congaplace.com

I learned this rythem from John Amira , he said it comes from the Baro family in Matanzas.

guataca x-x-xx-x-x-x

cachimbo OSSSssSOSSSssS
The cachimbo is played with two sticks and the slaps are real presses ( hold the left hand stick down while striking the with the right hand ).

mula S--SO-S--SO-

caja BBB-O-B-B-O-
xxx x x The x's under the caja should line up with the bases , they represent the stick in the right hand striking the side of the drum.

Anyone else play this rthem or know anything else about it ? ( Variations,songs etc. )......

Thanks
Ronnie

Yeah that looks somewhat like what we learned as Mahi.
I'll have to double check with Eric who's our "librarian" of rhythm.

Librarian LOL

That's what I aspire to be.

Thanx

I was going to write it out, and realized I didn't have time,, so here's what we've got from John Amira..

http://mrcrowder.us/cong/haitian.pdf

It's the 8th page down. Note that it's a Haitian rhythm, at least as we were taught.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Dave

Thanks Windhorse , but that's not the same rythem. John told me that there is a family in Matanzas that are renowned for there style of Arara.
There name is Baro. The Mahi version I posted is played at a slow to medium tempo unlike the Haitian version.
He explained how some slaves from Dahomey were brought to Matanzas and Santiago de Cuba and how some of the Haitian and Arara stuff are very similar.

I learned Mahi from him many years ago, and just passing in a dance class , so I didn't get to ask him the questions I would have like to about the rythem.
It is such a beautiful rythem that I still remember one song we did, it goes

Akama kama kama e ya e ya Kama
Akama kama kama e ya e ya kama

I've never heard this song again and don't know who it's sung for , only the melody can I recall...
And, I don't know how he improvised the caja parts or where it starts in the clave , the caja parts sounded very Haitian to me.

I've been taught several Arara rhythms; Savalu, Hevioso, Toque Bandeiro, Asoano, Masay and Afrekete but not the one your asking about. Your rhythm looks like an Arara for sure, I just have not seen that one before. I was taught an Arara called Mahainu, but Sandy Perez later called it something different.

Your mula part is the same as a caja part for Arara Masay. I noticed that your bell pattern is different.
None of the Arara rhythms I named use the 6/8 bell they use this pattern, except Masay which only uses the first line.

X--X--X--X-- (FIRST LINE)
X-X-XX-XX-X- (SECOND LINE)

Thanks for the info G...

Yeh, that's what's very unique about this rythem , in that it's not on any recordings I can think of, and it uses the standard short bell pattern.
I wish you could hear the song that goes with it , it's so melodic.

I think John copped it from someone who went to Cuba to study with the Baro family in Matanzas.

Very interesting!!
I look forward to following this thread.. I was wondering if that were case, that this was a completely different Cuban version of something that the Haitians did differently..

The song sounds familiar.. I'll look for that one.

Very interesting stuff!!!

I think Mahí might be short for Majino or Magino.

The Baró Family is from Jovellanos and their ensemble is Ojún Degara, named after a bird sacred to the Ararás.

JG

Yep JG , that's what John said Mahi can be called Mahino.

I'm hoping one day to see The Baro drummers on youtube.

That Mahino is probably what I mispelled as Mahainu, I'll look up
my notes when I get home and see which rhythm Sandy called Mahino
and see how he taught it.

the song I remembered not the same, what I was thinking of goes --
Ee ee ee ee ee akamakamado, awe awe...

Windhorse ,
That song is for obatala, and I believe they play the 4th section of Obba on bata for it, even though it is arara.
I don't know what arara rythem goes to it.

The song I posted is not the same, the melody is totaly different.

I found my transcript for Majino (what I was spelling as Mahainu)
It is not the same as your Mahi. It has 4 drum parts.

Just one thing though, your calling the parts out as cachimbo, mula and caja, like for bembe.
Aren't the arara drums actually apliti, guegue, yonofo and the oplocoto?

Thanks for the info on the parts, I didn't know the names for the arara drums,and I didn't know there are 4 drums in the ensemble. Are the names you listed, the bell and three drums, or 4 drums?
I transcribed the 5th track on the Rejino cd ( Arara ) and there are only 3 drum parts & the bell.