FIVE THINGS You SHould KNOW ABOUT
MONSIEUR PERINÉ

November 21, 2022 | by Rusty Aceves

Monsieur Periné

Bogota, Colombia natives Monsieur Periné return to SFJAZZ to help ring in the New Year (12/28–12/31) with their mix of Django Reinhardt-inspired Romani jazz, swing, pop, and bolero. Here are five things to know about them before their concert:

1. The group has a chemistry that has developed over sixteen years.
   Monsieur Periné first performed together in 2007 during Holy Week in Villa de Leyva, Colombia, playing a mix of traditional Latin American music and jazz, spending the next several years traveling around the country on the festival circuit. They began to jell as a unit in 2010, when they began writing original material and appeared at the Estéreo Picnic Festival that exposed them to a larger audience. They became more visible to North American audiences through a 2016 NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
2. Their music has won and/or been nominated for GRAMMYs and Latin GRAMMYs.
   The group won the coveted Latin GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist at the 2015 ceremony, and they received a nomination that year for Best Album in recognition of their second album, Caja de Música (Music Box). Caja de Música received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album in 2016, and 2018's Encanto Tropical (Tropical Charm) received the same recognition. The single from Encanto Tropical, “Bailar Contigo,” was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  
3. Their newest album received 2023 Latin GRAMMY accolades.
   The band's newest release, Bolero Apocaliptico, won a Latin GRAMMY for Best Alternative Album, and the single from the album, "Bailo Pa Ti," received a nomination for "Best Pop Song." 
4. They have an unmistakable visual signature.
   From early on in their evolution Monsieur Periné became known for a stunning visual sense, jumpstarted in earnest when they began using flamboyant costumes by designer Alejandra Rivas Rivera and art design from artist José Arboleda. Their inventive sense of style continues today, as they change their visual identity with each new project.
5. Their name has a colorful origin.
   The band name was the result of guitarist Santiago Prieto reading Michel Houellebecq’s sexually explicit novel The Elementary Particles, which contained the French word for a private anatomical area, the périnée (perineum), which Prieto altered to be the name of the band after it had been an in-joke among the members. Vocalist Catalina Garcia initially opposed the name, but added the word “Monsieur” as an allusion to the concept that French words, regardless of meaning, sound elegant and refined.

Monsieur Periné performs 12/28-31, with an early and late show on New Year's Eve. Tickets and more information available here.

Originally posted May 11, 2020, revised November 2023.