yambu matanzas style

[Laurent Lamy]

Does anyone have some info about yambu matanzas style, please?

[vaconguero]

Good Evening Laurent, from a good afternoon in the Virginia,

Your post seems to have aged a bit since you posted it, but perhaps you'll still welcome a reply. I've been looking for Yambu myself recently. I'm attaching a few files that I found online years ago (I think the site went down, but if anyone knows who to credit these files to, please tell), and here's a site by David Lyons which has a PDF catalog of Cuban and Haitian Rhythms, including some Yambu:

http://www.animaldreams.net/conganotation.html

Enjoy,

Lee

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... ambu_1.gif

[vaconguero]

Hello again - I couldn't figure out how to post two files at once - here's the second page.

Peace,

Lee

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... u_var..gif

[Johnny Conga]

I gotta say I have never seen clave written like the way it is for this Yambu. If this is the way they write it in Cuba how come we don';t see it that way in the books here? Not even in Rebecca Maueleon's book is it written in such a way.....any comments on it guys?....JC JOHNNY CONGA.... ???

[Johnny Conga]

I gotta go back to her book and take a look, just maybe it is written that way, after scrutinizing it again....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

[percomat]

its the yambu clave. i spend some time with los munequitos, and they taught me this clave pattern too for yambu. i have another question though, the cascasa patterns by los munequitos seems a bit different. my impression is that in havana they shuffle the rumba up. it seems to be a certain swingfeel in the havanero, at least nowadays, while los munequitos play more straight forward ???

[tamboricua]

I gotta say I have never seen clave written like the way it is for this Yambu. If this is the way they write it in Cuba how come we don';t see it that way in the books here? Not even in Rebecca Maueleon's book is it written in such a way.....any comments on it guys?....JC JOHNNY CONGA.... ???

Hi JC,

Hope all is well! Yambú Matancero uses that clave as notated in the chart. While it's counterpart from Havana uses Son Clave. Those charts are part of James Metcalfe's Afrocuban Conga Drumming book.

Jorge Ginorio

[Johnny Conga]

Vaya Gracias Jorge...you always come thru.....Also understand that their is a difference from Havana "style" versus Matanzas "style". EX Los Papines versus Los Munequitos. 2 completely different styles entirely. Haven't seen Metcalf's book. It seems that everytime someone goes to Cuba they come back and write a book on cuban rhythms or music, as if they are an authority on Cuban music....I have the same impression with the so-called drummers here in Seattle. Just cause you went to Cuba once and took lessons for a week does not make you a "player" or a "musician" or a so-called "master"....there is a lot of that here.....and that goes for anybody that takes that trip. They go for a week and all of a sudden there an authority on the Cuban music scene........sorry it don;t work that way......it takes years to be an authority on anything.....my 2 congas...JC JOHNNY CONGA.... :;):

[tamboricua]

It seems that everytime someone goes to Cuba they come back and write a book on cuban rhythms or music, as if they are an authority on Cuban music....I have the same impression with the so-called drummers here in Seattle. Just cause you went to Cuba once and took lessons for a week does not make you a "player" or a "musician" or a so-called "master"....there is a lot of that here.....and that goes for anybody that takes that trip. They go for a week and all of a sudden there an authority on the Cuban music scene........sorry it don;t work that way......it takes years to be an authority on anything.....my 2 congas...JC JOHNNY CONGA.... :;):

No problem JC, anytime! James Metcalfe is a Houston, Texas based percussionist. I believe he concentrates more his playing on drumset than in Afrocuban percussion. Anyway, I don't know if he has been to Cuba, but I do know for sure he was part of Afrocubanismo 1994. A cuban festival that was celebretated at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada. Lots of great Cuban players were featured at the festival including; Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Afrocuba de Matanzas, Ilú Aña, Changuito, Angá, Irakere, among others. James studied with several of those cats, and humbly asked for their authorization before he even wrote the book. It was intended as a study guide reference for the festival participants, but as you can see it has reached over the internet. Don't know how! The book hasn't been published in a large scale. All the notation was verified by non other than Michael Spiro.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio



Edited By tamboricua on 1084561886

[Tonio]

I gotta go back to her book and take a look, just maybe it is written that way, after scrutinizing it again....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

JC, I think its is writen that way in Rebecca's book. At least I think so, I will have to check also! ???

Its great playing Yambu on tumbadoras, but was 100 times better on cajons!! It did take some time getting used to, since I don't own a cajon.

T

[Johnny Conga]

Yambu is meant to be played on cajons, and not necessarily congas. It is the definitive style. Why I said what I said about everyone being an authority on Cuban drumming is because there is also a lot of Plagarism going on. I know some cats that have written books and can't read a lick of music , cause they got most of their info online or other books from outside the country and rewrote them their way...I also trust Michael Spiro, so if he's ok with it, so am I......JC JOHNNY CONGA... :;):

[Isaac]

The clave as notated in the YAMBU, was also shown
to me by 3 different Cubans. The first time it was
at a percussion workshop with Grupo Moncada's percussion
section held in Toronto. It was explained as an older
style of clave especially used in Yambu.
The 2nd time it was demonstrated by Daniel Ponce,
who mentioned it as an old out of use way of doing clave
with Yambu. Its also similar to the accompanying palito pattern..which Ponce showed using flams within the same
count.
~ ISAAC ~
"Funky Tradition"

[vaconguero]

hey Isaac,

could you elaborate on the flam bit that you mentioned?

Thanks,

Lee

[Simon B]

Am I write in saying that in yambu the quinto player often plays together on cajon and on quinto tumbadore? That's what I think I can hear off Los Munequitos and Clave y Guaganco recordings.

Simon B

[Johnny Conga]

YES...the quinto player will have a "quinto" drum to his right or left depending on which is his lead hand. He will intermittenly hit it from time to time druing the course of the rhythm. It is really something that is new. Grupo Clave y Guaguanco is "famous" for their use of "conga cajons' along with regular drums.......JC JOHNNY CONGA.... :;):