To Gig or not to Gig! - Musical Genres

[onile]

Alafia Abures!
I hope that you are all well and in an abundance of blessings!
I am curious, how many of us on this forum actually get to play with Salsa or Latin bands all the time? I guess most of the cats in Puerto Rico, Florida and some of the heavily populated areas of Carribean/latin communities get to more so than others.

I'm out here in the desert of AZ, and most of the groups out here, with exception to a few, play top 40, some play cumbias, and the rest, well............you get the idea. I happen to play with a latin orchestra which does original material with some cover tunes. I do a lot of freelancing with duo, trio, and sometimes cuartet groups also.

Interestingly enough, the freelancing is more lucrative, meaning it pays more, and one must have a good base of the rhythms (cha cha cha, tumbao, bossa nova, samba, merengue, calypso, 6/8, etc.). Do many of you find yourselves doing these kind of gigs? Sometimes I find myself working with a guitar player with no sense of timing, and no intention of learning it. Tonight I actually have a gig, which I was just called for yesterday. I'll be working with a classical guitarist and a 90year old violinist! I can't wait to check this out!

We do have a few Salsa groups out here, but they are managed by some incredibly inept people!

What type of giggin' are my brothers doing out there?

Many blessings!
Onile!



Edited By onile on 1127509723

[caballoballo]

Vaya Onile and thanks for the blessings you alway have for us. Me,I play with a small guerrila of 10, 2 Trumpets, 1 Sax player who play Alto,Tenor and Baritone,the rythm section with the Piano player,Bass player,Conga,Bongó,Timbales and 2 singers. We play Salsa at the clubs and at private partys we play Salsa and Merengue. Most of the times we play every 2 weeks and sometimes twice during the weekend. Tonight we have to play at a SalSa club name El Palo 11 in Puerto Nuevo. Down here in the Island there are the big names like Sonora Ponceña,Willie Rosario, El gran Combo ect,they get to play at the big Bailes in the hotels where the people who do not go out much go to dance and the dance floor will be like a war zone where you get beat up and be with bruises the next day ,we,the small guerrillas,we play at the small clubs where the Bailadores go and there is where I like to play because I am a Dancer and mi gente will be there.
The Salsa music and Dance here at the Island is on fashion(specially classic or old style SalSa) everybody takes either private Salsa dance lessons or in some cities like Sanjuan and Carolina the goverment has a free program for everybody. This coming Saturday the National SalSa Dance Championship will be held in Carolina and la Orq de Don Perignon will be playing. So,there are many places to gig but you need to move from place to place offering your service and sometimes the club will ask for una audicion if they don't know the band.

[onile]

Chacho! Si suena que la competicion esta grande por ahi! What with those big named bands. I understand you and I too feel more comfortable with the smaller venues, it's more friendly, and your true fans show up to dance to the rythms you're laying down. I imagine that the entertainment there on the island is incredible, but difficult to get into huh?

I guess you really have to work at getting your group into a club! I know that out here, a group does have to have a demo CD/Tape, and will probably be asked to audition, unless you're playing somewhere where they can come and listen to you. I'm in the process of putting together a Charanga group, tengo dos violines, piano, bajo, flauta, conga y timbale, y estoy buscando un cantante. Tenemos que quedarnos compacto si es que queremos trabajar. The larger the group the less $, and the less $, the less musicians want to work for you!

Many blessings hermano!
Onile!



Edited By onile on 1127517812

[Diceman]

Nice thread Onile,

Being as I work in London, where there are many musicians competing for work, I tend to work with many bands and dep very often for other brothers. So I have learned Afro cuban and Brasilian percussion, this gives me more scope for work.
My main source is with the congas but I do get my brasilian toys out often. I play with a rock/funk band and both afro cuban and brasilian rhythms come in handy. I play regularly with a 10 piece latin band, a couple of latin jazz outfits (one of them my own) a 10 piece brasilian show band, a full on rock/funk five piece outfit, and a couple of trios and I have to admit that the smaller groups, where I am the only one 'who hits things with things' gives me more scope to be subtle and to mix it up, but you have to be very accurate and not miss a beat, whereas in bigger bands you can just groove. Both fun. Mainly function work (lucrative), but call me a percussion slut, I will play anywhere any time, I cannot help myself, I just love it.

Sabor
Diceman

[CongaTick]

Onile,

Great thread. Yep, I find myself in the same situation. Regular gigs with our 4 piece (guitar, bass, flute,congas) rock/blues/funk originals and some covers. Plus #2 in a duo. Though the city (Philly) has an active Latin scene, the groups are few and -- as pointed out, disorganized. Plus parking and load-ins in the city? Fuhgedaboutit. The burbs will never be San Juan. But that's okay for now. I am the Percussion Prostitute. I'll take any gig that pays. It's all good.

[GuruPimpi]

Hello!

Momentarily i'm playing with only one band, which i'm regular member (we play our own stuff which is everything from rock, funk, rock, reggae, latin, jazz things, Frank Zappa kind of thing... we are in love with music and we try to be free with that and try to learn music at its all colours...) others are similar like Congatick wrote, prostitute , mainly in hip hop, pop, rock, funk bands, occasionally i play with djs too, but not as much as i used too 2 years ago, when my music money was coming from house parties (i don't like killing my knuckles off till 8 am anymore + i ruining my technique because of a hard hitting...)

I have got some good name among producers so I'm recording all the time too.

Now i'm thinking of forming a band of musicians that i have met during these years and we got along great in music to make some jam sessions in the clubs with them. But not jam sessions like ''playing the jazz standard tunes in 1001 way''.

BTW, these week i was on two gigs; Flanger and Steve Vai.
You should check out the Flanger - crazy and very special musical computer loops + live act, waw.

Steve Vai - well, he's from other guitar planet, virtuoz of his instrument.

Groove on!

Primoz

[onile]

Alafia Abures! (greetings brothers!)
I guess we do have a tendency to become "gig whores" for the love of playing, and if this is our main money making activity :laugh:
I had mentioned that last night I had a gig with a guitarist and a violinist, let me tell you about something we all have from time-to-time when we do these type of gigs!

As I had said before, having a large array of rythms, one's name and ability to play gets shared with other musicians (sometimes, folks calling themselves musicians), so we get the call. There is no rehearsal, just get together call out the tune, and start playing.

Okay, so last night this same thing begins to happen, I'm playing with this guitarist who has a crate speaker with two mics (one for him and one for the violinist), we start to play and immediately I knew this would be the gig from Hades!

The violinist was a beautiful, and extremely talented 90 year old gentleman. I mean he knew exactly what he was doing and never waivered, the guitarist however.....couldn't stay on beat, didn't seem to be able to read the chart either for that matter, and spoke very loudly, almost rudely to the violinist. Here he at times showed a lack of respect for the gentleman musician who was a great sounding player. Well we somehow made it through the first set, playing bossa nova, swing, and even a tango or two. Right as we were ending the first set, the agent came up to us................................and yes, you know it, asked us not to continue! "There is a God!"

On occassion, when we take gigs, like I did last night, being the "gig whore" that I am, we run the risk of having these nightmarish things happen. All the rest of the gigs I wind up taking are with reputable, talented, and kind musicians who appreciate the music and the talent. This guy last night had been given my name by another percussionist, whom I will be talking to as soon as it gets a little later :angry:

Anyway, I'm glad you brothers have been sharing your experiences too!
Yo! Diceman, you seem to keep pretty busy with all those groups!:D
CongaTic, I can see playing with a cuartet like the one you are doing, leaves enough room to groove, and open up when called on to, excellent!
GuruPimpi, definitely take care of those hands, they're your money makers, but more importantly your "groove makers"!

Many blessings Gentlemen!

Onile



Edited By onile on 1127617299

[JohnnyConga]

Well then call me a "gig whore" hahahahahahahah, been whoreing for 40 years now,over 127 bands to date as a sideman. I play here in Seattle with Nueva Era-Afinque-Carlos Cascante and Tumbao-YerbaBuena-Sonando-Quimbara-Alma Villegas-Michael Schrieve(Santana)-Omar Torrez, Tor Dietrichson & Mambo Cadillac, and a variety of other bands from rock to Type A a 14 piece funk and soul band .www.typeaband.com...it was a good move for me to leave Miami....I'm loving it!....."JC" Johnny Conga....

[onile]

Oye JC!
Then you must know the transcriber I use, Barney Brazitis, Bass player for YerbaBuena!
Hey, what a small world! Give him a shout-out from me (Tony V) next time you see him!
When you're Hot, you're Hot! That's why you keep so busy my man!

Suave!
Onile!

[CongaTick]

I'm sure you all know my "percussion prostitute" term was meant only with the greatest respect for all of us who get paid regularly (or irregularly) for something with which we are obssessed. My dream would be to be as successfully skillful at being a "gig whore" as JC! Onile, I sympathize bro. I've been there, and it ain't no fun.

[onile]

Adupue CongaTick! (thank you!)

Bro, let me tell you I died a slow death! Try and try as I did, to lay down the time, the guitarist just wasn't having any of it, he couldn't even lock down the melody! Chacho! it was a nightmare! But being ever the consumate professional, I backed him up till I saw the agent approaching. I got this big shit eating grin on my face, so'as to say "please help me" "stick a fork in me, I'm done" I felt like the fricken "Fly"...."help me....pleeeease help.....me":D

Oh well, I guess we all must pay our dues!

Many blessings CongaTic CT!

Onile!



Edited By onile on 1127617535

[ABAKUA]

I am currently working mainly with 5 bands on a frequent basis.

My main band consists of 2 seperate bands. (muso's added or changed depending on band)

One band ("Armandito y Su Mecanica") play's original Cuban Timba as arranged by our band leader Armandito Garcia from Santiago de Cuba, formerly from Sonora de la Calle and also 'Lady Salsa', international showcase.
I play a 3 tumbadoras set up in this 8 -10 piece band (members pend on gig budget)

With this band, we also have an Auditorium type show called Noche Cubana, it features the band, 8 dancers and an MC who narrates the history, story and tales of famous legendary cuban musicians and the tales of the how the genres were created and by who, its great. Basically the history of Cuban music, here I play 3 conga set up.

In the other band (same line up as Armandito y Su Mecanica but with extra musicians (13 in total) we play original tunes which vary in genre from Timba/Funk/Hip Hop/Reggae etc.
In this band ("Son Veneno") I play 2 tumbadoras set up, tambourine, shakers, chekere, bells, bata, cajon and other assorted intruments pending on what is required in each tune.
With this group we have just finished recording our album, 17 original tracks, its in the process of getting mixed and mastered at the moment, we have some serious promotion happening behind the scenes and the investors/promoters are looking at getting it moving real soon, so keep your ears open!

Another ensemble (20+ musicians) I work with plays a fusion of traditional Andean music, Mexican, and Cuban popular music. With this group (SONIDO), depending on what is required in the tune, I play 4 tumbadoras set up, bongo, bata, shakers, rainsticks, bells, cajon, bombo andino etc.

Another group I work with is a 5-6 piece Latin Jazz group ("Latin Jazz Baby") here I play 3-4 tumbadoras set up.

Other than that I freelance with several other salsa/latin groups, funk, reggae, acid jazz ensembles where I will mainly play tumbadoras/bongo and other assorted hand percussion instruments

Here's some promo pics from a show we did earlier in the year with the 'Noche Cubana' project:






And lastly below is a pic taken from recent tour we had, we travelled all expenses paid to Vanuatu, a small tropical island in the south pacific ocean. We had 1 gig there for some rich people who flew all their friends, family and band and production to this place, it was awesome. The gig was on a deserted island about 20min by boat away fromt he mainland.. absoloute paradise. The pic was taken during a rumba we had on the beach. I was on quinto..

Attachment: http://mycongaplace.com/forum/eng/uploa ... o_1936.jpg

[GuruPimpi]

Onile!

I can feel your ''musical dying'' with a help of guitar player. Even I was dying couple of times in similar way.

Many times i had jam sessions or gigs with a musicians without practicing first, luckily most of times succesful, cause we all followed the music and not our egos. Good and short talk before the show about playing before the gig can make one #### of a excursion on stage (team bulding in sort of speak, and you can also make some rules...)
The guitar players have in my experience the biggest egos in a band (especially instrumental bands), cause they cut out with middle tones and human ears hear them most. I also discovered that many guitar players think that their timing is great, but many times they were wrong and busy with their fast fret masturbating. Sometimes all i say to them before the show is: Listen to the band and follow the groove and we'll be flying up in the sky!

Guys, what are your experiences with certain instrument players?
I also found out that some drummers who are not used to playin with percussionists start to play more (especially when hand drummer's around), like they are trying to beat hand drummer and not to make groove better! Egotrippin' in the worst way!

Usually i laid back (if money's good) and play simple things and discuss about that during the practise or I stay at home and practice for other bands, next time they call me .

Band with a good heart (drum section) can be WAW even with a average guitarist, but band with a bad heart cannot be WAW even if the guitarist is Guitar God... as it was similar put by the ? drummer.

Groove on,

Primozz

[windhorse]

And lastly below is a pic taken from recent tour we had, we travelled all expenses paid to Vanuatu, a small tropical island in the south pacific ocean. We had 1 gig there for some rich people who flew all their friends, family and band and production to this place, it was awesome. The gig was on a deserted island about 20min by boat away fromt he mainland.. absoloute paradise. The pic was taken during a rumba we had on the beach. I was on quinto..

Abakua,, that is just completely awesome!!
Everyone deserves at least a small slice of paradise!
Great pictures! Looks like big fun!
Dave

[onile]

Alafia Abures!
May you all be well and in an abundance of blessings!
GuruPimpi! you and I are seeing eye to eye on this one, in other words we've had similar experiences with some guitarists and "their fast fret masturbating", I just hope that we don't have this happen too many times in a playing season!

Abakua! Awesom pics is right, especially the one of you "repicando el quinto"! Dude you have some great action pics! Keep posting them, they're motivational!
I really think sharing our "giggin" experiences is somewhat therapeutical, at least I like reading about my brothers from another mother and their experiences out there!

Much Love, Respect and Peace!

Onile!



Edited By onile on 1127662492