1940's Cuban tack head I bought in 1979
Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 2:01 pm
I bought this old Cuban tack head at the Englishtown N.J. outdoor auction in 1979 (when I was 26).
The "Englishtown Auction" was and still is a massive (3 football fields long) outdoor and indoor flea market In Englishtown, New Jersey.
I went early at 6:30 ot 7:00am... you know "the early bird get's the worm"... the Englishtown auction (flea market) is so BIG that they have dirt streets with names that you walk through to get around.
I was at the crossroads of two streets... when I looked down one of the streets and from a distance... all the way at the end of the dirt street, I saw a vendor with a tall black drum on a table, for sale.
I thought "holey crap, I wonder if it's an old Cuban drum!" I headed straight for it and when I got up close, I saw it was a tall black stained Cuban tack head! I didn't want the seller to see how excited I was, so I started looking at other stuff on his table, but eventually asked if I could look inside it, he said sure.
I took it off the table, turned it upside down and looked inside... I saw a "Solis, Havana-Cuba" sticker and knew I had to buy it. I paid $40.00 for it and took it back to my Aunt's place in Freehold N.J.
Upon close inspection of the surface of the head/skin, I saw the faded words stamped on the skin:
"Manny's Music 46th street New york City 1948".
So I knew that the drum had been brought back from Havana sometime in the 1940's... then in 1948, the owner must have taken it to Manny's music store to have a new skin put on.
I took the drum back to New Orleans where I was living back then.
I had the drum from 1979 to 1986, when I moved back to N.Y.C. in '86, I gave the drum to a Cajun guy who had been taking lessons with me. These many years later, I regret giving it away.
These pictures were taken in front of my Aunt's place the same day I bought it.
The "Englishtown Auction" was and still is a massive (3 football fields long) outdoor and indoor flea market In Englishtown, New Jersey.
I went early at 6:30 ot 7:00am... you know "the early bird get's the worm"... the Englishtown auction (flea market) is so BIG that they have dirt streets with names that you walk through to get around.
I was at the crossroads of two streets... when I looked down one of the streets and from a distance... all the way at the end of the dirt street, I saw a vendor with a tall black drum on a table, for sale.
I thought "holey crap, I wonder if it's an old Cuban drum!" I headed straight for it and when I got up close, I saw it was a tall black stained Cuban tack head! I didn't want the seller to see how excited I was, so I started looking at other stuff on his table, but eventually asked if I could look inside it, he said sure.
I took it off the table, turned it upside down and looked inside... I saw a "Solis, Havana-Cuba" sticker and knew I had to buy it. I paid $40.00 for it and took it back to my Aunt's place in Freehold N.J.
Upon close inspection of the surface of the head/skin, I saw the faded words stamped on the skin:
"Manny's Music 46th street New york City 1948".
So I knew that the drum had been brought back from Havana sometime in the 1940's... then in 1948, the owner must have taken it to Manny's music store to have a new skin put on.
I took the drum back to New Orleans where I was living back then.
I had the drum from 1979 to 1986, when I moved back to N.Y.C. in '86, I gave the drum to a Cajun guy who had been taking lessons with me. These many years later, I regret giving it away.
These pictures were taken in front of my Aunt's place the same day I bought it.