When enslaved African populations were brought to work in coastal agricultural areas of Peru during colonial times, they brought along their musical traditions. In Peru, those traditions mixed with Spanish popular music of the nineteenth century, eventually growing into what is commonly known as Afro-Peruvian music. The Marinera, festejo, landó, tondero, zamacueca, and contrapunto de zapateo musical genres, among others, also involve rich dance and ritual traditions.
Alejandro Ataucusi is no casual practitioner of the form. He has steeped himself in Afro-Peruvian music, and is a master of the Charango (the 15-string Peruvian guitar), having studied with master teachers in Peru.
This Afro-Peruvian Workshop will cover all the basic rhythms in the different Afro-Peruvian percussion instruments. Attendees will not only learn about the history of each instrument, but they will also be shown proper technique to execute each instrument correctly.
Rhythmic patterns will also be shown on the guitar and bass.
The goal of this workshop is to present the unique syncopation found in Afro-Peruvian music to the community, and how all these rhythms could be applied to any style of music.
At the end of the workshop, there will be a Q&A, and the instructors will play a couple of songs showcasing each instrument and jam with the attendees.
Alejandro Ataucusi from Perth Amboy, NJ is a composer, educator and band leader of Forbidden Tropics. He has been the guitarist for the William Paterson University Latin Jazz Ensemble since 2013. He has played with many well-known Latin and Jazz artists such as Jimmy Bosch, Claudio Roditi, and members of the Tito Puente Orchestra such as Ray Vega, Mitch Frohman, and Jose Madera. Alejandro is endorsed by Godin guitars, Udo Roesner amps, and Aquila strings.