Zaragemca's biography

[zaragemca]

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We all would see how long this post would last.This is why I'm considered Master Percussionist from my students and the people which had worked with me.I was born and raised in a rumberos-house in the neighborhood of 'Los Sitios' which have fame all over Cuba for his percussionist,(conga players and Bata players), I couldn't affort a drum,so I was into hand percussion,untill around 11 years old,but I did start with my ancestors the learning of African-Drumming-Patterns, Yoruba,Arara,Bantu,etc.,and learning from the weekly Rumba jamming of the top rumberos of the neighborhood,(some of them comming from others neighborhood to compete).Also close observasion of the percussion riffs of the yearly Carnival,(where differents percussionist would come every year with percusion patterns to outgrow the other competitors).Then in school I get in to drumming,and by late 60's get in to Rock and Jazz,(which was prohibited at that time in Cuba),but I kept defending the right to play that music,that situation and not joining the communist party,ultimately brought me to the U.S...In the U.S., after I came to Houston i started getting called by mexicans bands,so I have played with around five mexican bands,(two of them show-bands),where I have to play everything. I also played with the top Vallenato-Orquesta at that time in Houston,(Colombian Music),and was able to share the stage with the best colombian bands comming to Houston at that time,Grupo Niche,Fruco y sus Tesos,Los Graduados,Los Corraleros de Majagual,Pipe Pimienta, later from Honduras,(Central America),Silver Star,Los Rolands,Banda Blanca,(around that time I started getting requested to teach).The business of music and curiosity took me to traveling to other States,( I did work for three record labels,G.P. Records,Ramex Records,and Balboa Records).Then in California I did work for Universal Studios,(where I did learn a lot in relation to film Industry and promotion).Back in Houston,I started playing with la Sonora Santa Ana,(and sharing the stage with the top bands from El Salvador,(in The Carnavales de San Miguels),with was a yearly celebration.From there in to Salsa-Cumbia-Merengue band,(in 1998 I started my teaching of African,Afrocuban,and Brazilian percussion .Also I was part of the Core-Band, of the Red Cat Jazz Cafe,( playing all type of jazz in the open jam every Tuesday around 6 years)...From there I got called from an Austin band to play at the Bob Marley's Festival,( I did played two festivals with that Band),Then I have the opportunity to play with top Djembe players and Ensembles from,Ghana,Senegal,Guinea,South Africa, and Ethiopian Bands.(several of the african players becoming my percussion students).Again playing at Bob Marley's Festival,(This time with Dr. King Cobra Band), we were playing,.Reggae,Calipso,Socka,Afro-Jazz,and Afro-Pop...At this point I started teaching advanced percussion structure,multy-Percussion Patterns,and writing articles about Percussion,(The foundation of Drumming),(Classification of an Advanced drummer),(Zaragemca brief on Jazz),(Zaragemca's bongos,congas,Timbales and bata),and other which are available in the internet.There was an audition for percussionists,(around 20's percussionists,the number 1,2,3, players of that audition were all Djembe players from my training).Started performing with my Drumming Ensemble,at Clubs,Universities,Festivals,Private parties, Corporate Events, and Clinics for Guitar Centers store..I had the opportunity to be invited for performing at a Buddhist Temple with Table,Darbukas,and Djembe. The notice of my Samba-Bateria brought a group of people from Brazil which were thrilled,(becouse I had incorporated few 'cookies' to play the Samba which were news),so they took a lot of pictures and a video which is somewhere around Brazil.Also I'm the first cuban to use the Djembe as a lead instrument for Guaguanco-Rumba, and introduced it into the Ethiopian Music,( have played congas too).The mayority of my students are caucasian,but I had also,africans,cubans,puertorican,colombian,mexican s,british,canadian,indian,brazilian,afro-american,costarican,venezuelan,etc.I'm actually playing with a Fusion-Reggae Band,teaching,and doing consultation.I recetly did a unique show with a mexican with is a known Muralist-Painter, another mexican,( specialist in Azteca-Percussion), a guy from Bolivia playing Zampona,and Quena,(from Inda-Culture),and I was doing Drum-Set,Vibra-Slap,Wind Chimes,Rattles,Rain-Fores,China-Gons,Bongos,etc.This is the first time that this have been done,putted together like this.(It was sponsored by M.E.C.A.),a mexican cultural school here in Houston.
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International Club of Percussionists

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Last edited by zaragemca : 07-16-2005 at 04:15 PM.

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07-16-2005, 06:42 PM



Edited By zaragemca on 1126548212

[franc]

zaragemca,
mucha, mucha experiencia!!!!!!!!keep it up. mucho more success!!! áche, franc

[zaragemca]

Thanks Franc,mucho Ache, para ti tambien.Gerry Zaragemca

[Mr. NoChops]

This post is for me to poop on! Those who know, know why! Get a life Doctor Z! :laugh:

[Juzzi]

Terve Mr. NoChops!
Toi äijä on aika syvältä...Täynnä itseään ja tunkee tota paskaa jokaiseen mahdolliseen foorumiin.

-J

[zaragemca]

Mr. NoChops,if you have any questions,or want to make anything more clear come stray up with it,as I always do,(nobody is going to get killed in the forum for asking a question).Dr. Zaragemca

[untaltumbador]

Dr. Zaragemca

I like your biography and I value all you said on this forum. I look at you as I look at every Cuban tumbador "as authentic". Every one else without your heritage will forever be an imitation no matter how good they sound or how many cd they have recorded. I feel sadness and at time anger when you react to the malicious remarks and off the wall comments from across the world.
I am glad that you were able to leave the repressive Fidel's Cuba and bring your talents to the U.S were some, perhaps like me, can appreciated its significance.

Ache! Hacha y machete.

Untal





Edited By untaltumbador on 1124140796

[Franky Boy]

I too will say that its very sad when other members on this site who don’t seem to be true to the cause of the Tumbador rag out a brother that is as authentic like Zar (the guy is from Cuba and has played on the streets), he has a lot of knowledge, experience and is willing to share it. Just because the mans way with words is a little a bit different than some of you guys from English speaking countries and remember that English is his 2nd language. It does not mean he is stupid or he doesn’t know his stuff. I have been watching this site for a few years now and I don’t class myself as a "pro", but there seems to be a lot of name-dropping amongst some contributors maybe so they can get some form of creditability on this site. Don’t get me wrong here, as there are some great players that add their experience to this site and that is very obvious by what they are saying. Hey I have an idea why don’t some of the pros get hold of a video camera and demonstrate for I don’t know say 30seconds to 1 minute a solo or some of their best riffs in a groove and then either up load it or set up a link to a thread on this site then we non pros would really benefit from this. That way we would really be able to see and hear for ourselves who is and who is not being antagonistic, then you would really deserve some credibility so let your hands do the talking. What do the rest of you players/readers on this site think? Just trying to keep it real and don’t want to see a good site dive down into the gutter.

Yours truly Franky

[zaragemca]

Greeting Untaltumbador,and Franky Boy,it is great to have a lot of percussionists keeping the fire in the percussion/world,I got some students which are knowlegeable in relation to MP3,so I would see the possibility of coming up with something,..Ache para todos.Dr. Zaragemca

[JohnnyConga]

You will be able to buy my DVD-'CONGA-ROBICS' SOON...and you will see what I'm all about and what I can do....in the mean time just Google my name and check out my history...Zara ..soy Cubano/Americano pero tengo sangre Cubano de verdad.....nunca fue a Cuba pero yo sabes que te pasa...WE can all get along...let's just maintain RESPECT for each other no matter what each individuals experience is with the drum.....Mil Gracias....de Los Palacios-Pinar del Rio...."JC" Johnny Conga....

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... chards.jpg

[greg]

zaragemca you are recorded in:
1)forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=6469
2)www.african-drumbeat.co.uk/forums/index.php
3)www.pearldrummersforum.com/showthread.php?p=1850278372#post1850278372
4)homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=149478
5)www.jazzhouston.com/artists/profile.jsp?key=1778
6)www.drummagazine.com/html/modules.php?
7)www.esai.org/services/forums
http://www.webtender.com/iforum
9)www.africaforum.com/printthread.php3?threadid=671
10)www.drum-talk.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5895
11)vancouverjazz.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1292&postcount=4
12)www.harlem.org/cgi-bin/forumdisplay
13)www.cornerband.com/tisql/cb_topic.asp?forumid=4&topicid=260&nodes=260
...... AND MUCH MORE, YOU ARE BOIRED US, YOU TELL US EVERY TIME THE SAME THINGS, :
MASTER OF PERCUSSION.... in what?
MANY YEARS STUDY.... whic master?
MANY LIVES CONCERTS......where, when?
MANY ARTICLES WROTE......where?
MANY COLLABORATIONS.....who's name?
There are nothing about . there are just 300-400 messages per forum and in everyone you dont answer in nothing about these questions.
for all: read topic master of percussion in http://www.pearldrummersforum.com
zaragemca: for me you dont exist in a reality world, you are a created player like Matrix.
bye

[percomat]

It is lots of bs in this forum, and I have to admit that lots of it is posted by you dr. Z, I usually ignore it, but since you are an adult I would like to give you another chance, another question. Maybe I should add that I have tried before.

I don`t know how smart the questions have been, but the questions is asked because I wonder, so they are honest. But many times I have felt that your answers hasn`t really been about the question, but something else. My question is (as usually) about rumba, and you don`t have to start with the slave story, the cabildos, Fernando Ortiz and so on.

My impression is that this is what you normally do (or for example as above, lots of name-, and info-dropping that really doesn`t tell me anything I ever asked for), and this could of course be interesting for a while, but since you are a doctor you would know that your references should be mentioned when asked for. It would be better for your credibility to give some kind of depth in your talking.

Anyway, my question is about the improvisational character of rumba. The improvisational quinto seems to demand a specific approach, very different to what for example (your friend?) Giovanni represents, for example I read Tata saying that "the only thing he is against is the incorporation of drum stick technique to the tumbadora.."(from http://www.groovecollective.com/fatoye/interview.html)

I understand what he mean, since the quinto-players I`ve heard doesn`t necessarily play more than one or two accurate placed strokes in a bar, instead of doublerolls and fancy chops over a set on five tumbadoras, improvisation in rumba seems to be about something else. Further the strokes seems to be placed in along a cascarapattern or the spaces the clave-rhythm leaves open.

Anyway, since you say you are born, raised and trained by master rumberos, maybe you could share some information about the improvisational character of rumba? What did your teachers say about it when you was a pupil? What does your famous rumbero friends, as Tata and Changuito (by the way, how is his hand doing, I guess you know about the problem he had for a while with his middlefinger) say about it? You wold get my respect by giving me a good answer about this topic; the improvisational character og the quinto. ??? But if you can`t answer, please don`t ruin my sincere question with all kind of bs and maybe someone else could give me an answer.

[zaragemca]

Greeting,to JC,I remember the first time we talk in this forum,that you told me your ancestry.(I've been in Los Palacios),saludos brother,....to Percomat you don't have to write a book to make a question.The tradition of doing solos in drumming came form Africa to Cuba,(since there was a transculturalization in Cuba among differents cultures), which could not take place in Africa since some of this cultures were enemies there,with differents traditions,customs and languages,but in Cuba several generations of percussionists started fusioning some of the patterns and in the daily crossfire of competition among the percussionists,in Barrios and Carnivals,(many of them observed by me),they were creating the standart of basic patterns and the vocalization,struturation,and execution of soloing which later was transfered to the western musical notation for better understanding and interpretation in the musical world...to this guy called Greg,first of all who are you,(since you are just comming into the this forum),and it smell to me like a hired-gun.Dr.Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1123872191

[ralph]

Since rumba is probably the most recent popular drumming to come out of Cuba, i would reference and listen to older stuff, like Abakua, Palo, Arara, Bembe to listen to the improvisation...These rhythms usually have the lowest drum improvising, in Abakua you have the bonko enchemiya, in Palo you have the caja, in arara i believe its caja as well, and in bembe you usually have traditional bembe with bembe drums, than you have guiro where even the largest shekere is doing the soloing...so really the quinto in the rumba context is probably the most recent, so instead of the lowest drum improvising you got the quinto the highest pitch drum improvising...you can hear alot of Abakua in Columbia, as well as guaguanco, also there is also drumming like mani and others like makuta and yuka, that have influence rumba as we know it today...as far as i been told the quinto comes from the tres golpe, or in spanish el quinto nace del tres golpe...it makes sense since you'll rarely hear a tres golpe drum do many variations, and answers you'll hear this more with the tumbador especially nowadays, the thing you won't hear in good rumba, is the tumbador taking licks from the tres golpe, and the tres golpe taking licks from the quinto, each part has its own language, and if you analyze it, you can tell, the different parts, and the patterns and variations that they use...also as the good doctor said, comparsa/conga as well, would have influenced quinto patters, and so forth, so you gotta listen to the root, to understand the fruit...
peace

[Isaac]

Ralph, nice words and advice. indeed.
How about this : "go for the OLD, to find the GOLD"

ISAAC