Abakua - Interview!!!

[tamboricua]

Excellent interview about Abakuá.

Ivor Miller, Voice of the Leopard

Enjoy,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on 1189106079

[korman]

Many thanks, Jorge! very interesting article

[zaragenca]

That's is pretty good thanks Tamboricua, in relation to the Fernando Poo and Agustin 'Manana' Gutierrez I got the answer in relation of what what Ivor Miller was confusing about it.Dr.Zaragemca

[davidpenalosa]

Mongo’s CD “Ubane” is mentioned in the article. I’d like to recommend another Mongo-Jultio Collazo collaboration. It’s a CD re-issue of two of Mongo’s Lps: “Mongo’s Way/Up from the Roots” (Rhino COL-CD 6259). On the track “Eco” you can hear what I believe to be the clearest Havana-style abakua, featuring Julito on bonko (lead). The tune actually goes from a bembe to an abakua. Julito’s caja (lead) playing on the bembe is also extremely clear. Unfortunately, the song is not available on itunes. However, I did find the CD on-line.

Los Muñequitos and Afrocuba Cds have very clear recordings of Matanzas-style abakua. The bonko is easy to hear.

There is an interview with Angel Guerrero by Nolan Warden concerning abakua, available through the Yahoo Latinpercussion e-group.
-David

[tamboricua]

David,

Cool!!!

Thanks a lot for those other musical samples tips.

Best,

Jorge Ginorio

[guarachon63]

the radio show which for this interview was done is also available streaming, contains lots of musical examples. I didn't see it linked on the interview page, so just in case:

click here


saludos
barry

[blango]

Jorge,

Many many thanks!

Tony

[congalero]

excellent article! thank you very much for sharing.

[Changuiri]

THKS

[niallgregory]

great article , thanks for that .Picked up a great cd of havana style abakwa called ibiono . Best and clearest recording of this music i have ever heard .Pretty hard to find cd .

[TONE74]

Speaking of Abakua do some people get upset or uncomfortable when you play that rhythm around them? I learned that rhythm a couple of weeks ago and was playing it, had everybody feeling it then one older guy says to another look at what the young people are playing these days and the other guy seemed to get upset and left. I felt a little weird cause the guy din't even say anything but he walked away. It was strange because I learned that rhythm right off the internet.

[TONE74]

It was the one from Ritmo Abakua by Los Munequitos.

[windhorse]

Tone, great question,,, I look forward to what the heavy hitters might say about that..
Hopefully they didn't get disgusted and leave because they thought it "sucked"... That has probably happened to me more times than I care to know,,, though with time we get better..

Along those lines of cultural property and who "has the rights to the music", a few of my friends asked the IFE ILE clan on two separate occasions what they thought about folks from our crowd performing Afro-Cuban music, and their response was overwhelmingly pro-cultural expansionist. They said that the more the music spreads across racial lines that the better it was for their culture..
They said "Perform away!! Just do your best!"
Naturally, we all liked that response.. It would have been a big buzz-kill had they responded the other way..

But really, think about it... Does anyone really own music once it has left your own imagination and gone into the world?

[TONE74]

Na everybody liked it, Im not saying it was great but I went over it many times with the track in the background. It was just that one guy that I know is either a santero or some other religion not sure if he is an Abakua.

[niallgregory]

its only a drum rhythm when played by one person on a couple of congas .It has nothing to do with abakwa when played out of context .Its just somebody playin a nice conga rhythm thats been thought all over the world in books and by cubans .Its part of the overall learning process when learning cuban percussion .That said we need to be sensitive to people from the traditions and not offend anyone , older people especially might get a bit irritated .