Sequencer

[caballoballo]

Bongoceros, sequencer is what we call computer base music or pista. There are a few groups down here who use that type of music. Some groups are compose by singers,conga,bongó & timbales, the horn section and piano is play by the computer. Last Saturday at the last minutes I was call to play with one of those groups, something that I have never done before but I was ready to go.

That Day started by going to play at the Humming Bird Balcony where they had a weekend carnaval. Humm, I was suppose to be there for one hour so I left my bongó inside the car trunk because a friend wanted me to use his( mistake, was a hot day). So we finish there and went to another club to perform with the sequencer, I though about bringing the bongo inside the car to cool down the skins ( 2 mistake ,I did not ).

We got to the other club and I tunned my bongó like I always do (3 mistake ) and did not check since the heat did his own tunning. After the first theme we play the macho skin just ripped apart, lucky of me that I always have an extra fyberskin inside the case. This is about the fourth time in my life that a skin have break on me during a gig.

The deal with the sequencer is that you need to be familiar with many Salsa songs and the tempo is fix, not like in a live band that the tempo could go faster a little specially after the mambo and could be adjust if it is too fast. I am suppose to gig with them again this comming weekend.

On Sunday I went to play as a DJ at the Puerto Rico Salsa Dance Congress. First a Lady Dj from Canada had to play before the fisrt Band, wow, she was that type of lady so good looking that words are no longer needed, she was gorgeous. Then was my time to perform before the next Band, I have the dancers on the floor in no time theme after theme. Me and my wife had VIP spot on the stage beacuse the DJ eq was set there, the second band (Sammy Garcia and El Sabor De Puerto Rico ) did a superior performance, I mean the band had a very thight rhytm section and the singers have such a good choreography that some people just stopped dancing to enjoy the show.

I spoke to the young Bongocero on that band to congratulate him about his clean martillo and fillings because most of the young ones playing in other groups are just slapping the bongó left and right like they were in rumba. This one was a different with his rhytm ( bien Afincao ) .

Was a very busy weekend but I enjoyed every minute.