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There's a great video on Youtube of Pablo playing Paila, he says his are made out of cooking pots.
PC

Orestes Vilato with Batachanga out of SF, awesome Paila solo in "Mañana Para Los Niños". Orestes plays a "mean Paila".

Dario

In the 70's, I was with my friend and teacher Gumbi Ortiz listening to music in his house and he put on a record, which made me stop and really listen. I heard this repiqueo that sounded like what I did on Bongos... Gumbi was the one who taught me the Martillo... but it wasn't coming from a bongo - and I loved it. I asked "Gooms" what that was and he told me - "that's Papaito! Playing Paila! I had to know who this Papaito was and what were "pailas". He took out his LP Catalog and showed me. I instantly fell in love. Gooms told me - "it's a martillo, played with sticks" and took his bongo and began to demonstrate.

I bought a set and began to practice. They came with real skins. My first gig ever was with Johnny Polanco, then leader of Orquesta Libertad. I covered for Gumbi when he couldn't make it. After that, I started a sextet with Gumbi's brother and also played with a local salsa covers band.

It was with that band that I first played Pailas and it was a wedding gig in Astoria, Queens. Everybody loved it and so did I.

I want to get another set, being that my original set went the wayside during my "separation". She wouldn't let me come in to get them and she sold them.

Anyone know of a source other than LP to get a nice set of Paila? Cali recently made a set for a friend of mine but I haven't seen them yet.

I love the instrument and would gladly start playing them with a group.

Not forgotten Id say, just outdated more so.

Oh if I only had more time now to work on projects like this!

I know for a fact that I could fabricate something similar to this design relatively easily. What are the dimensions of the shells? The skin looks pretty thin, is it goat, or similar? I notice that the stick on the left is a thicker diameter than the one on the right, why is that? So the player can pick up the bell with his right hand and beat it with the left?

I have 4 stainless steel stock pots in my garage at home in Canada that have not been used for at least 5 years and the dimensions might just be a close match to the ones shown above.

Arrrgghh.... must... resist... urge....!

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The best Pailitas today are made in Madrid Spain by Campos Percussion, sound very "tipico", old skool' Cuban. They measure 8" X 10". Much better sound than LP timbalitos. Here is a photo of them.

Dario

Here is a video of Papaito playing Paila with La Sonora Matancera. Wow! Lino Frias on piano, one of the founding fathers of the Cuban piano tumbao, copied by the likes of E. Palmieri, Papo Lucca, Javier Vazquez and Larry Harlow. Welfo, the singer, doing the Cuban moonwalk, way before Michael Jackson. Great memories. On second video, Alberto, the conga player, used to make campanas that were sold by Johnny Pacheco in the early 60's befor Fania, according to Cuco (leedy2), those bells demand "mucho dinero" these days, if you are lucky to find one.

Dario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Ek610apIw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml1MB4Cp ... re=related

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More Papaito and the Pailas. This time with Celia, Javier Vazquez on piano, Caito, Yayo El Indio. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4gTbD9B ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0ylAhSH ... re=related

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Omelenko1 wrote:Here is a video of Papaito playing Paila with La Sonora Matancera. Wow! Lino Frias on piano, one of the founding fathers of the Cuban piano tumbao, copied by the likes of E. Palmieri, Papo Lucca, Javier Vazquez and Larry Harlow. Welfo, the singer, doing the Cuban moonwalk, way before Michael Jackson. Great memories. On second video, Alberto, the conga player, used to make campanas that were sold by Johnny Pacheco in the early 60's befor Fania, according to Cuco (leedy2), those bells demand "mucho dinero" these days, if you are lucky to find one.

Dario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Ek610apIw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml1MB4Cp ... re=related

Excellent vid! Dario, that's not the cuban moonwalk, that's a James Brown 101 lick. Well before 1975. Check it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgDrJ5Z2rKw
PC

Pablo en la paila

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2E95UHM ... 336F23A5E7

PC

pcastag wrote:

Omelenko1 wrote:Here is a video of Papaito playing Paila with La Sonora Matancera. Wow! Lino Frias on piano, one of the founding fathers of the Cuban piano tumbao, copied by the likes of E. Palmieri, Papo Lucca, Javier Vazquez and Larry Harlow. Welfo, the singer, doing the Cuban moonwalk, way before Michael Jackson. Great memories. On second video, Alberto, the conga player, used to make campanas that were sold by Johnny Pacheco in the early 60's befor Fania, according to Cuco (leedy2), those bells demand "mucho dinero" these days, if you are lucky to find one.

Dario

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7Ek610apIw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml1MB4Cp ... re=related

Excellent vid! Dario, that's not the cuban moonwalk, that's a James Brown 101 lick. Well before 1975. Check it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgDrJ5Z2rKw
PC

And the hair wasn't too far off either!