask them to stop since I was running out of film.  (I still shoot with videotape, although the other two camera people had video cards.)

Me with Huevito Lobatón.  We filmed the interviews in a park in Barranco (another district of Lima).

What they said as they talked was really fun and interesting.  I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Because of the time factor, we had to skip topic two, and I had them move briefly through topic three (what they think is the future of Afro-Peruvian music, rhythms and dance).

Next, we filmed short interviews in which I asked each of them separately a very few questions.

Lalo Izquierdo and Juan Medrano Cotito in the park.

Finally, the big thing:  the performance part.  We filmed this in a cultural organization which has a stage and puts on performances.  It's called Casa Shenan.

They did four numbers:  one with just the three of them playing cajón and singing;  one with Lalo Izquierdo and Huevito Lobatón performing zapateo footwork (with a guitar accompanying them) and two with a guitar, a singer, and the three of them playing percussion - cajón and some quijada de burro.

In Casa Shenan, setting up for the performance part.

It was really great.  In fact, I've decided I'll use this material (supplemented by other things I shot in Peru) to make a documentary called Masters of Percussion...because they really are, and all three are fascinating people.

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I am in Peru for reasons related to our documentary, A Zest for Life, and other work about Afro-Peruvians.

(For more photos, go to the Facebook page of Palomino Productions, A Zest for Life Afro-Peruvian, and Eve A. Ma.)

My Peru diary, day 10

Peru diary (Dec. 14, 2014)

Am now in the little town of el Carmen, in the southern coastal area of Peru.  To get here, you take a bus to Chincha and then a taxi from Chincha to el Carmen.  It´s important to take a secure taxi...many of the taxis here are not secure, so you need to get the name of a taxi before you start your trip.

The town is abut 5 blocks long by 7 blocks deep.  Many houses have murals painted on them.

El Carmen is a predominantly Afro-Peruvian town in which they carry on a centuries old tradition called the "hatajo de negritos."  The "hatajos" are groups of dancers - all men except for one which is exclusively women - who perform special dances on the occasion of Christmas, the celebration of the Virgin of Carmen, and 12th Night.  The dances are always done in front of an image or altar to baby Jesus.  Often, the Virgin of Carmen is also on the altar.

I am staying in a beautiful "hotel" - a big, airy house with 2 acres of grounds planted in avocado trees, fruit, bananas, etc..  The proprietor, Edith Maldonado,  is a woman instrumental in seeing to the production of the first documentary about the "hatajos." This was back in 2007.  A newer, excellent, one was filmed in 2012 by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.

Edith Maldonado on the veranda of the main building of the "hotel."

Since there are already two documentaries about the "hatajos," I filmed only a tiny portion of one of the rehearsals.  It is really wonderful stuff, and a fascinating story.

People here are loath to sign documents, an important consideration for me since I need release forms signed.  And drama, drama!  One of the places I was to film cancelled their rehearsal in part because, after I set up my camera, I explained I´d need a signature.  But I got plenty enough footage in the other place to use for what I´m working on.

Inside the house of Margarita Cordoba, where I filmed.  The altar to baby Jesus is in the background.

Another small drama:  I was told the place where I´m staying could accept payment by debit-credit card.  On arriving, I discovered this is not correct.  El Carmen does not have a bank, so later today, I'll go in a tiny, overcrowded van into Chincha to search for an ATM machine and hope a) it will give me the money I need and b) it won´t eat my card.

Tomorrow afternoon, I leave el Carmen to go to San Luis de Canñte (which I just discovered is a different place from Canñte...good that I found out because I was planning to go to Cañete) where I´ll hopefully hook up with Lalo Izquierdo, visit his cultural association, and film him giving children a lesson in cajon.

The church is much grander than any of the houses in town.

Then, back to Lima.
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I am in Peru for reasons related to our documentary, A Zest for Life, and other work about Afro-Peruvians.

(For more photos, go to the Facebook page of Palomino Productions, A Zest for Life Afro-Peruvian, and Eve A. Ma.)

My Peru diary - day 5 (filming)

Diary, day 5 (Dec. 9, 2014)

FILMING

Since I've arrived, I've recorded a very interesting interview with Luis Rocca, director and one of the founders of the Museo Afropeuano de Zaña (Afro-Peruvian Museum of Zaña) and filmed two interesting interviews plus some  really great cajón demonstrations with Lalo Izquierdo (a percussionist, dancer, choreographer and folklorist...as well as a great human being).  Tomorrow, I'm supposed to film an interview with the widow of a former Afro-Peruvian percussionist great, Ronaldo Campos.

Luis Rocca, with Luisa (Nachi) Bustamante (wife of Cotito) and their son, Carlos Medrano.

My camera person for the Lalo Izquierdo filming did not do as good a job as I'd hoped...not a disaster, but problematical enough so that I'll do the filming tomorrow all by myself...and interview the widow at the same time.  My fingers are crossed that it will turn out well!  

I have other camera people, and a sound person for the BIG SHOOT on Dec. 18, where we'll film three percussionists and a guitarist performing, and also film an interview with the percussionists.

Setting up for the interview with Lalo Izquierdo.

Locations are always a problem, and Lima is even noisier than Jerez de la Frontera.  Thank goodness for those little mics you clip to your lapel.  They make it possible to record a decent interview even in noisy circumstances.  Thank goodness for my precious Zoom H-2 mic and digital recorder.  Thank goodness for....

I also seem to have surmounted the various technical problems I encountered on first arriving, but don't want to overstate this.  There can always be new technical problems tomorrow.

Me with Lalo at the time of the interview.

And that's it, folks.  I'm attaching a few photos here for your pleasure and general edification.  As you see, the ocean is way, way down there.

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(For more photos, go to the Facebook pages of Palomino Productions, A Zest for Life Afro-Peruvian, and Eve A. Ma.)

I am in Peru for reasons related to our documentary, A Zest for Life, and other work about Afro-Peruvians.

My Peru diary, day 5

(diary entry, Dec. 9,  2014)

Ok, FOOD:

Ceviche.  I've eaten a lot of it here.  It's very good.  Whenever I see both fish and seafood ceviche offered, I ask someone else to choose for me and they always choose fish.  So next time you're in Lima, remember:  fish ceviche it is.

There are plenty of places to eat near where I'm staying.

Purée.  I've always thought of purée as something you can do to various foodstuffs, like puréed peas....but here, it's a dish.  Potatoes and corn puréed together.  There may also be some milk added;  I'm not sure.  It's pasty yellowish, but tastes pretty good.

Rice and seafood.  Very tasty.

Befstek (beefstead).  Overcooked, at least where I ordered it.  Avoid if possible.

Vegetables.  Kind of few and far between.

Camoche.  It's sweet potato and comes as a side with many things, including ceviche.  Good stuff.

Avocados.  Gigantic.  Tasty.  Usually stuffed, or chopped and put into other dishes.

A lovely park near where I'm staying:  Parque 7 de julio.

Papayas.  Even more gigantic.  Some have reddish flesh.  Very good, as is the other fruit here.

Italian food.  There's a nice little Italian restaurant near my place with nice little overpriced food.

Chocolate.  There's a museum of chocolate near my place.  (Yes, a museum of chocolate.)  You can watch them make chocolate.  You can read the seven or eight steps involved.  By the end of reading them, you will be totally confused.  You can purchase their hand-made, fair price, expensive but good chocolate.  I still prefer the Lindt chocolate I get in California.

There are 50-100 feral kitties in the Parque Kennedy, next to the Parque 7 de julio.  An organization provides them with food and tries to find homes for them

WATER

Everyone warned me about drinking the water.  Bottled water is the only way to go, they said, and don't even let anyone give you a drink with ice in it.

So on day 2, when I was given some fruit juice, after 3 swallows I thought to ask if it was pure juice or if it had been mixed with water.  I was told it had been mixed with water.  Uh, oh.  

BUT nothing happened.  No bad effects.

So 2 days later, I deliberately drank one and a half glasses of fruit juice mixed with water (chichi).  No bad effects.

A fine-looking church near where I'm staying.

Today, I ordered the freshly squeezed (I asked) lemonade.  I drank 3 and one half glasses.   That was at 4:30pm.  It is now nearly 11pm.  So far, no bad effects but  maybe in 5 minutes????  

(By the way, the lemons here are small and green, and look like limes, but they don't TASTE like limes.)

If nothing happens, in another couple of days I'll try drinking some tap water.

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(For more photos, go to the Palomino Productions' Facebook page.)

I am in Peru for reasons related to our documentary, A Zest for Life, and other work about Afro-Peruvians.

My Peru diary, day 3

(diary entry, Dec. 7, 2014)

Last night, I went to a performance at The Jazz Zone to see a group called Colectiva Palenque.  Most of the people in the group look to be in their 30s, and they perform Afro-Peruvian fusion.  It was a lot of fun.  I've forgotten all their names (the show was to start at 11pm but didn't really get underway until around midnight and I was kind of sleepy), but the group's leader and his cousin were fantastic dancers of zapateo (very elaborate and dramatic Afro-Peruvian footwork) and were also very good on the cajón and quijada de burro.  In addition, they were personable and charismatic.

The same was true of the other members of the group.   Those who really stood out from my point of view, other than the two mentioned above, were the vocalist and the guy who spent 15 minutes solo making strange noises into the microphone, delivered in ever-changing rhythms.  You had to have been there....

There was also a guy who did rap in Spanish (of course in Spanish) who was plenty good enough, the guitarists were fine, but again, the two who danced zapateo and played the cajón, etc., were the stars of the show.

The Jazz Zone is located in this alley in Miraflores, one of the nicest parts of Lima

There was song, there was poetry, there was LOTS of rhythm, there was even a dance of the Son de los Diablos.

By the end, many in the audience (yours truly included) were on their feet, dancing.  A good time was had by all.

In the meantime, I've made further, elaborate arrangements about filming and have been meeting with people I should meet with.  Tomorrow at mid-day, I'll interview Luis Rocca, the director of the Museo Afroperuano de Zaña (Zaña is a small city in the northern coastal region) and on Monday, will film an interview with Lalo Izquierdo plus one with the widow of a former Afro-Peruvian percussionist great, Ronaldo Campos.

Juan Medrano Cotito (right) with wife Nachi (Luisa) Bustamante.

Then, there's always the bus experience, the food (including some really great ceviche), and the problem cable (this has to do with Apple, Inc....which has now ditched its firewire cables and connections-bad, bad, bad Apple, Inc.).

Onwards, ever onwards.

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(For more photos, go to the Facebook page of Palomino Productions, A Zest for Life Afro-Peruvian, and Eve A. Ma.)

I am in Peru for reasons related to our documentary, A Zest for Life, and other work about Afro-Peruvians.