by KidCuba » Wed Mar 07, 2012 6:50 am
Thanks for the words of encouragement Mr. Conga.
We don't need money,or recognition, but we need you to come out and bring any other people who love the music as well.
The people organizing this event are doing it for the love of the music, and to give back to the scene. We were introduced to rumba, and other Afro-Cuban styles, and learned a lot about them by going to Griffith Park back in the 1990s. There were a lot of heavy cats who would show up, and really introduced the art form to a lot of us, for free.
Now, several years later, any sign of real rumba in a public place has pretty much disappeared in L.A. There are a lot of people hitting their congas out at parks, but nobody is really organizing rumbas in a free, public setting.
I am sure there are a lot of private rumbas, with serious players, but the next generation, or new students don't have a space to progress.
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Ben Caldwell of the KAOS Network, we have been given the opportunity to present this sort of event for free at his space.
I am just a student of this music, and want to preserve and promote it here in L.A., because it made a positive difference in my life. It connected me to my family and its culture, at a time where I didn't give a damn about Cuba or whatever family I might have had there. The other guys organizing this, also have been positively influenced by rumba, drumming, etc... We owe the music, something...
If some heavy cats come out in May, that would be a blessing, but if it is just students learning their way at the event, that would be great as well. You only get better by putting your practice into action with other people.
Again, let everyone know, and lets make it a positive thing for everyone who loves rumba in L.A.