Studies in Bata - Havana to Matanzas - Book/CD - Sacred Drum of the Yoruba

[DaBid_Son]

Attention Friends,

During this past week I have had the pleasure to review Bill Summers’s new book entitled Studies in Bata which also has an accompanying CD. For those of you unsure of who Bill is, I include the following links so you can read up on him.
http://www.basinstreetrecords.com
http://www.batadrums.com/teachers/teachers.htm
http://www.afrocubaweb.com/Hombres.htm
Bill Summers is now living in New Orleans, Louisiana and with his wife Yvette, they run The Summers Multi-Ethnic Institute of Arts. For well over thirty five years he has studied Bata and Afro-Carribean percussion. Bill is an Omo An~a (child of the god of the drum) whom was accepted into the family of Esteban “Cha Cha” Vega Iyalode Oshun of Matanzas. It was only after many visits to Cha Cha’s home in Matanzas over the course of eight years that eventually Bill’s hands were washed and consecrated before Cha Cha’s Aña.
This manuscript is by far the most explicit text I have seen on Bata drumming and much more comprehensive than that of John Amira’s. The text includes background information on the author, Bata history, design, origin, and dimensions of the Dundun and Bata, tones of the Bata, a glossary of Yoruba and related terminology, exercises for each of the Bata drums, and of course 38 scores/compositions of Bata which are directly and exactly transcribed in standard musical notation as they are heard on the accompanying CD. Most impressive are the comparisons and nuances between Havana styles and Matanzas Styles. Tracks and corresponding scores #’s 1-23 are done in the Havana Style, while #’s 24-38 are done in the Matanzas Style. This reference is exactly what the Bata community has been waiting for.

Details:
Studies in Bata
Sacred drum of the Yoruba
Havana to Matanzas by Bill Summers
Spiral bound manuscript with plastic covers; 269 pages; Dimensions (in inches) 0.57 X 11.0 X 8.5
Published by Bill Summers; 2002(this is his fifth revision)

Compact Disc: Bilsum Music BMI 2002; 38 Afro Cuban Bata Compositions; running time 56min. 4sec.

Cost: US$60 plus shipping and handling.

To obtain your copy please contact Bill Summers directly at telephone number (504) 861-2111 or send him an e-mail at bilsum@aol.com

Please tell him how you heard about his book too! I hope this information has been helpful and useful to all. I will gladly answer any questions I can.

Thank you,
David Loayza (low-eye-sa)

[tamboricua]

Hola David, hope all is well! Thanks for the book review.
Does the book include the more common "toques" like;
Rumba Iyesá, Ñongo, Cha Cha Olokefún, etc.?


Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

[DaBid_Son]

Hola Jorge, I do not see the toques you refered to. Here are the tracks as they appear in the book and on the CD. I thought these would be helpful for those of you interested in this wonderful resource.-

HAVANA tracks 1-23: Elégbá, Ògún, Òþóòsì, Obalòkè, Erinlè, Iyakota, Babalúaiyé, Òsányin, Osun, Obàtálá, Dàda, Òge, Aganjù, Órúnmìlà, Òrìþà Oko, Ìbedji, Þango, Yéwà, Oya, Yemoja, Òbà, Oþun, Odúdùwá

MATANZAS tracks 24-38: Latopka, Elégbá, Ògún, Erinlè, Òþóòsì, Babalúaiyé, Aganjù, Þango, Obàtálá, Òbà, Yéwà, Oya, Yemoja, Oþun, Órúnmìlà

Mil gracias por tu interes,
David Loayza
"El PerQsionista"

[tamboricua]

Gracias a ti por la información. Muy agradecido!


Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

[DaBid_Son]

I would like to make a couple of corrections to my previous post. It seems one of the character's typeset did not post correctly. this would be the the character " Þ ", which sould have been an " s " with a tail. It is pronounced as " sh ". Therefore, the corrected track titles are as follows: 3.- Òshóòsì, 15.- Òrìshà Oko, 17.- shango, 22.- Oshun, 28.- Òshóòsì, 31.- shango, 37.- Oshun

Thanks,
David ???