congaplace.com

To get things rolling here! I would like to have some input from the Congaplace members. Which you consider your favorite Conga solo ever recorded, and by who? What about "Ti Mon Bo"? With the one and only, Mongo Santamaría on Tumbas.

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Well any conga solo by Mongo is a patented solo. My next one would be Bill Fitch from his tune Insight on the Sona Libre album with Cal Tjader. It is one of the best constructed and imaginative solos on record. Ray Baretto on El Hijo De Obatala, Indestuctible. Oh I can't forget the one drum conga solo by Candido live at Carnegie Hall with Tony Bennett 1961. It is truly an "Incredible one drum solo-LIVE......I think it has been reissued I have it on LP......I could go on.....so many solos so little time.....smile.....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

Hi Johnny, I agree with you that conga solo on Insight by Bill Fitch, is one of my favorites too. For those who want to learn this solo, it is transcribed note by note on the Latin Percussionist Magazine, Issue#6 Fall 1997.

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

hi Jorge , theres a really nice solo on Afro-Cuban Allstars's CD a la toda cuba le gusta (if thats how you spell it) i cant remenber the name of the song, but its a mosambique rhythm. and i cant remenber the player since i dont have the cd at the moment.
but its really great!

The conga player was Anga

(Edited by Laurent Lamy at 8:08 am on Nov. 29, 2001)

... and the song "Maria Caracoles"!! Really brilliant solo by Angá.

Bill Fitch is or rather was a non-Cuban, wasn´t he? I heard he studied the early Tata Guines..
"Insight" is clearly one my favourite tunes cum conga solo!!!

Bill Fitch was an Afro-American,from Boston,originally. My former teacher new him personally,and told me about him. Unfortunatly I was told he became an alcoholic and disappeared. Nobody knows what happened to him....His style was his own,and there is film footage of him playing with Cal Tjader in the Henry Medina Film Archives....hmj47@hotmail.com..... It took me awhile to "cop" the solo by Fitch on Insight,and that was 25 years ago,and it's still as intense today as it was when first recorded.....JC JOHNNY CONGA....

Thanks for the thorough information, J.C.! It´s no easy solo, is it.

I was just wondering if Jorge a.k.a "tamboricua" could post the solo somewhere on congaplace (copyright?!?), because it´s a bit difficult outside the U.S. to get hold of items like Latin Percussion Magazine.

I'm sorry Mike! I won't be able to post the solo on Congaplace. You can order back issues of Latin Percussionist Magazine directly through their web site at: http:www.latinpercussion.com

The subscription is available overseas and it is only บ.00, hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Yeah, thanks a lot! I have visit the URL you mentioned, thank you, that´s great.

Mike, if that still impossible for you, find a copy of the tune and transcribe the solo yourself. Excellent learning tool! Hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

Another classic is performed by Tata Guines, on the intro of the tune "Descarga Cubana" from Cachao y su Ritmo Caliente.

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio

I woul'd like to talk about Roberto Vizcaino and Paoli Mejias.

Thanks for all of the great references to the solos ... lately I've been listening to "iAfrocubanismo!", with Irakere, Grupo Ilú Añá, and Los Muñequitos de Matanzas with some great solos by Anga, Changuito, Enrique Plá, many others.

The best solos are live, eh?

Laurent, hope all is well! Paoli Mejias is an up-and coming young percussionist from the island of Puerto Rico. He is an excellent tumbador and bongosero.
He has played with Dave Valentín, Seis del Solar, Orlando Poleo, Charlie Sepulveda, and Eddie Palmieri, among others. Right now, he is working on his own project, "Checkmate" with fellow percussionist and buddy, Javier Oquendo on bongó.

Hope this helps!

Saludos, Jorge Ginorio