Giraldo Rodriguez-Afro Tambores Bata - by Tomas Altmann

[davidpenalosa]

.. what do the Mambo movies have to do with Giraldo Rodriguez-Afro Tambores Bata.

The issue is bata in the Mambo movie. Still on the bata topic, although it has strayed far from Giraldo Rodriguez-Afro Tambores Bata.
-David

[OLSONGO]

Dr. Z happy b-day .

Pas OLSONGO

[JohnnyConga]

The earliest Cuban movie i ever saw was called "Maria La O" done around 1947..In it there is a procession before a Comparsa, of Bataleros leading people down the street...it is the earliest depiction of Bata on the movie screen i have ever seen...this is one movie that should be seen,...but it is a rare movie indeed...I have only seen it once(as a young man) but it affected me because of the playing of rumba,comparsa and Bata drumming in it. Now as far as I know Aguabella started playing Bata in the 1940's....and I have a photo of him as a young man playing in his 20's....."JC" Johnny Conga...

[zaragenca]

Thanks Olsongo for the greeting in my birthdate.........As I said before the movie isn't specifically about bataleros,but about Mambo,also the movie which you are talking about,( JC), isn't specifically about bataleros......Francisco Aguabella playing Bata during the 1940's?....where?, also I would like that brother JC would post the picture of Francisco in his 20's,(please). I don't see any recognized batalero be mentioned in that movie neither,(from the roster of participating people),also where the movie was shooted?.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragenca on 1159197823

[zaragenca]

Ok,there is a side which said that he left,(Aguabella), Cuba in 1954 to perform in an Italian Film called 'Mambo',and returned to the U.S.A. in 1959.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragenca on 1159198928

[davidpenalosa]

I believe the famous photo in question can be found on pg. 3 of Rebeca Mauleon's "Salsa Guidebook". It's most likely from the late 1940's. It shows Francisco Aguabella (age 17!), Raul Diaz and Trinidad Torregosa seated with bata on their laps, plus a very young Merceditas Valdes. This was a professional performing group, which obviously included bata and orisha songs as a major part of their repertoire. They were performing bata publicly in Cuba at least a decade before the Revolution.

A friend lost my copy of "Sworn to the Drum", but as I remember, all this history is covered in that documentary film.
-David

[zaragenca]

Brother David I think,(as it happened before),they are a confusion, with Aguabella and somebody else...Aguabella was from Matanzas,and these bataleros are from Habana,the only one I could place there and at that age is... Jesus Perez,(which I already know have played with both of those bataleros),but as I said before this confusion had happened before,(becouse there is a lot of information which have to be know and put it together to point out who was playing with whom at an specific time.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragenca on 1159206254

[JohnnyConga]

Ok Zara...I saw Maria La O many years ago ..it wasnt a movie about drumming and it took place in Havana and was filmed in Havana in 1947....I saw it in the early 60's on American television Canal 47 a Hispanic channel in NYcity at the time....I will not forget the procession of Bata drummers and Carnivbal, or the midnight rumba depicted in the movie....I hope u have a better understanding...also the photo of Aguabella is the one I was thinking of and I probably got my dates wrong ...."JC" Johnny Conga......this is not about who is right or wrong it's about sharing information which over time can be misconstrued......

[arsenio]

Hi Guys,

Perhaps I can make a contribution on the relationship of Batá and the mambo by presenting this link to a interesting documentary "when the spirits dance mambo"

http://www.whenthespiritsdancemambo.org/about.htm

There is also an interesting article on Batá, mambo and Katherine Dunham

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_n2_v29/ai_17534773

Search for Dr. Marta Moreno Vega and you will find much more on Katherine Dunham, a mambo, or Voodoo-priestess, Batá and the mambo.

Good luck, Guys.



Edited By arsenio on 1159210285

[zaragenca]

Brother JC, I understant that people in this forum are workig sometime with all material,I'm just getting the record straight,(otherwise it is going to be e dead person in his grave turning around for not been given the proper credit ,Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragenca on 1159210127

[arsenio]

How the Yoruba tradition came to New York....


http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2838/is_n2_v29/ai_17534773

greetings,
Arsenio.

[davidpenalosa]

..Aguabella was from Matanzas,and these bataleros are from Habana,the only one I could place there and at that age is... Jesus Perez,

The photo is indeed of Francisco Aguabella, as anyone you looks at it can tell. Yes, we all know that he came from Matanzas. Nonetheless, he is the teenaged drummer as he himself afirms. As one who has played with Francisco Aguabella, I can attest that he knows both Matanzas and Havana bata repertoires. In regards to the photo, I will take his word and my own eyes, thank you.
-David

[arsenio]

David,

Do not be onedimensional, most of the masters are not only able to play batá, but also abakua, voodoo and last but not least Palo Congo....

greetings,
Arsenio

[davidpenalosa]

Do not be onedimensional, most of the masters are not only able to play batá, but also abakua, voodoo and last but not least Palo Congo....

Arsenio,
I don't know why you would assume I and others don't know this, or why you think it's relevant to this particular discussion. The specific topic I was addressing was Francisco Aguabella's bata repertoire.
-David

[davidpenalosa]

PS - Thanks for posting that link to the article on "The Yoruba Orisha tradition comes to New York City". I haven't had time to read it all yet, but it certainly covers a lot. I did a search though and found that there's no mention of Marcus Gordon, John Amira or Johnny "Windcloud" Montalvo. I have long felt that many would prefer to forget some of the aspects of the bata scene in NYC in the late 50's and early 60's. That's why I felt compelled to contribute to Thomas' "Giraldo Rodriguez-Afro Tambores Bata" article:
www.ochemusic.de/artgiro.htm



Edited By davidpenalosa on 1159219747