Tips for the pros

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Postby JohnnyConga » Thu Sep 16, 2004 4:14 pm

Here it is again......www.kbcs.fm .....91.3FM .....C U "AL LADO LATINO"......"JC" Johnny Conga....
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Postby JohnnyConga » Thu Dec 23, 2004 5:28 am

Ok here is something that will keep everyone here real busy....
check out the Dr. Diaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular music Collection from 1925 to 1960., You will find it at Florida International University.
http://gislab.fiu.edu/SMC/photos2.html
He donated his whole collection of some 25,000 records with videos,tapes, books and other stuff. It's a lifetime collection. Enjoy the fliks!....."JC" Johnny Conga.... :D
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Postby Colacao » Thu Dec 23, 2004 6:07 am

Very nice JC, incredible collection
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Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Dec 24, 2004 7:43 pm

Hey guys check out the Diaz-Ayala site in my post above...."JC" Johnny Conga..... :D
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Postby rumbaman » Thu Jan 20, 2005 3:53 pm

Hello their my tumbadora brothers and a special hello to JC happy new year. Their is no way around the value an experienced teacher can give you , And their is no way around good proper technique . If you want to sound good invest your money and get a teacher that feels good to you . Don't fool yourself you need a good expirienced ear to tell you if those notes you are playing realy are the notes you should be playing . If not all you are doing is kidding yourself . You have to have a foundation and then build on it . Thats my experience .
thanks :D carlos
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Postby cuminicua » Thu Jul 14, 2005 7:12 pm

I would suggest the video by tomas cruz. It can be purchased on descarga.com. It goes over rudimentary basics as taught in cuba in the first disc then in intermediate it goes over patterns mostly afro-cuban including songo. And the third goes over how to play timba
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Postby ABAKUA » Fri Jul 15, 2005 8:30 am

cuminicua wrote:I would suggest the video by tomas cruz. It can be purchased on descarga.com. It goes over rudimentary basics as taught in cuba in the first disc then in intermediate it goes over patterns mostly afro-cuban including songo. And the third goes over how to play timba

Word.
No nonsense, no showy stuff, just straight out educational.
A refreshing change to most instructional vids/dvd's. The first one is for begginers, 2nd one good for begginers who have their sounds and excersises down and moves on to afro cuban rhythms and other patterns and variations of cumbia and merengue with 2 tumbadoras. The third is for those at an intermediate to advanced level and for those looking at incorporating more of the 'timba' style grooves heard coming out of modern Cuba.
Got all 3 sent to me today thanks to Steady Freddy on these boards, just finished watching all 3 DVD's. First one was far to basic for me personally, but good for a begginer, DVD 2 was cool to get some variations, but my favourite and the one I got the most out of, was DVD 3: Advanced Timba grooves. Respect. :cool: Tomasito rocks. I dig his style.
Ive been playing afro cuban rhythms for over 15 yrs and think of myself as an advanced player, yet I found DVD 3 very informative and interesting. I will be incorporating many of Tomasito's Timba grooves into my technique and groove repertoire with my Timba band.
I got all 3 DVD's so I can have the complete collection. (I love collecting percussion/afro cuban culture dvd's and videos/documentaries etc)




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Postby steady freddy » Fri Jul 15, 2005 1:33 pm

Glad to make you happy, man!
Tomasito grooves! :cool:
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Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:18 pm

I will be MCing for Arturo Sandoval tonight here in Seattle..Tomas Cruz who I met when i was living in Miami is touring with Arturo as well as my buddy Dennis Banks on bass. Me personally I didn't like his style...to free with the "timba" approach which to me is just outright, play whatever u want in certain sections of arrangements or as they say "changing gears"..I forget the Cuban term for it....if u look at Arturo's new CD/DVD..Tomas doesn't know what to play during the "swing" sections of different tunes and he just sits it out....I also saw him with El Medico de la Salsa in Miami and he basically played the same way all night long....but he has hands, I'll give him that....maybe he'll impress me tonight...,I'll let u know how it turned out....peace..."JC" Johnny Conga...
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Postby ABAKUA » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:28 pm

So Arturo aint using Eggie anymore? Wonder what Eggie is up to these days... Great guy, we got along so well on his visits with Arturo down under.

As for Tomas not knowing what to play in swing.. hmm doubt he 'wouldnt know' what to play, perhaps Arturo didnt want congas in that section?

As for Timba being play whatever... not quite, Timba has patterns that are played in context with the arrangement, just like Tumbao, Guaguanco etc etc. Modern Cuba has given birth to new grooves on Tumbadoras which have evolved substantially as of late from orginal tumbao and songo etc.

It aint just play whatever, in his DVD # 3, he goes into quite a few of these grooves.

When I spent a week with Papiosco of Cubanismo and formerly Klimax, we went through the whole concept of tumbadoras in Timba and how it varies from regular 'salsa' tumbao playing as known in the States.

His variations where much similar to Daniel Lopez (Albita originally then Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin), who I also got to spend a fair bit of time with in recent visits to Aus and both their theories co-incided also with what is coming out of Cuba as of the last few years.




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Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:34 pm

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that my experience with the up and coming conga drummers is that they seem to be stuck in just there own "cuban style" of playing which is great for playing in a Cuban band, but put them in another musical situation that calls for a different "rhythmic style" they seem to have problems with that....they are not exposed to the variety of music like we have here though they have radio and Cuban MTV, maybe that is starting to open some "rhythmic" doors...like cuba doesn't have a lot of rhythms already...I have even seen and experinced Cuban drummers that couldn't play in a Puerto Rican band, cause, of the "swing" and the constant "tumbao" that is called for in Salsa music.....now just imagine u growing up where u only heard one type of music all the time, and then u are in a band where another form of music is being played but u dont have the experience with this musical "style"...I do know that Cuban musicians play best with other Cuban musicians....for me some of them are just "to busy" in their style of playing and don't lock down the groove....hence Timba......just my insight on Cuban drummers, who are some of the Best in the World.....paz....."JC" Johnny Conga....here is Karl Perazzo with Frnasisco Aguabella, Armando Perazza and my man Arturo Gomez Cruz....

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Postby ABAKUA » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:45 pm

I agree wholeheartedly with your point re playing styles in different bands.

Eg. When I am performing with my timba band, which is mostly original compositions, much heavier grooves and alot of 'bloques' and breakdowns or masacote sections, I play a far more timba style of tumbao and general 'attack' as is heard from Charanga Habanera, Bamboleo, NG, Azucar Negra, etc

However, when performing with other bands, primarilly of Salsa influence, my tumbao and playing approach is completely different, using more of a flowing marcha, locking in with cascara, bongo etc to create that 'makina' effect, and generally alot straighter than with the Timba band.

And again when performign with my hip hop/afro-cuban/funk/reggae band, my playing approach differs again.

So yeh, one needs to play/adapt in context to the music or genre being performed. Timba style conguero wont work with salsa type band and a salsa style conguero wont cut it in a Timba band. Its all about being able to adapt to different styles and that comes with practise and exposure and understanding of different musical genres and their theory and practicality.
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Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:47 pm

Yea Eggie is a friend of mine also..Great player and musician...I gotta tell ya working with Arturo could be a dream gig or a "horror"...he is not easy to deal with and is very full of himself...I have known Arturo and even worked with him,but I wouldn't want the gig, unless I was maybe 24 yrs old and just coming into myself as a musician...For Tomas it's a good gig for him, though he may not know at this time that the gig is not going to last, and then what does he do when it's over?....Miami has nothing to offer any musician, trust me I know, I lived there for 17 long years and know everyone there....and have worked with everyone there...Including gloria and emilio....when u work for the rich, u are working for their 'egos", they work when their "egos' tell them too, and remember their rich and ur not....so after the gig is up,hopefully u have saved some money , if u made good money, and can look for another gig, somewhere...hey the same thing happened with Wickly Nogueras(from NG La Banda) came to Miami had a hot minute and then disappeared, never to be heard from again, but again he could only play "one way"...."JC" Johnny Conga...
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Postby JohnnyConga » Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:57 pm

Daniel Ponce also has the same problem with playing with bands, as his history in New York was found out, and he was "chastised" by the musical communty there to the point he had to leave NYC and move back to Miami. I have to say just because u play a drum does not make u a musician or an "authority" on the drum...I have seen this too many times, in my 40 years of playing, with GREAT players, they can play rumba all day long but cant play in a band....I had this personal xperience with Daniel who is a Good friend of mine...."JC" Johnny Conga....
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Postby ABAKUA » Fri Jul 15, 2005 4:06 pm

JohnnyConga wrote:Daniel Ponce also has the same problem with playing with bands, as his history in New York was found out, and he was "chastised" by the musical communty there to the point he had to leave NYC and move back to Miami. I have to say just because u play a drum does not make u a musician or an "authority" on the drum...

Yep, sad to hear of that. I enjoyed Daniel Ponce's 3 albums and they influenced me greatly in my earlier years of playing.

But yeh, same was told to me by JB Batanga and Johnny Almendra who I had the opportunity of spending time with on their visits to Australia with Jimmy Bosch and with Los Jovenes del Barrio.
hehe we got Johnny fairly drunk at the after party! :D


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