by Facundo » Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:44 pm
Doc,
I beg to differ with you; not giving full credit to the musicians for me is quite indicative with doing things "on the cheep". Maybe this is just an issue of defining terms. The recording quality is not the question here. In comparison to other "folkloric" recordings of that time period, which were very few, the studio recording quality was excellent. As I mentioned, this recording was and still is a gem for drummers looking to hear and pick up the nuances in the music because of the recording quality. A quality, by the way, that was far better than the Panart recordings of that time, which, were, in my view, also "done on the cheep".
The liturgical musical heavy weights of that time of which, Giraldo was certainly one of, were given very little artistic regard. Their musical genre only had value in terms of how much of a "whow factor" it could add to floor shows in Casinos and hotels. Much credit must be given to Ortiz, Cabrera and Latanchere (sp) for their works that served to clearly demonstrate that there was a very rich cultural construct at core of those africanisms. It is these African elements that define the uniqueness and national identity of Cuba today. Afro Cuban music and culture are every bit a Cuban national product as cigars, sugar and rum.
Also, Giraldo was a disciple of Pablo Roche. He was his secondero (itotele player). Jesus Perez is given a great deal of credit as being the mentor of many of today’s master olubata. However, he assened to that position only after the greatest had passed on. According to an account given to me by an elder Santero who was a kid that Pablo had befriended, Jesus was the youngest and least capable within Pablo's house of drummers. Of course, over time he too became a master of masters but was only recognized as such after his elders became old and stopped playing or died off. It must also be noted that Jesus came along during a critical period of change and had the personality necessary to meet those changes and was able to bring the music into a new era.
There is much that is unknown to the general public regarding the true ranking among the drummers of that time. For example, Pablo Roche was considered the master of the master players but he looked to Miguel Somodevilla as the real master. Miguel was secondero for Andres Roche, (Pablo's father). Miguel outlived Andres and became Pablo's mentor and elder advisor. Pablo was fascinated with Miguel’s playing and rock solid timekeeping ability.
The point in mentioning all of this is that if Jesus was on this recording it should not necessarily be expected that he would play the iya drum with Giraldo being his elder.
Best regards,
Facundo
Facundo