Bata rhythms for congas - examples

[JohnnyConga]

Zaragemca...I believe the question was WHERE DO YOU TEACH?.....Where in Houston?....."JC" Johnny Conga...

[zaragemca]

Saludos brother JC,I had to move several times for several reasons,(including sabotage), but I have been for about two years in this location in San Jacinto St.(Down Town Houston),...To Pcastag, there are a lot of percussionists which have incorporated this crosspatterns without playing Bata, Mongo Santamaria,Armando Peraza, Patato Valdez,Candido Camero,and others were not Bataleros in Cuba,but they incorporated this crosspatterns...it is now called Afro/Jazz.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1138746823

[ralph]

To Pcastag, there are a lot of percussionists which have incorporated this crosspatterns without playing Bata, Mongo Santamaria,Armando Peraza, Patato Valdez,Candido Camero,and others were not Bataleros in Cuba,but they incorporated this crosspatterns...it is now called Afro/Jazz.Dr. Zaragemca

i was under the impression that Patato did play bata as well, since he has made some recordings...
Now obviously he is known primarily as a conguero, but i wouldn't doubt that he was playing bata in Cuba and in the states, commercially and religiously......

Ralph D

[davidpenalosa]

Ralph,
I actually do doubt that Patato played bata in Cuba. His recordings and reputation involving bata is very limited. Pure conjecture on my part however.
-David

[pcastag]

Wasn't he (patato) the one credited with giving Lp those enormous sizes for those first fiberglass bata they made? LOL. I've got some mongo live cd's where he actually plays bata on the intro to afro blue, basically played the IYA part for ochosi from oru seco. I also have the bata cd he did in Havana, I'm pretty sure he was playing on there along with his brother, could be mistaken though.
PC

[davidpenalosa]

PC:
Wasn't he (patato) the one credited with giving Lp those enormous sizes for those first fiberglass bata they made?

me:
Hi PC, I don't know. Does that reinforce, or contradict what I said?

PC:
LOL. I've got some mongo live cd's where he actually plays bata on the intro to afro blue, basically played the IYA part for ochosi from oru seco.

me:
When you say "he", do you mean Mongo or Patato? ??? Can you look at the credits and identify who's playing that iya for sure? Mongo didn't play bata and I've heard that Patato's bata knowledge was limited, which does not contradict the records we have of Patato's playing bata (Santeria records with Julito Collazao and his Bata y Rumba record for LP)

PC:
I also have the bata cd he did in Havana, I'm pretty sure he was playing on there along with his brother, could be mistaken though.

me:
You must be speaking about Mongo here. On "Our Man in Havana" (recorded in Havana) Mongo hired Jesus Perez's bata battery. Mongo is not playing bata on that record. He is playing quinto however.
-David

[ralph]

I have heard a story in which Patato gave Martin Cohen some Iya dimensions on a napkin, and thats what Martin used to make the first oversized incorrect bata...what we do know with Patato is that he is a "character"...and he definetly gave Martin some wrong measurement, lp did not get it right on the bata measurements till recently...anyway i do recall seeing an old lp on ebay on which Patato is sitting on the front cover with an iya, so although i agree with you Dave on that Patato's knowledge may be limited...i do think he may have more knowledge than we think, and he's possibly forgot alot of the knowledge that he's learned....

Ralph D.

[tamboricua]

I've got some mongo live cd's where he actually plays bata on the intro to afro blue, basically played the IYA part for ochosi from oru seco.

Guys,

If you are referring to Mongo Santamaria Live @ Jazz Alley, Eddie Rodríguez is credited on Iyá and vocals on the track Afro Blue.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

[ralph]

If you are referring to Mongo Santamaria Live @ Jazz Alley, Eddie Rodríguez is credited on Iyá and vocals on the track Afro Blue.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

EDDIE RODRIGUEZ!
i am glad you mentioned him, i try not to forget names...Jorge, do you know if he passed away...i have the feeling he did...he was one of the true rumberos that got a chance to play with some of the greats, his peers being Abraham Rodriguez, Gene Golden, Skip Burney, Hector El Flaco...etc, and the list goes on

Ralph D



Edited By ralph on 1138804077

[tamboricua]

Jorge, do you know if he passed away...i have the feeling he did...he was one of the true rumberos that got a chance to play with some of the greats, his peers being Abraham Rodriguez, Gene Golden, Skip Burney, Hector El Flaco...etc, and the list goes on

Ralph D

Hola Ralph,

Sorry, you got me on that one! I don't know if this might help but this particular album was recorded live back in March of 1990.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on 1138832731

[zaragemca]

Saludos as I said before,none of this of my countrymen,were Bataleros in Cuba,both Patato and Armando are from Los Sitios,(which is the same neighborhood which I come from),and Patato came to the U. S. when he was a young person. Mongo Santamaria,started with violin untill around 16 years old,later switching to percussion,his older/brother Luis Santamaria was the one associated with Yorubas singing, with Dr. Obdulio Morales Folkloric Group...but...when Mongo did his first recording in relation to this music in the 1950's,a true rumbero was called from Mexico, Silvestre Mendez for the production and direction of the project.If any of them learned to play Bata, it have to be here after comming to the U.S.....Even Francisco Aguabella which was in an early folkloric project with Katherine Durham could not play a Bata in this project neither.,, they had Haitian/Drums and Djembes. Dr Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1138828173

[davidpenalosa]

Dr Zaragemca:
"Francisco Aguabella which was in an early folkloric project with Katherine Durham could not play a Bata in this project neither.,, they had Haitian/Drums and Djembes."

Me:
Zaragemca, are you saying that Francisco Aguabella didn't play bata in Cuba? Francisco Aguabella was initiated into aña in Matanzas, Cuba as a teenager. He was also initiated into Arara, abakua, Congo and Olokun in Cuba. At the age of seventeen he played bata in a professional folkloric group which featured the bata masters Raul Diaz and Trinidad Torregosa, as well as the great akpwon Merceditas Valdez. All this took place before he left Cuba to tour with Katherine Durham’s group.
-David



Edited By davidpenalosa on 1138832734

[Berimbau]

And let me add that I don't doubt that Ms. Dunham, who was early on quite fascinated with Haitian drumming, had aquired a few Rada or Congo drums for her troup during her Haitian fieldwork. But Djembes? Dr. Z I seriously doubt that. I remember Ladji Camara first bought that drum onto the NYC scene in 1965 or so.



Saludos,



Berimbau

[ABAKUA]

Zaragemca, are you saying that Francisco Aguabella didn't play bata in Cuba? Francisco Aguabella was initiated into aña in Matanzas, Cuba as a teenager. He was also initiated into Arara, abakua, Congo and Olokun in Cuba. At the age of seventeen he played bata in a professional folkloric group which featured the bata masters Raul Diaz and Trinidad Torregosa, as well as the great akpwon Merceditas Valdez. All this took place before he left Cuba to tour with Katherine Durham’s group.
-David

Correct. Further more, I have photos of the Raul Diaz bata group where it features a young Francisco Aguabella and Merceditas, Raul etc...
I will try to post it in the next few days as Im away from home at the moment...

[SkinDeep]

Francisco Aguabella was initiated into aña in Matanzas, Cuba as a teenager.

THAT'S RIGHT, HE WAS ALSO THE ONE TO BRING OVER THE FIRST SET OF SACRED BATA!!!