How to raise a Rumba

[Johnny Conga]

Zaragemca, care to translate this in the short form?......JC JOHNNY CONGA...

[martin]

Hi Martin - tell me more about your rumba in Cambridge. It's good that you've found a singer - are they well-acquainted with rumba, Spanish-speaking etc?

What I find is that while there are a number of Latin American percussionists in England - especially Brazilian, (also Mexican and Argentinian, which my group reflects) - when it comes to rumba, unless they are a Cuban or have spent time there, they are a foreigner like me to the vernacular singing and dancing. We have a number of salsa dancers in this country - how many genuine rumba dancers?!

Simon B

He's from Puerto Rico - he has sung alot of rumba, can improvise etc. A few of us have spent time in Cuba learning this stuff. We are still learning... There are rumba dance classes in London..

martin

[congamyk]

Hello all, there is a very prosporous group of rumberos in Kansas City, Missouri. If you are ever in KC in the summer, go to Loose Park ( near the Plaza ) and sit in. In the fall and winter the group meets at a home in midtown KC off of Troost Avenue. You will find great players and a fine tradition and teaching of younger players the fundomentos of Havana Style Rumba. You can learn more by checking out this new website that gives details. http://www.geocities.com/kcrumba



Edited By congamyk on 1077687346

[Johnny Conga]

Kansas City...#### who knew?......JC JOHNNY CONGA... :;):

[James M]

Bembe es tambien el nombre que recibe la fiesta,el baile y los toques,que aunque no tienen caracter ritual son una extension de la practica de las santeria ya que todos sus toques y cantos se dedican a los santos u orichas del panteon Yoruba por parte de los iniciados en la religion o creyentes que se devierten. Se celebran fiestas de bembe para simple es parcimiento o para festejar el aniversario de la fecha en que un creyente se haya iniciado o hecho santo. a lo que se llama "cumpleanos de santo", como es el caso del ejemplo recogido en la grabacion

I don't speak spanish, but portuguese is pretty close, so here is my take on it:

Bembe is also the name given to parties, dances, and rhythms (toques), that although it does not have a ritual character, the sound is an extension of Santeria and all the toques and songs dedicated to the saints or orishas of the Yoruba pantheon is partly for the intiates of the religion or for the believers to entertain themselves. One celebrates bembe for simple [parcimiento] or to celebrate the aniversary of the day in which a believer has been iniciated or made saint. This is what is called "cumpleanos de santo" as is the case in this recording.

[zaragemca]

The JC writing said that somobody in 1981 made the statement that Bembe was the name use for the drumming and festivity,or aniversary of being in the religion,etc.The point which is missing in there is that I already said that Santeria is not the name of that religion(that is an street-name),the same of calling them Lucumi(which have never being any race,or Tribe in Africa).An also I said and repeated now that I don't want to see any Spanish,or English,writing,I want to see in the Yorubas's resources of documentation were it reflect the word Bembe as something related to drum,or drumming.



Edited By zaragemca on 1080837389

[James M]

In Brasil, the basic name they give for the Religion is candomblé, but the various styles of worship they give as Ketu, Nagô, Batuque, Umbanda (although Umbanda is a mix of candomblé, european spiritualism, and native animism so not strictly candomblé) or Ponto de Umbanda, and there is a style on the Ilha de Itaparica that they call Ancestralidade because they praise ancestors more in the way of the African style.

In Cuba, I know that a particular set of drums are called Bembé and that the name has come to encompass alot more things than it originally did (which is the way of language), and I've also known Santeria to be called Regla de Ocha, which may be Spanish and Yoruba. I've seen that in Brazil, many that are made santo, even including Babalorixas, are very open about their practices and beliefs because they are various serious dispelling misconceptions.

http://www.yoruba.georgiasouthern.edu/



Edited By James M on 1080872115

[James M]

I should point out that Ketu and Nagô refer to nations whose practices dominate those styles. There are others, they slip my mind at the moment.