Help us raise the cost of flights and travel expenses for Manzanita Jr to make the journey from Lima, Peru to the UK this summer to pays homage to his father and revive the music of the legendary Manzanita and his guitar-driven sound of 1970s Peru!
We're Los Chichanos, a cumbia-chicha band based in Edinburgh and Glasgow, UK. More than just a band, we are a collective of musicians from around the UK that perform the tropical 60's and 70's Peruvian music as well as other rhythms from Latin America. We are fully independent with no record label or booking agent and are completely self-managed since we formed in 2021. Here you can see some videos of our performances. Los Chichanos YouTube Channel
Last year Sandino (leader of Los Chichanos) travelled to Lima, Peru to research and interview the last legends of the style of music known as cumbia or chicha which has inspired us and it's getting more and more popular around the world. Along his journey he met the guitarist Berardo Hernandez, also known as "Manzanita Jr", the son of Manzanita, a legendary figure in Peruvian music history that developed the distinctive style of electric guitar-led music, Peruvian Cumbia-Guaracha, the late Manzanita. You can check his music out here:
Youtube: Manzanita y su Conjunto - Virgenes del Sol
Spotify: Manzanita y su Conjunto
Berardo himself is a guitar virtuoso, taught by his father and one of the only people in the world who can still play the revolutionary "Cumbia-Guaracha" style of music that his father developed in late 60s and early 70s Peru. He performed on stage beside his father growing up until his father sadly passed away.
Berardo today leads a humble life in Lima where he lives with his wife and daughter. He performs around Peru as an independent artist, working as a session musician with different artists in the current traditional music genres such as criollo and bolero, and occasionally invited to play at his local social club and and private parties. Now Berardo together with Los Chichanos are reviving and spreading far and wide the music of his father, the great Manzanita.
What started as a dream, we have turned into reality; we're bringing Berardo to the UK to share the magical music of Manzanita firsthand with audiences and musicians outside Latin America for the very first time. Sandino and Berardo have been working really hard to produce the Manzanita y su Conjunto - La Leyenda Continúa tour of the UK in June and July 2024!
Here is a website where you can find out more about the tour: Manzanita y su Conjunto - La Leyenda Continúa Website
With a specially formed band, Berardo will be paying tribute to his father's band Manzanita y su Conjunto and his compositions and arrangements of traditional songs which were recorded in the late 60's and 70's, as well as other classics and tropical Latin hits that today are often heard across the world.
This would be the very first time that Manzanita's music will be performed live in the UK (that we know of!) and we sincerely hope as many of you will be able to come to see the show as possible!
How to help:
We are aiming to raise £2500 to help with part of the costs of Berardo's journey, which includes the return flights Peru-UK as well as visa, travel and accommodation expenses. The total costs of this tour will be at least £5000.
As we're sure many of you will know, the purchasing power of the Peruvian Sol is not very strong, this together with the cost of living has put a lot of strain on making this tour financially viable. We've put in many hours of hard work so far coordinating the whole tour process of booking shows, organising backing musicians, studios, logistics and have already invested in from our own savings to make it this far.
We ask for your support on this final leg of the preparations now, so Berardo can fly from Lima to the United Kingdom. We want to spread the music of Manzanita all around the UK and together with Berardo this summer and add a new chapter to the history of Peruvian music around the world.
Any and all donations are appreciated to help this tour and we will be giving special rewards in exchange of your support: Limited edition - original designed (by Julia Happymiaow) T-shirts of Manzanita Jr. and Los Chichanos. Unreleased recordings of Manzanita Jr with his band in Lima. Tickets for the first concert in the UK that happens on June 20th in Edinburgh. Los Chichanos badges and stickers.
ABOUT MANZANITA Y SU CONJUNTO
Manzanita y Su Conjunto played a pivotal role in shaping the vibrant tapestry of Peruvian music. The electrifying fusion of cumbia and guaracha, infused with coastal rhythms, ignited dance floors and resonated across the nation.
One of the founding fathers of the electric guitar-driven craze of the 60s & 70s, the late Manzanita and his band paved the way for the genre that has taken the global tropical music scene by storm in recent years. The heady blend of cumbia and guaracha and his lightning-fast finger lines resounded with audiences of the era.
ABOUT LOS CHICHANOS
Los Chichanos - We started at the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021 with the intention of bringing many musicians together to sing, play and celebrate Latin America culture with our happy and uplifting music. From busking on the streets of Edinburgh to festival stages around the UK was our journey over the past years. And it is very special to see that our fans aren't just Latin Americans but also Scottish, British, Europeans and all nationalities from around the world all together as one whole family.
Tour Dates are below!
20th June - Edinburgh
21st June - Glasgow
22nd June - London
28th June - Nottingham
5th July - Isle of Anglesey
7th July - Largs
12th July - Oxford
Thanks so much for your support and please follow us on our socials for tour updates.
Instagram page - Los Chichanos
Much love Manzanita Jr. and Los Chichanos family!