Perkutao- Afro Peruvian Jazz

This is music that defies definition – it is folkloric, it is jazz, it is avant-garde, it is Perkutao!

Perkutao

Afro Peruvian jazz group Perkutao was founded in Lima, Peru in 2005 by percussionist, dancer and educator Percy Chinchilla. The group recently relocated to the United States, giving new audiences an opportunity to experience the magic of their unique sound. Rooted in Afro-Peruvian traditions, their music also incorporates Afro-Cuban influences and various contemporary styles. The result is intriguing and compelling. 

Chinchilla, grew up in the legendary Callejón del Buque, where the Afro-Peruvian cajón could be heard daily alongside guitars, singers, and other percussion instruments. At a young age, he won percussion and dance awards, and was asked to tour Latin America with top Peruvian artists. He dreamt of someday launching his own ensemble to express his culture in a modern and sophisticated way, on par with other African Diasporic traditions.

 After studying global percussion traditions for over 20 years, the group’s drummer, Robin Axel, was drawn to the same vibrant music which embraces both innovation and tradition. Today Chinchilla and Axel work together to to bring this music across the globe. They.are joined by other stellar players: Peruvian Paolo Valdivia on guitar, Gabriel Vivas (from Venezuela) on bass and Baltimore trumpeter Leo Maxey. Their enticing music and intriguing stories will likely be new to the ears of most listeners.

THE PROGRAM

Their festival performances at Peerless Rens Club will be intriguing. “Mayoral” by Wilfredo Franco Laguna is a Festejo, the most emblematic and popular style of Afro-Peruvian dance music. Made famous by singer Lucila Campos, the song is about the resistance of Afro Peruvians during the period of slavery in Peru. It opens with a chorus representing an intense call against a slave master and features a duet between the cajon and drum set.

Composed by Cairo Soto, “Toro Mata” has been recorded by Peruvian musicians, the great Celia Cruz and other salsa performers. It is originally a lando, a traditionally slow, syncopated genre in 6-8 time. It features the cajon, quijada de burro (donkey jawbone), and the checo (a gourd drum). The song mocks the Spanish and Europeans who dominated Peruvian society in colonial and post-colonial Peru. The dance parodies the European waltz; the lyrics symbolically portray Spain as a bull who will face an unhappy ending.

Composed by Perkutao drummer Robin Axel in the Zamacueca style, “Callejon Nocturno” is reminiscent of the alleys in Lima, where Afro Peruvian culture took root and Perkutao was created. The song features solos by all group members and combines modern jazz harmonies and melodies with Peruvian rhythms.

Perkutao has performed numerous times at the National Theater of Peru. In 2022, Perkutao joined legendary Cuban group Los Munequitos de Matanzas to celebrate the group's 70th anniversary in Matanzas, Cuba. In the Washington, D.C. area, they’ve appeared at Blues Alley, Takoma Station and Mr. Henry's. Their debut album, Mis Ancestros was produced by acclaimed percussionist Manongo Mujica.

Music fans would need to travel thousands and thousands of miles around the globe to hear the authentic, captivating melodies and rhythms offered by Perkutao in the 2026 Annapolis Jazz & Roots Festival.

 

 

 

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