Del fuego y del agua

Latin Beat Magazine, May, 1997 by Rudolph Mangual

SUSANA BACA

Susana Baca is one of the most prodigious and expressive performers of Afro Peruvian music and its folklore. Her professional career started in 1970 and since then, her powerful voice and progressive edge to the music of Black Peru has earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues and audiences worldwide. del Fuego y del Agua is not just a musical recording, it's an educational aid, the result of years of dedicated research by Susana Baca, Francisco Basili, and Ricardo Pereira on the Afro Peruvian traditions and their contribution to the formation of Peruvian popular music. A 130 page book is part of this small musical treasure which unveils the history of Blacks in the New World (predominately Peru), the traditions they brought with them, the music, the dance, and their souls. The trajectory covers from their arrival as slaves through their struggle to freedom. The book includes dozens of photographs, drawings, transcripts, musical charts, lyrics to songs, poems, and more information. A total of sixteen compositions in the CD give us a true taste of the music of Peru through the vocals of Susana Baca. The compositions stretch from various styles and rhythms as well as instrumentation and modalities. There is also a special participation by the Republicana Band from the National Police of Peru Children's Choir. Del Fuego y del Agua is Susana Baca's way of sharing with the rest of the world a piece of her heart and the music of her land.