Students playing hookie - Where are all the good students

[blango]

Brother Jorge,

Hope all is well with you.

Thanks so much for the description! very cool.

You named the exact cats who dont come out to the open rumbas with the exception of Santos.

The best open rumba is at La Pena, Oakland. Sandy makes a presence once in a while, but i haven’t seen Erick or Jose Lois ever in 3 years of going.

I worked with Erik putting together shows for Sandy, he is such a great guy and very humble. Im sure its a matter of him living in SF and doing his thing out that way. There are open rumbas in SF as well, perhaps he hangs there, though when ive been out there, i haven’t run into him.

Fito came to La Pena once, early, and i was on Bajo with Trevino on Segunda. he shook my hand after singing a song. I felt blessed! :laugh:

Maestro Aldama came to play twice in three years. We were blessed!!

Jose Lois rarely sings outside of a tambor. I dont see the cat around much, at shows or anywhere, but anytime there is something really heavy, religiously, going on, Jose's around.

The rumbas at La Pena are open, but if someone is not on top of it, they are booted. A few years back people were very quick to jump on someone if they couldn’t play right out of the shoot. Today, they give a person about 30 seconds to get in a groove. But after that, if they cant play, they are booted.

I know many a cat who wont go to La Pena, and stand the test of the 'trial by fire' as it sometimes is. But all in all, these cats are very welcoming and kind.

The rumbas in SF - Cafe Havana on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, and Florida and 20th st. on Saturdays (not sure if its every Sat) - are not as restrictive and as a result, are not quite as happening, in my experience, but im sure they get it going from time to time.

From what i can tell, the very top Cuban players of the bay look at La Pena how i look at the SF scene - At times its working, other times its not.

But we do get a good, if not a great rumba going at La Pena every time. Ive only seen a few weak days in the three years ive been going. There are some real heavies that play and sing regularly.

As far as the 'old boy network' or a group of cats who dont want people to sit in and play - the territorial of us, there are only a few cats, but one of them is a monster of a player and master, so when he is around, there is a very heavy eye watching every move!! – this true master used to call me ‘master drummer’ to get under my skin Man i hated that!! :laugh:

Most all the players at La Pena are very kind, if you can play.

I love the bay area. - ive decided to move to Oakland to further my progress as a musician - leaving the Napa hills behind for the 'big city' :laugh:

One day, in the dead of summer, id love to hit a Central Park Rumba! Id love to see if I could hang with them.

Tony

[Whopbamboom]

To put the $100 in perspective... local massage therapists (legit) charge $80/hr to give massages.... if they did this for 40 hrs/week, 50 weeks/year, that would be $160,000. Yet, many of these therapists don't earn much more than $40K/year. You have to remember that they are first of all physically unable to perform massages for 8 hours per day. Then one must consider that there is no realistic way to line up clients one-after-the-other anyway. It's just the nature of that type of line of work. So they must charge enough money while they are physically working in order to meet all their financial obligations all the rest of the hours of the week/month/year. They can't go out and get another job, they must remain available to do massages whenever each individual 1-hour massage job comes up. I really suspect that music instructors must do the same thing. I don't really think that $100/hour is CRAZY, when you look at it in that light. It's actually quite logical from a business standpoint, even if it is pretty high.

That being said, I personally won't spend $100/hour for music lessons (unless there is something very SPECIFIC that I am going after). There are, quite frankly, far too many other options--- DVD's, books, other instructors, self-teaching, listening to others' music, etc. etc. etc.. Heck, most of what I do now is mainly self-taught anyway. I just do not feel the need to spend my own cash without restraint. Personally, I'd rather spend the $100-$200-$300 (that 1-2-3 hours would cost) on more of my own equipment and continue to self-instruct and to develop my own sound and own techniques. There would have to be a real specific reason for me to lay down $100/hour for lessons with someone else. I'll probably grab a few lessons at $50/hour here and there, but even then I must have a reason for seeking out those lessons.

[blango]

Yea JC!

just watched the clip... very cool!

Man, more conversation than talk radio!! I especially liked how they settled into it at the start, that was clean.

...and then at the end, to Palo for 10 seconds there!! Very fun.

The tradition is well in hand with those young guns, ay? The guy on Bajo was really walking. Does anyone know his name?

Whap,

Great points all, good analogy.

Tony



Edited By blango on 1198277701

[bongosnotbombs]

Hey Tony you baggin' our SF rumba!!!!!!! :angry:

Nah, it's true what you said, the La Pena rumba is in a different league musically,
but the Radio Havana Social Club is more...well.....social!

You East bay boys got yer fancy shmancy microphones and amps, and space and a dance floor.

Here in SF we pack it in tight to get it hot!

Ha ha, I love 'em both, they are so different they make a
perfect compliment!

(talk about hooky and students, 1/2 of Aldama's class goes to this one, and you can see Cecil and his student in the background there, we had Aldama's Von Boyage party there last week, he's in Cuba for a month, no class )



Edited By bongosnotbombs on 1198281478

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[jorge]

The drummers in Ilu Aye playing that rumba are Niko LaBoy on quinto, Jonathan Troncoso on tumbador and Camilo (I don't know his last name) on tres dos, with Osvaldo Lora "Bembesito" singing. And JC, as far as the new young lions of Cuba, I think Camilo is half cuban half Boricua, but Nico is Boricua, and Jonathan and Bembesito are dominican. Como dijo el Tio Tom, donde estan los cubanos???



Edited By jorge on 1198282329

[Quinto Governor II]

Whopbamboom,
I follow and understand your reasoning. It's just that the artificial and inflated value that this society puts on most goods and many services, rubs me the wrong way; especially, when I consider the salary of the average worker. If I were the decider, the minimum wage would be $10.00, easily. As for the Rumba scene, well you guys in N.Y. and the bay area are definitely blessed. The guys who won't attend because of fear of not measuring up, are really cheating themselves. If they hang around long enough and are putting in an honest effort, to learn and progress, then I'm sure their time will come. It may be a small part but it will be a start. I remember being invited to a Bembe a few years ago. Had no illusions at all of playing a drum, but when it was about to start I was told to play. I'm like "me!" Well I made it through the first song; however, on the second, I rushed the tempo and was taken off the drum. I thought for a second, when first told to drum, about not being ready and declining to play, but figured if they asked me to play, they must think I'm capable. I was the least experienced drummer there. Afterwards I felt good about the experience - much more than I would, if I had not tried to play.