How to raise a Rumba

[Simon B]

Hello all.

A lot of people on this forum talk about rumbas being held on blocks of American cities now and in yesteryear. What exactly was/is the set-up of these? Is it just a few percussionists practising the different rumba patterns or is it a full-scale street event with singers and dancers too, as in Cuba?

The reason I ask is that I am setting up a jam session for local percussionists in my city - Sheffield, in the UK - to practice Rumba, Conga, Bomba, and other such folkloric Afro-Latin styles. None of us have any experience in playing these styles with more than two or three percussionists at once so I am interested in hearing what things are/can be like in the larger group situation. Any ideas as to exactly how we should proceed?

Simon B

[Raymond]

Either way...a RUMBA is just the percussionists or a more "organized" with singer and/or choruses... Is a very "ad lib" situation or jam session. Normally, from two to three congueros will "establish" the rumba "tumbao" and one does solo in the quinto or follows with timbalero or bongosero who are either doing their part in the tumbao or soloing. You could do all kinds of afrocuban patterns or beats like 6/8 or guaguancos or do puertorrican stuff like bomba or plena. Is everything you could think of....

Have you seen one or been in one?

The goal of this is to have fun...

Let us know how it goes...

[zaragemca]

You don't have to called Rumba,just a Drum-Circle,and see what it could develop in to.The larger group which could be ensembled with everybody performing differents patterns would be a Samba -Bateria.But without experience how do you know all timing-parameters for the patterns.



Edited By zaragemca on 1077228168

[RitmoBoricua]

You don't have to called Rumba,just a Drum-Circle,and see what it could develop in to.The larger group which could be ensembled with everybody performing differents patterns would be a Samba -Bateria.But without experience how do you know all timing-parameters for the patterns.

I agree, sometimes what are called "rumbas"and other time "bembes"may not have anything to do with actual "rumbas or bembes" more orless they are just "jams". They use "rumba" to convey a gathering of musicians, mainly percussionists. "Descarga" is another word that comes to mind and could be used for such gatherings.....Se Formo El Guateque! ???

[RitmoBoricua]

Either way...a RUMBA is just the percussionists or a more "organized" with singer and/or choruses... Is a very "ad lib" situation or jam session. Normally, from two to three congueros will "establish" the rumba "tumbao" and one does solo in the quinto or follows with timbalero or bongosero who are either doing their part in the tumbao or soloing. You could do all kinds of afrocuban patterns or beats like 6/8 or guaguancos or do puertorrican stuff like bomba or plena. Is everything you could think of....

Have you seen one or been in one?

The goal of this is to have fun...

Let us know how it goes...

I saw one "rumba" in the year 2000 in Halifax, Canada. I mean they had everything congas, timbales, djembes, bongos etc. I realized then and there the popularity of percussion instruments. That was the last thing I was expecting to see in a park in Halifax, Canada. Como diria el gran Chivirico Davila..A La Verdegue, A La Verdegue..Vuelve Otra Vez ! ???

[tamboricua]

Hi Congaforum,

Hope all is well! Rumba in it's more traditional form is compound of three essential elements; drumming, singing and dancing. If either is missing, is just a percussion jam.

Saludos,

Jorge Ginorio

[martin]

Hi Simon -you're welcome to come and play at our rumba in Cambridge every Sunday. We have players and singers, no dancers yet but we're working on it.. We play a variety of cuban rhythms. I think the most difficult part is finding good players who know the music or who seriously want to learn....we were lucky in that we found a singer, too..

martin

[Simon B]

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

[Simon B]

Just to add to the last post I didn't mean that to be a Latin American percussionist you have to be of Latin American ancestry: I count myself as one, although in comparison with many on this forum and world-wide, not particularly knowledgable or experienced!

Raymond - in answer to your question - from a distance I am partly acquainted with traditional rumba, in that I've listened to a fair amount of Cuban rumba groups on CD, talked to friends who have been to rumbas in Cuba, practised the patterns for a few years. Never actually SEEN one outside of photos (I know you can get videos on the web - what about DVDs?). Made a serious mistake not seeing Tata Guines lead a huge rumba tour last year in the UK. An Argentinian percussionist friend of mine went: he hung out back-stage with Tata and the crew for some time, got addresses and appeals that he visit them in Cuba.

Have jammed rumba patterns as well as various other styles with one or two other UK percussionists, sometimes in small public performances in cafes, etc, but just wondered what a 'rumba' could be like in the US? Just how many people are equipped to begin confidently start singing in what I understand is a mixture of Spanish and Yoruba and dancing these folkloric dances? Is it a case of large numbers of people gathering in streets or parks to hang and listen to wonderful guagancos or it largely a collection of percussion jams? In other words, can rumba be said to be partly a US street-level vernacular as well as a Cuban one?

Sorry for going on? Late-night Friday musings of an aspiring and inquisitive conguero!

Simon

[Johnny Conga]

One of my earliest memories of Rumba took place in the South Bronx back around 1966-67. Guys would gather in the local parks and bring out some drums get some beer and off we go. I was also part of the Summertime Rumba still being held inside Central Park on Sundays during the summer in front of the lake. Many a times I jammed for up to 9 straight hours in the park. There were all walks of life that would jam in CP. Blacks, Ricans,Jews,Italians, you name the ethnicity and it was there. And we all tried to sing and some danced and some got drunk and some had fights but it was the experience of it all. The other best place we threw Rumbas were in section One of Orchard Beach.(1960's) It was kind of a self imposed segregated beach then The Puerto Ricans had sections 1 thru 5- the blacks 5 thru 9, and the Italians 9 thru 13. that is how I remember it. So there were Rumbas all over NYCity when I was coming up. The last time I was there 5 years ago I couldn't BUY a Rumba, but I've also been out of touch and the younger generation has lost touch with it's own cultures.......JC JOHNNY CONGA...

[yoni]

Around those same years, late sixties, I would check out the rumba jams in Central Park, NYC. There seemed to be a jam behind every rock... and they were on fire. Often there were singers, horn players, dancers, but most were percussion jams. Everyone played different parts, all kinds of rhythms. Mostly I just stood there and gaped...

[Simon B]

Thanks for sharing those memories Yoni and JC; I would love to have been there. By the sound of it these jams are much rarer today in the US, yet perhaps more people in total play Latin percussion instruments?

Simon B

[yoni]

Hi Simon! Hope you're fine.

I haven't lived steadily in the States for over 20 years now, but saw very few park percussion jams on my last NY trip, summer, 2001. I think there's a sign in Washington Square Park (Greenwich Village) that reads "No Bongo Playing"!

It's still possible in Central Park, but maybe now folks have less time on their hands for marathon drum jams. Got to hustle to make it in that "big apple"! Too long of a cold winter there also - one main reason I moved here.

[Johnny Conga]

I found something in relationship to the word BEMBE. It is on the album Antologia de la Musica Afrocubana-Fiesta de Bembe-volume 6. This is in spanish so here goes

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... this was written in 1981, from Matanzas, Cuba. End of controversy?......JC JOHNNY CONGA... :;):

[Simon B]

Can you translate it please JC?

Simon B