Afro Rhythm

[No.2-1820]

Does anyone else here play this rhythm ? My favorite example of it for congas is on Drum Negrita with Armando Peraza. Sample here, last track.

http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/mus ... +Strip.htm

Anyone have any interesting history etc of it ?

I discovered the rhythm years ago for Bongo through Matt Dubuque's bongo group and have loved it ever since.

Barrie

[congamyk]

Tomas Cruz has a good lesson of "AFro" on his Volume II DVD

[JohnnyConga]

That pattern(which is a lot older than Armando) comes from Bata drumming..and in some cases also called "Orisa"...on the conga drums, as I learned it.."JC" Johnny Conga..PS..David P. care to chime in on this?...

[Thomas Altmann]

Humberto Morales called it "Afro-Cuban" in his book. Most Cubans refer to it simply as "Afro". The name "Orisa" is new to me (which doesn't mean I doubt it). The only rhythm that I know with the name Oriza is Puerto Rican, and is related to Bomba and Iyesá.

Some drummers from Oriente, with whom I had a couple of lessons in the 80's, seemed to regard it as a type of Bembé rhythm. It is the classic accompaniment for songs like Drume Negrita, or numbers like Lecuona's Siboney for example. On a video, I have seen it being played with split parts for more than one drummer (can't remember how many, and how they did it - I wish I knew). In a Bembé situation, it fits Lukumí songs that usually go with the so-called "Rumba Obatala" (section 4 of Osain seco) in the batá repertory. It also resembles section 2 of Orunla seco.

It has come out of fashion somehow. I like the ancient, almost archaic feel of dignity and simplicity in this rhythm. This is really, really old, as Johnny already said. Chano Pozo had built a solo on it with Dizzy's band, but he played it a lot faster. The variations that Peraza played on the track you mentioned are interesting; I wouldn't have taken it in that direction, intuitively.

Thomas

[bongosnotbombs]

The rhythm that Chano Pozo played for Tin tin deo, is that Afro?

[davidpenalosa]

I have a version of Chano playing the Afro rhythm on "Tin Tin Deo," from Chano Pozo El Tambor De Cuba, which is I think from SMC, 1947. The funny thing is that he's playing the pattern twice the speed as the claves. Dizzy did a very hip version in the 90s in which the song goes from Afro in the A section to 12/8 in the bridge. Giovanni plays the congas.

To my ear, the Afro, with its heavy accent on the last stroke of clave, most closely resembles the Havana-style batá rhythm Ogún. On Lou Perez's "Our heritage-nuestra herencia" there's a four-part suite featuring Julito Collazo, in which Ogún is played on the batá for a very tasty Afro section.
-David

[No.2-1820]

Nice one guys, very interesting, I had heard that it was an old rhythm, once popular, that had dropped to almost obscurity. It seems more common for bongo than conga, although that could just be how I have run into it. I enjoy it on both. Can someone explain how it corresponds with clave ? I had heard as being clave neutral if that makes sense to anyone.

Barrie

[TONE74]

One of the first rhythms I learned. A good slow song to practice to is Bruca Manigua from Ibrahim Ferrer's Buena Vista cd. Bengali from a cd called Ritmos Afro Cubanos. I had about 6 different songs I used to practice to for this rhythm I think El Yerbero Moderno by Celia Cruz is also afro. Mata Siguaraya by Beny More. Can't remember the rest...

[davidpenalosa]

Can someone explain how it corresponds with clave ?Barrie

Are we talking about the same rhythm? It essentially makes a melody out of son clave.I can't think of a rhythm where clave is more obvious.
-David

[No.2-1820]

Yes, now you mention it ! I guess I was thinking in terms of how it would look note for note written with clave, like how a straight tumbao has two parts, one for each side of clave, I was thinking instead of listening again !

Barrie

[bongosnotbombs]

I have a version of Chano playing the Afro rhythm on "Tin Tin Deo," from Chano Pozo El Tambor De Cuba, which is I think from SMC, 1947. The funny thing is that he's playing the pattern twice the speed as the claves.
-David

That's the one I was referring to, thanks.

[bongosnotbombs]

Yes, now you mention it ! I guess I was thinking in terms of how it would look note for note written with clave, like how a straight tumbao has two parts, one for each side of clave, I was thinking instead of listening again !

Barrie

They had this rhythm posted on the "Conga Book" for this forum. I'm assuming it's written as if clave is 1 measure long, 4/4 vs/ 2/2. So essentially the rhythm is repeated once per clave cycle. The funny thing, I'm familiar with this rhythm mostly from jazz, the aforementioned Chano using it on Tin Tin Deo, and I've heard Candido playing it on bongos for another jazz track, I'm not sure of the name.

[davidpenalosa]

I'm not sure of the name.

That is the very same "Afro-Cuban" or "Afro" rhythm which is the subject of this thread.
-David

[bongosnotbombs]

I'm not sure of the name.

That is the very same "Afro-Cuban" or "Afro" rhythm which is the subject of this thread.
-David

Thanks David, I was aware of it being Afro. What I was trying to say was I'm not sure of the name of the Candido jazz song I've heard him play the Afro rhythm on. I found it just now, it's Hallelujah! I'm Coming Home on the album Thousand Finger Man from Blue Note. Listening to it now it's more of a funk jazz fusion vs a jazz tune but it's certainly Afro he's playing for the first half of the tune.

[davidpenalosa]

Oh, I see. Thanks for setting me straight.
-David