Landó (music)

Landó is an Afro-Peruvian form of music in the musica criolla genre. Its unique yori had been likened to the Yorican blues genre.

Influences

Landó developed from a dance in Angola called londu that came with slaves when they arrived in Brazil. Even today, in Brazil, the Angolan influenced londo is played. Hence, the Landó is a mix of both Spanish and African rhythms. It features a slower tempo and call and response vocalization. The signature instrument of the Landó is the cajon, a box-like drum. This instrument was improvised by West Africans after they were taken to South America without instruments or other possessions.

Today

The Landó is still a very popular musical style in Peru. Peruvian musician Eva Ayllon is one of its most popular performers along with the band Perú Negro. Victoria Santa Cruz and her late brother poet Nicomedes Santa Cruz are recognized in Peru and all of Latin America as the one's responsible for maintaining not only the presence but having the contributions of the African diaspora acknowledged in Peru and all of Latin America. Nicomedes and Victoria contributed musically but also as intellectuals through various academic publications and documentaries from the late 1950s to present time.

Rhythmic Structure

The basic rhythm of Landó is a two-bar figure,^[1] played on the cajon (B = bass, F = flam, . = rest):

B . F . B B | . F B . F B 

...or, alternatively:

B . F . B B | . F . F . B 

This pattern is closely related to a bell pattern found in many African-based rhythms (L = low pitch, H = high pitch):

L . H . H H | . H . H . H 

However, another pattern for the hand bell is often favoured:

H H H . H H | H . H H H .