Susana Baca
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Susana Baca de la Colina (b. Chorrillos, Lima Province, Peru, 1944) is a prominent Peruvian singer of Afro-Peruvian descent. She has been a key figure in the revival of Afro-Peruvian music within Peru (see, for example, dancers from "Peru Negro," as well as "Festejo" music), which, like the culture that produced it, had previously been little recognized, but which is now regarded as an important part of Peruvian culture. Baca has contributed much to its international popularity, which began in 1995 with the release of the compilation CD The Soul of Black Peru. The album, which features Baca song "Maria Lando", was released by the Luaka Bop record label, which belongs to ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne.
Career
Baca's music is a mixture of traditional and contemporary. Her backing band features indigenous Peruvian instruments such as the cajón ("wooden box", whose origins lie in an upturned fruit crate), guapeo (clay pot), and quijada (jawbone of a burro), as well as acoustic guitar and double bass. Although many of her songs are based on traditional forms such as the lando or vals, she also incorporates elements of Cuban and Brazilian music.Her songs are poetic (with lyrics composed by some of Latin America's premier poets, with whom she collaborates), rich with evocative imagery, and her voice is delicate yet soulful. She has an elegant and engaging stage presence, gliding gracefully about the stage while singing. Her delivery is so deeply felt and emotion-filled as to project a spiritual character, even in songs that are not expressly religious in subject matter.
With her husband, Bolivian musicologist Richard Pereira, Baca founded the Instituto Negrocontinuo (Black Continuum Institute) in her beautiful seafront home in Chorrillos, just outside Lima, which fosters the collection, preservation, and creation of Afro-Peruvian culture, music, and dance.
In 2002, Susana Baca won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album, for her Lamento Negro CD.
Discography
- 1987 - Poesía y Canto Negro
- 1991 - Vestida de Vida, Canto Negro de las Américas!
- 1992 - Fuego y Agua
- 1997 - Susana Baca
- 2000 - Eco De Sombras
- 2001 - Lamento Negro
- 2002 - Espiritu Vivo
- 2004 - The Best Of Susana Baca
- 2006 - Travesias
Films
- 2003 - Susana Baca: Memoria Viva. Directed by Mark Dixon.
External links
- [Susana Baca page] from Luaka Bop site
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