Susana Baca Espiritu Vivo 20th Anniversary LP

"I was born in Lima and grew up in a small town in Peru called Chorrillos. My father was a chauffeur for a wealthy family and my mother worked as a cook and sometimes washed clothes. In Lima we lived in an alleyway, the kind where the servants lived, off the main streets past the fancy neighborhoods. My father played the guitar. He was the official musician of the alley. Whenever there was a party they called him. People came and we put on a show. I would drop anything for music. In Peru the black population is very small - you find mixed people, like me, or even lighter. But as a culture it is present everywhere. I would like to be remembered for my voice, of course. But also for helping to spread the music of my ancestors - all those people who were never recognized for their work or for their beautiful culture." - Susana Baca

The tracks on this album may arouse a number of emotions; they were not sung purely for the pleasure of making music, but to convey, with drama and joy, that life is stronger than ever and continues with a live Spirit…

Recorded in New York after 9/11 in front of a small audience, Espíritu Vivo marries Susana Baca's wonderful vocals and Peruvian backing band with the downtown sounds of John Medeski and guitarist Marc Ribot - for a recording that transcends time and place, with Baca giving every iota of herself to the music. This is the 20th anniversary edition, on vinyl (in a gatefold jacket) for the very first time.

Given the time and place of recording, there's an astonishingly transcendental quality to the record, as if Baca is giving every iota of herself to the music, and the players are following her lead. Her best album to date, which is quite a claim.