by jorge » Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:03 am
Leedy, I know Jay and I knew Junior, both of them are (were) friends of mine, and both of them have complained to me about the other one. You are being unfair, one sided and extreme in your accusations and it is unnecessary. Of course there was some friction at times between Junior and Jay, but the influences went both ways and, more importantly, both of them "borrowed" aspects of the Vergara design independently from Vergara drums. Both of them put a lot of original thought and innovations into their designs. Each of them was influenced by the other, but also by many other conga makers of the time. The shapes of Jay's and Junior's drums are different. The lugs are different. The hardware plates are different. The inside plate mountings are different. The types of staves and constuction methods are different. The construction of the rims is different. The construction, finish and types of steel of the hoops are different. The woods are different. The varnishes and finishes are different. The skins are different. The sounds of their drums are different. So I think it is hard to make a believable argument that Jay stole significant secrets from Junior (or vice versa). Both of them are (were) proud of their originality.
The reality is that instrument making is influenced by styles and concepts of the times, types of music being played, who is playing the drums, economics, personal styles of the artisans, and many other factors. Both Jay and Junior have been extraordinarily creative and have produced new innovations in their drums that others have not had. Both are/were totally dedicated to their art and their products reflect that. How do you think Gonzalo Vergara and Candido Requeña would have felt about Junior, Jay and Matt? If anything, both Jay and Junior were more strongly influenced by them than by each other.
I and several others tried to help Junior's family find someone to take over Junior's drum making business and his shop machinery when he got sick, but for the 2 years he was in the hospital before he finally died, we did not find anyone who had the dedication, skills, energy and motivation to do it. Where were you and why didn't you step forward to take over? The truth is that making top quality congas is a labor of love. Nobody (except maybe Martin Cohen, who did not actually make his drums) has ever gotten rich making congas, because the amount of work needed to make a drum is far more than the profit you can make if you charge even current market prices. Both Jay and Junior took so much crap from inconsiderate customers who accused them of overcharging, putting on the wrong skin, taking too long, putting the wrong color finish, and everything else you can think of, that most people would not want to be bothered in that business. It takes a very special person to make it happen, and there are very few people like that around. So please lighten up on your accusations.