The African tradition in Peruvian music is just beginning to be recognized worldwide with the success of singers like Susana Vaca and the best selling CD Peru Negro presented by David Byrne. One of the legends of this tradition is Carlos Hayre who will highlight this evening with his guitar. Accompanying Maestro Hayre will be other well known interpreters of Afro-Peruvian music including Mochi Parra, a talented singer who was featured in June's West-Park series, Victor Valle, infectious percussionist and interpreter of Afro-Peruvian dance, Luis Casanova, another wonderful percussionist and great dancer, who formerly worked with the dancer Tania Libertad and Luisa Valencia, formerly the leading dancer with the well-known group, Perú Negro and exquisite interpreter of the criolla zapateo.

Maestro Carlos Hayre was one of the first to insert modern harmonies into Peruvian criolla and marinera music, receiving the support of some of Peru's great Jarana masters including los Ascuez, los Vasquez, Wilfredo Franco, Quintana, Guzmán and others. A fine composer, among his most popular pieces are Despertar, Miraflorina and Siempre.

In the 1960s, he worked alongside the noted Peruvian musicologist and decimista Nicomedes Santa Cruz, recreating and introducing music pieces into the Peruvian repertoire that have become classics, such as "No me Cumben," "La Raiz del Guarango," and "Manuel Antonio."

As a guitarist, bassist, arranger, conductor, director, and accompanist, he has recorded over 80 albums with major Latin American orchestras and recording stars including the renowned singer and composer Alicia Maguina with whom he set new performance standards.

Carlos pioneered the use of the cajon as a percussion instrument in the vals, one of the most typical popular and folkloric musics of Peru. Additionally, he innovated this musical genre by introducing new harmonies and dynamics, which gave the vals new life and developmental impetus, thus shaping its contemporary performance style. Carlos is also a foremost interpreter of the marineralimena, recording the 1970 album La Marinera Limena es Así with the renowned singer Abelardo Vasquez, and the previous generation of Peruvian masters that included guitarist Vicente Vasquez, singers Augusto Ascuez and Curita Gonzalez, and cajon player Canano.

The exact date of this concert is not known, but it occurred in the marked year around this time.