Homenaje a El Carmen

Los Hermanos Ballumbrosio are a family music group from El Carmen in Chincha, a cotton-producing province around 200km south of Lima, Peru. Their town boasts a sizeable Afro-Peruvian population, of which their late father and mother were figureheads. The third volume of Buh Records’ Perspectives on Afro-Peruvian Music series, which translates as ‘Homage to El Carmen’, sees the band returning to the studio after a hiatus to stir up the sources of traditional rhythms like the festejo and panalivio, using cajón, quijada (jawbone), congas, bongo and batá (an hourglass-shaped drum linked to Santería).

The digital album has six long songs (from four-and-a-half to almost eight minutes each) that ordinarily play a part in ceremonies and rites. ‘Guanchivalito’, which has the raw energy of Andean carnival and the soaring vocals of Afro-Cuban music, is played during the Yunza Negra, a ceremony in which a willow tree is cut to bring benefits to the community. ‘Hatajo de Negritos’, a bouncing near-chaos of bells, fiddle and cajón-banging, comprises two traditional Christmas carols. Slow-building ‘La Esquina de El Carmen’ hints at the erotic character of festejo, also known as baile de cintura (waist dance). The CD version includes two more tracks, ‘Lucio Cotito’ and ‘Vamos a la Pampa’, dealing with the subject of slavery and liberation of the African descendants in Peru. Enlightening more than entertaining, Homenaje a El Carmen gives us a rare glimpse of close-knit, contemporary community music.