Copyright by Javier Francisco León Quirós 2003 The Dissertation Committee for Javier Francisco León Quirós certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: The Aestheticization of Tradition: Professional Afroperuvian Musicians, Cultural Reclamation, and Artistic Interpretation Committee: Gerard H. Béhague, Supervisor Stephen Slawek Veit Erlmann Joel Sherzer Richard Flores The Aestheticization of Tradition: Professional Afroperuvian Musicians, Cultural Reclamation, and Artistic Interpretation by Javier Francisco León Quirós, M.Mus., B.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2003 Dedication In loving memory of Carlos Alfonso Quirós Salinas, whose persistent, unwavering, and silent support made this dissertation possible. Sadly, he was not able to see its final outcome. January 24, 1916 – December 12, 2002 Acknowledgements This dissertation has been possible in great part to all those musicians, composers, researchers, and music enthusiasts who over the years have been kind enough to share their thoughts, knowledge and expertise with me. First and foremost, I would like to thank the talented performers that I have been privileged enough to meet during this research project. Since my first research trip in 1995, Susana Baca and her husband Ricardo Pereira have been a constant source of support and inspiration both in Lima and in the United States. Our long conversations, often into the late hours of the evening, Susana’s delicious home cooking, and Ricardo’s voracious interest on all matters ethnomusicological and anthropological have all contributed to my working through many of the ideas found in the pages of this dissertation. As Ricardo said to me after a visit to Austin, TX in 1996, we started out as acquaintances with common interests, but we quickly became fast friends in the subsequent years. I would also like to thank former and current members of Susana’s band, including Hugo Bravo, Juan Medrano Cotito, Rafael “Fayo” Muñoz, and David Pinto for allowing me to tag along with them while on tour, attending recording sessions, and for candidly sharing their opinions regarding the challenges of being a professional musician. v I particularly wish to thank Juan Medrano Cotito who since 1996 has been my cajón teacher, principal source for making contact with other musicians, friend, and fellow Irakere aficionado. I would also like to thank his children Anaí, Carlitos and Yanairé for all the afternoons when they had to endure my cajón playing. I am also grateful to Luisa “Nachi” Bustamante, Juan’s wife, for including me in many of their family gatherings, birthday parties, and for inviting me to see my first performance by the members of Grupo Teatro del Milenio. The members of Milenio have also been an invaluable source of ideas and information. Beyond making themselves available for interviews and to answer informal questions, Lucho Sandoval, Roberto Arguedas, Gina Beretta, Oscar Villanueva, Clara Chávez, Rosario “Charo” Goyeneche, Percy Chinchilla, Williams Nicasio, Paul Colinó, María Molina, and Jaime Zevallos made a point of sharing all aspects of their professional lives with me—rehearsals, group meetings, arguments, and celebrations. Lucho Sandoval’s commitment to Milenio’s philosophy and Roberto Arguedas’ passion for his music were also important sources of inspiration for my own work. Although within the more formal context of interviews, Abelardo Vásquez (d. 2001), Eusebio Siro “Pititi (d. 2001),” Lalo Izquierdo, Félix Casaverde, Juan Carlos “Juanchi” Vásquez, Antonio “Antuco” González, Chito Valdivia, Manuel Acosta Ojeda, Oscar Avilés, Mario Cavagnaro (d. 2000), Guillermo Durand, Aldo Borjas, Félix Vilchez, Miki González, Carlos Velaochaga, “La Gata” Inurritegui, and the members of La Peña de la Marinera have also provided key information towards the writing of this monograph. vi I also wish to thank all of my ethnomusicological counterparts who at various times have contributed to the further understanding of Afroperuvian music and culture, including my own. Since the first time that I met him at an SEM conference in 1994, Raúl Romero has been a close supporter of my work both as a friend and as director of the Center for Andean Ethnomusicology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. At the Center for Andean Ethnomusicology Raúl, as well as Gisela Cánepa Koch and Manuel Ráez, were of great assistance by granting me access to their collections and allowing me to borrow their equipment for dubbing and depositing of field recordings. Their open door policy and willingness to discuss various aspects of my field research was also of great help. It is not often that, while in the field, one has the luxury to meet with colleagues on a regular basis to share ideas and experiences. My initial incursions into the topic of this dissertation were also largely the result of Rosa Elena Vásquez’s scholarly writings, which I first read when I was an undergraduate student. Chalena was also of great assistance identifying and contacting a number of performers during my first few research trips to Lima. Most recently, this dissertation is greatly indebted to the work of my friend and colleague Heidi Feldman. In an academic world where we are all too often pressured into staking out our own research “claims” as authorities in one particular type of music or another, Heidi’s openness and willingness to share ideas, research materials, and criticisms regarding my work confirm my belief that there is much to be learned from collaborative rather than competitive research. Although I have not had the opportunity to meet them personally, my vii often long email exchanges with Bill Tompkins, David Mortara, and Alex Pertout regarding the present state of Afroperuvian music research have also been of immense help in sorting and working through various points discussed in the following pages. While in Lima, this research was also made possible by a number of individuals and institutions. Initial portions of this research were made possible thanks to grant by the Tinker Foundation. In addition to the aforementioned staff of Center for Andean Ethnomusicology, the staffs of Radio Nacional, Radio Sol Armonia, the Red Científica Peruana, and the Escuela Nacional de Folklore José María Arguedas have been great help and assistance. Fellow ethnomusicologists Jonathan Ritter and Lara Greene, when visiting in Lima were kind enough to at times accompany to events, assist me with the logistics of recording of live performances, and loaning me video equipment. The Ascenzo Chepote and Elías Ascenzo families were also helpful in providing me with additional equipment for the dubbing of video and audio recordings. Vicky Castro Quirós and Carlos Quirós Salinas were kind enough to collect recordings and newspaper articles that they felt I would find of interest while I was not in Lima. Gustavo Ascenzo Rosenthal and Delia “Paquita” Chepote de Ascenzo, Gustavo, Sandro, and Fernando Ascenzo Chepote, Marinés Estatuet Echecopar, Bernardo and Gustavo Klinge León, Inés Torne, Miguel and Ricardo Elías Ascenzo, Herbert and Milena Young, Xavier Estatuet and Inés Echecopar de Estatuet, Gustavo Salinas Bernales, Lucho and Pepe Gandolfo Raffo, Rafo Rojas Quirós, Alberto and Olga Massaro, Antonio Figari and Grimi Quirós de Figari, Diego Castro Quirós, Carlos viii Quirós Salinas, Natalia and Cristina León Quirós, Anita, José Antonio and Raúl Quirós Raffo, Anita Raffo Massaro, Pilar Albareda, Juan Romero, Yuri Juárez, and Sandra de la Vega were all at one time or another helpful assistants, companions, and sources contact information. My grandfather Carlos Quirós Salinas and the Ascenzo Chepote family were also largely responsible for my lodging while in Lima. At the University of Texas at Austin, I would like to thank the members of my dissertation committee and all the other individuals that have contributed to this project. As supervisor of this dissertation and my advisor, Gerard Béhague has been an excellent mentor, always willing to give me enough leeway to find my own voice as an ethnomusicologist. Stephen Slawek has been a great source of advice in issues of writing style, field and analysis methodologies. Veit Erlmann and Richard Flores have been largely responsible for the development of my critical thinking during the last years of my graduate school career. Joel Sherzer has been a tireless and enthusiastic source of support and positive reinforcement. Professors Andrew Dell’Antonio, Susan Jackson, Anne MacNeil, Stuart Goosman, Deborah Kapchan, Aline Helg, James Brow, Pauline Strong and Laura Lein were also important sources of information and advice throughout my graduate school career. Fellow current and former students Ramón Versage, Gary Boas, Peter García, Alice Chu, Liz Lilliot, Rodrigo Herrera, Jennifer O’Donnell, Peter Kvetko, Estevan Azcona, Ketty Wong, Jeff Grimes, Ron Emoff, David Henderson, Harry Green, Tom Gruning, Soniya Brar, Scott Taylor, Todd Smitala, Alfredo Colman, Molly White, Sherri Canon, Emily Pinkerton, Adrianne ix Helinski, Elizabeth LaBate, Andy Hicken, Rita Ricardo, David Lynch, David Samuels, Marc Perry, Michael Trujillo, and Gilberto Rosas have all been good sounding boards at various times during this research project. The writing of this dissertation has also been made possible thanks to the input of a variety of individuals