A Forgotten Era and instruments

[FidelsEyeglasses]

The best Pailitas today are made in Madrid Spain by Campos Percussion, sound very "tipico", old skool' Cuban. They measure 8" X 10". Much better sound than LP timbalitos. Here is a photo of them.

Dario

The attachment Timbalitos Campos.jpg is no longer available

Those look great, never saw a pair made by Campos.
I bought a photo on Ebay about 8 years ago... Tata Güines with a tumbadora made by Campos.

There are a pair of timbalitos that were owned and played by José Rosario Chávez a.k.a. "Manteca"
that are now here in N.Y.C. and owned by Papaito's son, who inherited them from his dad, who inherited them from José Rosario Chávez.
I've enclosed two photos of them and you can hear José Rosario Chávez taking a killer solo en vivo con Sonora Matancera aqui:
http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/2009/12/jose-rosario-chavez-manteca.html

Lastly, I personally have never referred to this member of the vast Cuban family of drums as "Pailas", I have always referred to them as timbalitos.
Pailas Criollas were and continue to be in Cuba (they are still played there) small closed bottom drums.
Photos enclosed below.

And you can see and hear a modern pair of Paila/s Criollas being played in he 8th video down ("La Botijuela" - Septeto De Santiago)
here: http://fidelseyeglasses.blogspot.com/2009/12/video-cuba-cana-dura.html

M.

[FidelsEyeglasses]

The best Pailitas today are made in Madrid Spain by Campos Percussion, sound very "tipico", old skool' Cuban. They measure 8" X 10". Much better sound than LP timbalitos. Here is a photo of them.

Dario

The attachment Timbalitos Campos.jpg is no longer available

Tata Güines with a tumbadora made by Campos.
A photo I bought 8 years ago on Ebay.

M.

[Anonimo]

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[Tumbas]

So I looked for Campos Timbalitos and could not find anything.

Who makes Timbalitos and how do we get in contact with them if interested?

Aside from Cali.

[pcastag]

And the song in which they sing "suena la paila" Are they not cuban? I doubt they're playing paila criollo in that tune, but I could be mistaken.
PC

[Anonimo]

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[FidelsEyeglasses]

I'm well Leedy2, always enjoy reading your posts. Y los de Dario tambien.

I forgot to add ... I'm not saying they "have to be" called one or the other, anyone can call them whatever they want, paila/s or timbalitos, I'm just saying that that's how I know them as timbalitos, despite what someone yells out in a song.
I went to Cuba MANY times during the 1970's, even back then, every time I asked musicians(drummers) about the name of them, they all told me
they are called timbalitos, that both timbales and timbalitos evolved from "Las Pailas Criollas".. which themselves evolved from the larger european'Tympani' a.k.a. Kettledrums.
There were actually versions larger than the smaller Pailas Criollas, closer to the size of European Tympani but not as large.
Commonly, the name Paila/s stuck even after the closed bottom drum developed it's eventual open bottom and changed its shape to what we all refer to as timbales and or timbalitos.
Which is why you commonly often hear someone sing or exclaim "suena la paila!"... even though it's really a small pared down timbale... a timbalito.
(that's what I was told in Cuba)
I have at least a half dozen recordings of Celia C. with Sonora Mat. and she yells out "suena tu bongo!"... and the timbalitos take a solo, so you can't always go by what someone "calls something".

Regarding names that have stuck:
The majority around the world say "Conga" when referring to the "drum" even though "Conga" is the rhythm that is collectively played by a carnival Comparsa group.
All the times I've been to Cuba, no drummer called it a "Conga" drum, they all call it a tumbadora.
(unless referring to each drum that makes up the rumba collective ie: quinto, tres dos, tumbador etc.)

So in the end, anyone can call them pailas or timbalitos, the original smaller "closed round bottom" drum was called Paila criollo before eventually morphing into what we all know as timbales and timbalitos. But anyone can call them pailas if they want, I don't refer to timbales as pailas and I don't refer to timbalitos as pailas.

M.

[ABAKUA]

Markito, that is an awesome photo of Tata. El Fifty ja jaja....
Thank you for sharing, I hadnt seen that one before.
If you dont mind, I will print it and frame it. SI tienes una sin el watermark me puedes avisar?
Thanks man.

[Anonimo]

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[Omelenko1]

Markito,

You are an encyclopedia of infromation when it comes to Cuban music and instruments. Your blog has educated the world regarding Cuban music. You are my friend and I 'll always appreciate your wisdom and dedication to the traditions of my country.

Dario

[FidelsEyeglasses]

Markito,

You are an encyclopedia of infromation when it comes to Cuban music and instruments. Your blog has educated the world regarding Cuban music. You are my friend and I 'll always appreciate your wisdom and dedication to the traditions of my country.

Dario

I'm always learning, so is Barry Cox who recently posted an excellent piece on "The earliest recordings of Cuban rumba: A comprehensive summary"
including extremely rare early rumba recordings from the original "Waterman tapes".
http://esquinarumbera.blogspot.com/2011/05/filiberto-sanchez-first-to-record-rumba.html

Re: "Pailas Criollas".... I just came across this "Short Historical Primer" written by Bobby Sanabria, with a perfect example of how the true names of the drums often get "twisted around" and or "misnamed".
The timbales did not replace the "timbal criollo"... they replaced the "Paila Criolla", which is why in my opinion you had and continue to have timbales and timbalitos referred to as ""Paila/s" even 80 or so years later.
http://www.remo.com/portal/pages/drumming/lessons/Drumming+Lessons+Timbales.html

M.

[Anonimo]

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[FidelsEyeglasses]

Mark
Evolution is a bitch names change yet it remains the same I had a conversation with some one other day about Rhythms years ago a mambo was called mambo or guaguanco was guaguanco today it's all salsa. You just have to make do with what we got .By the way that book '' "La Paila" from Vol.IV Los Instrumentos de la Afrocubana by Fernando Ortiz 1954'' is a very good book I had a copy and lone it to some one never got it back.

That's why I never "lend".
Leedy2, I'm going to scan the sections from Vol.IV book (F. Ortiz libro) on 'Timbales' and the other on 'Bongo'... both really interesting.
I'll post one in the timbal/drumset section and the other in the bongo/bonoceros section of this board.

[Anonimo]

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[OLSONGO]

And in the Brasilian battery they also have some drums they call Timbal and Timba , there they are.