Angara and Checo: precursors of the Peruvian cajon

[nicopatin]

hey everyone,

I thought I'd share this video displaying two Afro-Peruvian instruments: the angara and the checo. Presumably, they were the predecessors of the African-Peruvian cajon. I played a checo with Juan Medrano “Cotito”, an Afro-Peruvian master percussionist, in a informal jam back in October and it sounded really sharp. Nice dry sound. I asked him about the angara and he said you can’t really find them anymore, except in some isolated Afro-Peruvian communities in the North Coast of that country. Apparently the seeds are hard to find.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaVq7HW_sJs

Another Afro-Peruvian instrument I love is the jawbone (Donkey's jaw) or quijada de burro, which of course is also used in Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico and other parts of the region.