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Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:16 pm
by Hawker
tamboricua wrote:
Hawker wrote:What heads is Pedrito using on those Matadors?


He is using Remo Fiberskin Crimplock.

Hope this helps!!!

JG


Helps a lot, thanks.

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:51 pm
by KidCuba
I am a horrible visual learner, does anyone have notation of mere-songo? It is an incredible rhythm and I truly appreciate the way Martinez is playing it on the clip.

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Thu Feb 23, 2012 11:52 pm
by jorge
Tone74, the mute before the open tones? I don't hear it either in Manolo's original merengue-son Bailando mojao or the video of Manolo you posted, or in Pedrito's merensongo either. You mean the mute for the tapaos that Pedrito is playing? Very important, worth the effort.

Cuentame is a great tune, but I think that is Joel playing, before Manolo joined Van Van. That album has Tu Tranquilo on it (Joel's tour de force and my favorite songo), and the few conga riffs sound more like Joel than Manolo. Joel had a very different songo style from Manolo's, but probably was a major influence on Manolo's playing.

Bailando mojao (Manolo, merengue-son)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09RkkE300hw

Aqui el que baila gana (Manolo songo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS6FFYDx ... re=related

Cuentame (Joel Cha cha cha)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-1D3c9PJs8

Tu Tranquilo (Joel Songo)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9qyhCWlCNg

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 2:20 am
by TONE74
Kid Cuba, One of the patterns that I know is R slap slap with L palm on high drum L bass L tip then R open on low drum R mute on high (jorge this is the part that slowed me down) drum R open on high drum L open R open L open R open low drum so I guess it would be written 2-3 ssbtOmooooO the m for mute not muff but I guess you could trow that in there. Theres one on the Tomasito book that goes 3-2 Oo b oobstbs tO I've been meaning to break the Changuito one down too but haven't gotten to it.

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:52 am
by KidCuba
Tone,

Thanks for the information, I'll look up Tomasito's as well.

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 11:56 am
by TONE74
Jorge on this song it's easy to hear. After the open tone on the low drum theres a small amount of time (one note im guessing) before you hear the open tones on the high drum and thats where the silent stroke goes. Pedro and others probably dont need to bother with it cause they keep perfect time, unlike me. lol

http://youtu.be/l7MUQR7d5DI

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 3:53 pm
by jorge
Antonio, in that song you just posted, there is a kick drum hit on the beat you are talking about, which is the downbeat (1) of the 1-2-3-4 in 4/4 notation. On congas, that beat is silent, no audible hit. You can see clearly Pedro is playing hand to hand, straight back and forth R-L-R-L-R-L-R-L most of the time, including that beat. He doesn't hit on that beat, just a ghost note (R hand) for personal timing. I am not sure how Manolo used to play it, but just do it like Pedro plays it in the video, practice it til it's perfect and then some, and you won't go wrong.

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Fri Feb 24, 2012 6:30 pm
by JohnnyConga
On the second cut ..IT IS NOT A SONGO it's his Tumbao....and the last cut is also Tumbao...Tumbao is Tumbao and Songo is a whole other rhythmic pattern...there are at least 9 variations of Songo...some with a 'partial' part of the Tumbao....I know some of you will disagree so lets be nice and show me If Im wrong, where and how? ..Tks!..JC

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 3:24 am
by jorge
Hi JC,
I hear you, but rather than a real disagreement between us, I think the confusion is between what type of rhythm the song is and what rhythm the conga player is playing. In Aqui el que baila gana, I agree that what Manolo is playing on congas we today would call tumbao. But the song itself is a songo. Besides the fact that Juan Formell and Changuito called it a songo on the album cover, the use of a modified bateria, with placement of the kick accent on the bombo and the snare part, the piano montuno, the bass line, the lack of bongo and the overall style all are more songo than salsa, son, timba, nueva onda or any other named rhythm. Changuito was experimenting with triggered drums, which give the song a different sound. One of the things I didn't like about Manolo's playing in the early 80s was that the patterns he played in songos were more like a stylized tumbao than the rumba style of Joel who preceded him as the tumbador of Van Van. Should we call that conga part songo or not? Seems to me it is his style of playing songo, even though it is a stylized tumbao. So you may be right with regard to the conga part, but regardless of what some of us here think, there is more to life (and to the songo) than the conga part. Or maybe not...

Check out Manolo here. Changuito's solo was so long Manolo stopped smiling for a minute there. Still songo, but Manolo's tumbao on congas really swings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je5bChxa ... re=related

Re: Manuel "Manolo" Labarrera-RIP

PostPosted: Sat Feb 25, 2012 4:38 am
by JohnnyConga
No disagreement at all I hear you and agree with you...Tks..JC