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What style of Bata do they play in Santiago de Cuba? I know that Havana and Matanzas have distinct styles, but what do they play in the east?

Hi bengon,

Milian Galí is to be seen at the root of the Santiago tradition. Milian Galí had studied with Jesús Pérez (Havana) as well as with Chachá (Matanzas). As far as I know, Havana style prevails today. Galí though, as anybody else, has his personal style of playing. Everybody else I met from Santiago has learned from him.

There is an obscure legend that once there had been an Oriente batá tradition. But even if this is true, it is not existent anymore.

Greetings,

Thomas

Hello again Thomas. Thanks for the info.

I wonder if, and in what ways, the Habaneros and Santiageros play different within the Havana style. Bata playing changes so much over time that they must diverge in certain aspects. Like you said, different guys have different styles within the same tradition, and even within a certain groups playing style. It's hard to believe that the Santaigeros would follow the stylistic changes in Havana, without their own inventos being added over time.

It's hard to believe that the Santaigeros would follow the stylistic changes in Havana, without their own inventos being added over time.

And it's easy to imagine that in this case some Habaneros will look down on the Santiagueros, claiming that they possess the right to define what is correct and what is not, and which is the only direction for stylistic evolution.

Vice versa, some Santiagueros smile over the Tumba Francesa performed by the Conjunto Folklórico in Havana.

People are so eager to be proud of just their little something.

Thomas

Yeah.. Every time I hang with Cubans from both Havana and Matanzas, they will have these nice discussions about the two different styles of bata; then later on they'll each tell me the other style is terrible. Happens every time!