Inkari Introduces Listeners to a Different Piece of the World

The Peruvian group Inkari is on a mission to bring Andes culture northward, and any other direction possible. Inkari will hit Ventura for a sit-down concert Friday night.

It may be fitting that the group, based now in San Francisco but on the road more often than not, will be performing at the Church of Religious Science, the distinctive “Mayan Revival” building created by Robert Stacy-Judd. The group celebrates music of pre-Columbian origins, continuing the “Piece of the World” concert series around Ventura County.

Traditional Peruvian music occasionally creeps into the North American musical mainstream, most notably as an integral element in Paul Simon’s “El Condor Pasa” 25 years back. In recent years, the music has gained considerable public exposure thanks to itinerant groups of street musicians in the United States and Europe.

“There’s a growing interest in Andean music, and there are a lot of groups in this country,” said Alexandria Levin, the group’s manager. “I would say that 80% to 90% are really itinerant musicians, not professional. Mostly they play on the streets. Inkari is a band which plays festivals, schools and concert. They’re in a different league.”

Inkari’s repertoire, Levin explained, “is predominantly traditional, with pieces based on traditional material. The musical director, Hugo Navarro, will write adaptations on traditional work. A lot of things are public domain, and they have their own versions. The majority of their music is either contemporary or adaptations of traditional work from the Andes.

“They also have songs from other parts of Latin America, from Paraguay, Chile, Argentina, things that are not considered to be traditional or from the heart of the Inca empire. There are some hybrid South American songs in the repertoire, but the vast majority are Andean.”

Inkari’s busy touring schedule is delaying the release of their fourth CD, for their own label. The third album, “Mi Raza,” was released in 1993. When is the new CD coming out? Levin sighs. “Soon, in an indeterminate time. That’s a Peruvian ‘soon,’ which is a few ‘soons’ after what soon might mean here.”

DETAILS

* WHAT: Inkari presents “Music of the Andes.”

* WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday.

* WHERE: Church of Religious Science, 101 S. Laurel St. in Ventura.

* HOW MUCH: Tickets are $10.

* CALL: 650-9688.