RELEASE PARTY in La Peña, Fri. Jan. 20 at 8pm

Ok, you San Francisco Bay Area residents, it's time to mark your calendars and to set the evening of Friday, Jan. 20 starting at 8pm (THIS COMING FRIDAY) for our release party.  The release party will be at la Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley (3105 Shattuck Ave.).  Cost is $15 at the door, but $12 if you purchase in advance...students and seniors get a discount.  And here's the LINK with information as to how to purchase in advance.

We've listed this event and posted photos and trailers in a number of places, including HERE.  Of course, you can also go to our web site LINK and/or to the la Peña calendar page LINK to find out more about it.

Bottom line is just that you BE there when we start the program...which will consist of the screening of the documentary, a live performance by de Rompe y Raja, the performance group featured in the documentary, and for those so inclined, a mini-lesson in Afro-Peruvian zapateo footwork.  Fun.

Juan Omar Medrano Cotito (PHOTO:  Oscar Champi Echegaray)

In the documentary, among other things you will learn about some of the percussion instruments that Afro-Peruvians have contributed to the musical world.  You see four of these in the photo above, all of which figure in one way or another in the documentary.  Those four are the Afro-Peruvian cajón, the quijada de burro, the cajita and the checo.  Each one has a very distinctive sound and if you put them all together, it´s pretty cool.

The cajita is not restricted to Afro-Peruvian music, although that's where it comes from.  Here's a percussion trio -- definitely not Afro-Peruvians (and no, the shekere is not Afro-Peruvian either, but the cajón in this video is).  Looks like they are having a good time.




SO--come out to the release party, and join us.

OUR NEXT BLOG will be about the release party, after it occurs.