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 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.