No Song is Safe From Us

No Song Is Safe From Us - The NYFOS Blog
 |  Gabriela Lena Frank

We end this week’s look at the songs of the high Andes of Peru by going to the work of Luzmila Carpio, a Bolivian-born woman who sings her own native language of Aymara as well as Quechua, the indigenous language of Perú.  Making a point to sing in native languages over Spanish, Luzmila has been a major proponent of indigenous songs including achieving skill as an instrumentalist, traditionally the purview of men.




 |  Gabriela Lena Frank

Some of the most popular exponents of the Peruvian vocal sound have been odd ones, indeed, and Yma Sumac (1922-2008) certainly fits that bill! The running joke is that she was secretly a Jewish woman (spell her name backwards), but she did have an exotic, uncanny tone to her voice (and an enormous range). Her mystique was perhaps abetted by costume work that hinted at a Hollywoodian take of Egyptian…




 |  Gabriela Lena Frank

Continuing our focus on Afro-Peruvian culture, for my third blog, we turn to the work of folklorist, poet, and musician Nicomedes Santa Cruz (1925-1992). In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the life of this amazing and multi-faceted advocate who did so much to advance recognition of black Peruvians.




 |  Gabriela Lena Frank

For my second featured blog, I’d like to continue the thread of female Peruvian composer-singers (begun with Chabuca Granda yesterday) and go to Eva Ayllón, another proponent of Afro-Peruvian culture. This video excerpt from one of Eva’s more glamorous and cosmopolitan live performances is a great example of fusion and modernity both.




 |  Gabriela Lena Frank

It is a real pleasure to be working with the marvelous musicians and staff of the New York Festival of Song! I’m happy to be a guest blogger this week, sharing my love of music and the human voice with readers, and will start off with a gentle yet quietly powerful bang: La Flor de la Canela (Cinnamon Flower) composed and performed by Chabuca Granda (1920-1983)