abakua

[Laurent Lamy]

IS there somebody who can explain to me the difference between the style abakua efik and the style abakua efo?

[82-1089072427]

I viene antes de que venga o o después de que i...



Edited By RumBa808 on 1168658776

[ralph]

If I remember correctly, and in correct order...

Efik is prevalent in Havana

Efo is prevalent in Matanzas

the main difference is the kuchi yerema parts and the biankome parts...obiapa and bonko enchemiya are similar....for both

efo is slower
efik is faster

if you have yoruba andabo's--- callejon de rumberos album

the abakua song which is faster is typical of havana style...
Protesta Carabali which starts as a rumba and goes into abakua is a good example of the other more slower style efo...

another thing i read is that efo is the precursor to guaguanco...or one of the precursors...maybe matanzas style? Guaguanco supposedly being invented by the Calle Family...anyone more info?

[Isaac]

More about the Efik and EFO people:

http://www.caribeinsider.com/showreligion.do?code=001

[Quinto Governor II]

Laurent, This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but may be of interest. There is a video on youtube of an example of the Havana and Mantanzas styles of abakua, played by one drummer using there drums. I don't know how to post a direct link ( Yeah I know Abakua. I suck at Internet :>) ), But if you do a search using this you should get it (Abakwa Havana Style - Roberto Vizcaino)

Isaac, Great info! Thanks!

[jorge]

For those who are interested, "The Light Inside: Abakua society arts and Cuban cultural history" is a book published recently by David H. Brown, PhD. It is a scholarly work about Abakua art, with a tremendous amount of well documented information about the history of the religion and the social and political settings in which Abakua developed in Cuba. Much of the information and photography is from firsthand interviews done by the author. It is available in paperback from amazon.com or through the www.FolkCuba.com website here, run by David Brown.

By the way, that website is an internet botanica, probably one of the largest botanicas in the world. Interestingly, in the book section, the 2 books by David Brown are the last 2 listed. They also sell sets of Abakua drums, as well as sets of bata and yuka drums and chekeres, all from La Habana, obviously not de fundamento. I got some manteca de corojo from them, much fresher than what they had in the local botanica.

[tamboricua]

Protesta Carabalí-Yoruba Andabo

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

[ralph]

Protesta Carabalí-Yoruba Andabo

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

Jorge,

would you say this is a representation of abakua efo? while Enyension Enkama on the same album is efi....i want to make sure i don't criss cross them...

Ralph



Edited By ralph on 1161869054

[niallgregory]

Hi folks ,

Check this, had a quick look and it looks very informative . Might answer some of the questions being asked about abacua . Cheers. Niall.

http://www.afrocubaweb.com/ivormiller/abakuachants.pdf

[davidpenalosa]

..another thing i read is that efo is the precursor to guaguanco...or one of the precursors...maybe matanzas style? Guaguanco supposedly being invented by the Calle Family...anyone more info?

Hi Ralph,
Abakuá has direct musical and cultural connections to rumba columbia, but other than the bonkó/quinto simularities, the case for an abakuá - guaguancó connection is more difficult to make. I'd be interested in hearing any connections you are aware of.

I'm skeptical of any one family claiming to have "invented" guaguancó.
-David



Edited By davidpenalosa on 1162142503

[ralph]

David,

I think yes the connection between the columbia and abakua are more evident in the quinto, and in the dance i would say...

I can't recall where i've read this, but supposedly the ekon part replaced the son clave that was used primarily for rumba, although son clave is typically still used in yambu as we all have heard time and time again...

i think it more or less the same situation w/ guarapachanguero where the chinitos family is the family that supposedly invented this form, although one could argue that los munequitos where doing this way before them, i found it interesting though, and kind of dismayed since the lack of knowledge on such a family such as Calle is virtually non existand, i guess we had to be there right?

[guarachon63]

I've heard that before somewhere too, about the Calle family inventing guaguancó. But like you say, in the abscence of any real knowledge of the family, what can one's reaction be except a shrug and a "Who knows?"

It's really too bad when you think about it, all that knowledge slipping away from us.

Florencio Calle "Catalino" Peraza was one of the founding members of Los Muñequitos but the story goes that the other members [url=http://www.afropop.org/explore/band_info/ID/66/Los%20Muñequitos%20de%20Matanzas/]sought him out[/url] to help organize the group.

The Chinitos claim to guarapachangueo remains to be investigated, and I guess there is still time for that (anybody??). I think credit is generally shared though, with Pancho Quinto.

I would say I have to disagree with you on one point though: the Muñequitos with a style considered "looser" than Habana style, have never played guarapachangueo. The closest they have come maybe was on "Vale Todo" on 1995's "Vacunao" CD.

Saludos
Guarachon

http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com

[ralph]

The Chinitos claim to guarapachangueo remains to be investigated, and I guess there is still time for that (anybody??). I think credit is generally shared though, with Pancho Quinto.

I would say I have to disagree with you on one point though: the Muñequitos with a style considered "looser" than Habana style, have never played guarapachangueo. The closest they have come maybe was on "Vale Todo" on 1995's "Vacunao" CD.

Saludos
Guarachon

http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com

Guarachon, i knew that i remembered that name from somewhere, thanks for the YORUBA ANDABO CD!!!!!!!!! Burned it off of your site (does Union Guarachera mean anything to you?)...i just looked at your site again, and you seem to have uncovered another gem...coro folkorico...i just ordered it from Amazon...thanks...

anyway...yes i agree that the Chinitos rumba is different...i've heard the munequitos reference in terms of the feel of the tumbador in guarapachanguero...where it doesn't hold a steady rhythm particularly when Goyo was at the helm...alot of the licks that he is revered for are what you hear in guarapachanguero...maybe the relationship is not as concrete, but some say that this kind of thing influence guarapachanguero...now they didn't use the mixture of cajon, conga, and in Pancho's case bata....so i would consider goyo's innovations a sort of precursor to the guarapachanguero that we know today...which really differs from group to group...

[tamboricua]

Guys,

Under which style you will classify track two "Candela" on the attached link below?

Munequitos-Rumberos de Corazon

Feels like their own Guarapachangueo invention.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on 1162245922

[guarachon63]

I dunno, I would just have to call that "overplaying"...

I know it may sound blasphemous, but I am not a big fan of the Muñequitos' post-Goyo output... to me on that track, the playing sounds too strident, too fast, like they are trying too hard to make the energy happen...

Maybe we should start an new thread: "Guarapachangueo: What is it? Who invented it? And how the hell do you spell it anyway??"