Posted:
Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:35 pmby caballoballo
I think we should discuss this matter. It is a topic started by Dr Z in the miscellanea part of the forum & some people just jumped on him.
I would like to know why are you people so hostile to Dr Z ? Even though nobody ask about the topic he posted, you people wrote in general as if every member of the forum was a experience musician. What about the newbies ? They may not know what to take into consideration while buying a set of congas,Bongos or Timbales. Some people hate when other have more experience or knowledge. To me knowledge is the most important thing to share. I have read many of Dr Z topics & found them useful. Why is this happening ?
Posted:
Wed Nov 28, 2007 9:30 pmby zaragenca
There is an story in Cuba which all the elderly know by memory..'There was this high tree with had great coconuts,but the tree was pretty high and some people could not reach the top to get the coconuts,so the one which could not reach high,... have nothing else to do that throw stones to see if the coconuts fall down to get it.Dr. Zaragemca
Posted:
Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:00 amby OLSONGO
Z....all you have to do is shake the tree and the ripe ones will fall down. That really doesn't have much to say about the Cuban people.
Paz Olsongo
Posted:
Thu Nov 29, 2007 12:21 amby TONE74
Olsongo maybe you should leave nationality out of this conversation. It will start something worst than what is already happening here. Not that I would be offended by what you have to say but just to keep it civilized. You live down in Florida so maybe the coconut trees down there are not as strong as the ones in Cuba. If you ever shook a coconut tree you would know that the coconuts won't fall unless they are really ( and I mean really ) past their prime and not useful anyway.
Posted:
Thu Nov 29, 2007 4:53 pmby JohnnyConga
Can we please stop getting "personal" here?...Zaragemca has his problems in communicating and see's the world his way, that's all . . .in other words u can agree to disagree, but let's not get personal,ok? Johnny Conga. . .
Posted:
Thu Nov 29, 2007 5:36 pmby CongaTick
Here, here, JC. Let's drop it.
Posted:
Thu Nov 29, 2007 7:32 pmby OLSONGO
Read between the lines, nothing to offend anyone.
Paz Olsongo
Posted:
Fri Nov 30, 2007 3:08 pmby Raymond
I don't have a problem with Dr. Z.
If I may, and with all respect to Dr Z., is the way he expresses himself. Too absolute, too "out in left field" and that is perceived as pretentious by some.
He has provided great information in this forum and I bet he has the knowledge, at least I give him the benefit of the doubt.
Like JC says, let not get personal. As mature human beings we are suppose to give him the courtesy to respect his positon or his comment and go on....
That's my five cents!
Saludos!
Posted:
Fri Nov 30, 2007 5:55 pmby OLSONGO
I don't have a problem with Z , I just think that he at times gets a bit ethnocentric and that rubs some folks the wrong way. And some other forum members accuse him of not backing up substantially his rhetoric.
Paz Olsongo
Posted:
Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:17 pmby zaragenca
For musicians the drummers/percussionists which don't know me, or from where I got my knowledge...This is why I'm considered Master Percussionist from my students and the people which had worked with me.I was born and raised in a rumberos-house in the neighborhood of 'Los Sitios' which have fame all over Cuba for his percussionist,(conga players and Bata players), I couldn't affort a drum,so I was into hand percussion,untill around 11 years old,but I did start with my ancestors the learning of African-Drumming-Patterns, Yoruba,Arara,Bantu,etc.,and learning from the weekly Rumba jamming of the top rumberos of the neighborhood,(some of them comming from others neighborhood to compete).Also close observasion of the percussion riffs of the yearly Carnival,(where differents percussionist would come every year with percusion patterns to outgrow the other competitors).Then in school I get in to drumming,and by late 60's get in to Rock and Jazz,(which was prohibited at that time in Cuba),but I kept defending the right to play that music,that situation and not joining the communist party,ultimately brought me to the U.S.,..At one point I was playing with the E.N.A. group,(Nacional School of Arts) in Cuba..... In the U.S. after I came to Houston I started getting called by mexicans bands,so I have played with around five mexican bands,(two of them show-bands where I have to play everything,Conga,Timbales,and DrumSet).. I also played with the top Vallenato-Orquesta at that time in Houston,(Colombian Music),and was able to share the stage with the best colombian bands comming to Houston at that time,Grupo Niche,Fruco y sus Tesos,Los Graduados,Los Corraleros de Majagual,Pipe Pimienta,Los Colombinos, later from Honduras,(Central America),Silver Star,Los Rolands,Banda Blanca,(around that time I started getting requested to teach).The business of music and curiosity took me to traveling to other States,( I did work for three record labels,G.P. Records,Ramex Records,and Balboa Records which was the production Label of 'Ariola' en Mexico.Then in California I did work for Universal Studios,(where I did learn a lot in relation to film Industry and promotion).Back in Houston,I started playing with la Sonora Santa Ana,(and sharing the stage with the top bands from El Salvador,(in The Carnavales de San Miguels),with was a yearly celebration.From there in to Salsa-Cumbia-Merengue band,(in 1998 I started my teaching of African,Afrocuban,and Brazilian percussion .Also I was part of the Core-Band, of the Red Cat Jazz Cafe,( playing all type of jazz in the open jam every Tuesday around 6 years)...From there I got called from an Austin band to play at the Bob Marley's Festival,( I did played two festivals with that Band),Then I have the opportunity to play with top Djembe players and Ensembles from,Ghana,Senegal,Guinea,South Africa, and Ethiopian Bands.(several of the african players becoming my percussion students).Again playing at Bob Marley's Festival,(This time with Dr. King Cobra Band), we were playing,.Reggae,Calipso,Socka,Afro-Jazz,and Afro-Pop...At this point I started teaching advanced percussion structure,multy-Percussion Patterns,and writing articles about Percussion,(The foundation of Drumming),(Classification of an Advanced drummer),(Zaragemca brief on Jazz),(Zaragemca's bongos,congas,Timbales and bata),(Development of Afrocuban Instruments),(Origing of 6/8 Time Signature),and other which are available in the internet.There was an audition for percussionists,(around 20's percussionists,the number 1,2,3, players of that audition were all Djembe players from my training).Started performing with my Drumming Ensemble,at Clubs,Universities,Festivals,Private parties, Corporate Events, and Clinics for Guitar Centers store..I had the opportunity to be invited for performing at a Buddhist Temple with Table,Darbukas,and Djembe. The notice of my Samba-Bateria brought a group of people from Brazil which were thrilled,(becouse I had incorporated few 'cookies' to play the Samba which were news),so they took a lot of pictures and a video which is somewhere around Brazil.Also I'm the first cuban to use the Djembe as a lead instrument for Guaguanco-Rumba, and introduced it into the Ethiopian Music,( have played congas too).The mayority of my students are caucasian,but I had also,africans,cubans,puertorican,colombian,mexican s,british,canadian,indian,brazilian,afro-american,costarican,venezuelan,etc.I'm actually playing with a Fusion-Reggae Band,teaching,and doing consultation.I recetly did a unique show with a mexican/painter, (which is a known Muralist-Painter), another mexican/percussionist,( specialist in Azteca-Percussion), a guy from Bolivia playing Zampona,and Quena,(from Inca-Culture),and I was doing Drum-Set,Vibra-Slap,Wind Chimes,Rattles,Rain-Fores,China-Gons,Bongos,etc.This is the first time that this have been done,putted together like this.(It was sponsored by M.E.C.A.),a mexican cultural school here in Houston,.. I have participate in a World Communion Recital which was sponsored by Christ First Community Church in Sugarland..also participated in a Symphonic Recital with two piano players,(for the graduation event), in Sugarland Country Club. I'm already recognized a world's known authority in Afrocuban Percussion and Music with articles which are taken as reference in this subject..And still jamming with an Reggae/Fusion Band Jazz and conducting my Clinics/Teaching, and writingDr. Zaragemca
___
International Club of Percussionists
Posted:
Sat Dec 01, 2007 5:00 pmby JohnnyConga
Hello Zaragemca could u please download a video of you playing so we can see your expertise at work?. . ."words are words, but action is action!".....we are very curious as to your playing abilities and would like to see them. . .Gracias. . .Johnny Conga....
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