Thomas Altmann wrote:somehow strange to communicate with you in English (not German), but that's the deal, period.
Sometimes it is horrible for me, but sometimes the English language leads me to rather inventive thoughts.
Thomas Altmann wrote:What Airto tried to say (and I agree) is that there are percussionists who incorporate congas, and then there are congueros, which requires a very special craft. [...] I can tell that's a different ballgame! My whole body balance adapted to this specialization.
I think I have an idea what you mean. There are players who beat the congas in order to produce sounds. And there is a different kind of player (conguero ?) who makes you feel him as a person (or even as if he is connected/anchored to something more truthful). In a TV documentation was said something similar regarding guitarists: Eric Clapton is a guitar player, Jimi Hendrix was something rather different.
In dependence to this I must think about a nice conversation with René Styber (who passed away meanwhile), a friend of Rainer Polak. Rainer is an ethnologist, who achieved to be accepted as member of professional jenbe-ensembles in Bamako, which is the capital city of Mali. I remember that Rene tried to make me understand, what sound-differences in drumming represent in cultural contexts where meanings of words depend on their spoken tone pitches. He told me that Rainer analyzed lots of records to find out about this. Therefore I bought Rainers book (translated from German: Celebration-Music as Job, Drumming As Profession - Jenbe-Player In A West-African Major City), but did not find this inside. The book is more about cultural developments and how to deliver a cultural anchored drumming-service (marriages etc.) in view of a younger generation, who drifts apart from traditions.
This is contradictory to what C.K. Ladzekpo (master drummer of the Anlo Ewe) wrote in his so-called Foundation Course in African Dance-Drumming:
In Anlo-Ewe cultural understanding, the technique of cross rhythm is a highly developed systematic interplay of varying rhythmic motions simulating the dynamics of contrasting moments or emotional stress phenomena likely to occur in actual human existence.
As a preventive prescription for extreme uneasiness of mind or self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with impending or anticipated problems, these simulated stress phenomena or cross-rhythmic figures are embodied in the art of dance-drumming as mind-nurturing exercises to modify the expression of the inherent potential of the human thought in meeting the challenges of life. The premise is that by rightly instituting the mind in coping with these simulated emotional stress phenomena, intrepidity is achieved.
Intrepidness, or resolute fearlessness, in Anlo-Ewe view, is an extraordinary strength of mind. It raises the mind above the troubles, disorders and emotions which the anticipation or sight of great perils is calculated to excite. It is by this strength that ordinary people become heroes, by maintaining themselves in a tranquil state of mind and preserving the free use of their reason under most surprising and terrible circumstances.
... and:
In the cultural understanding, the technique of polyrhythm simply asserts the highly unpredictable occurrences of obstacles in human life. They occur without a warning. It reinforces the need for the development of a strong and productive purpose built on a foundation of adequate preparation for life.
These real-life meanings of cross rhythmic techniques were repeatedly driven home to me as I grew up gradually in a traditional Anlo-Ewe community. In this community, dance drumming is an integral part of the life of everyone from the moment of birth. A training in dance drumming is an essential part of the larger comprehensive preparation of every child for a productive and fulfilled participation in adult life. In this community, artistic elements are not abstract phenomena. They assume real-life characters. A main beat scheme represents a strong purpose in life and a secondary beat scheme represents an obstacle. Tension created by the customary ordering of these characters conveys a number of ideas simultaneously.
As a child going through this normal routines of Anlo-Ewe upbringing, my lack of subtleties in performing new sophisticated rhythmic contrasts were frequently criticized as lack of a strong sense of purpose capable of regulating the dynamics of contrasting obstacles in life. Blocking off a beat scheme to ease the hostility between opposing beat schemes of unfamiliar rhythmic contrast was often severely punished as my avoidance of the real challenges of life. A rare guidance in the proper management of opposing beat schemes of a rhythmic contrast was usually in form of a large dose of philosophy such as: to solve a problem, you must convert obstacles into stepping stones.
During these formative years, organized community rehearsals were my greatest relief. On such rare occasions, the interactive totality of a dance drumming would be re-synthesized from scratch in a more relaxed practice environment. These rehearsals were customarily aimed at encouraging the development of a greater understanding of the structural components, their interrelationships and most importantly, their performance. For us the younger generation, these practice sessions were essential head start in our assimilation into the cultural tradition of the community.
Spirited aural demonstration, earnest imitation and assimilation were the norm of this exchange of idiom. An experienced elder would lead the community by extracting major component parts from the whole, aurally demonstrating how they sounded and fit together, and when appropriate, he would explain the meanings or ideas that they were intended to convey. The community would follow in earnest assimilation until a discernable confidence in their ability to perform was achieved.
During my professional career as a master drummer and scholar of African dance drumming with the Ghana National Dance Ensemble and the University of Ghana's Institute of African Studies, I have had the privilege of participating in several elaborate research and study residencies in many cultures across the sub-sahara. In these residencies of intense participation in dance drumming very much different from my own ethnic origin, I have had the rare opportunity of comparing my Anlo-Ewe experiences as remarkably similar with the shared concepts of these other sub-saharan cultures. The surface structures or sound-products among all these ethnic groups were indeed very diverse but the undercurrent principles demonstrated profound homogeneity.
The concept of perceiving artistic elements as real-life characters is the most visible characteristic of this sub-saharan cultural homogeneity. This attitude is also the premise for idiomatic discourse or verbal interchange of ideas. It is the single most important factor that integrates the dance drumming as well as its component elements with the everyday world as a functional coherent phenomenon.
What do I want to line with these quotations? Maybe that there is another level of communication, based on a shared feeling for the necessity of music/culture or whatever (beyond any tastfulness). Drumming as an educational basement for social togetherness. So, what makes me excited while being present at a musical performance?
When I am in a concert, I always try to find out about the relationships between the musicians. Do they enjoy being together? Are they curious about what will happen? Are they ready for their best concert ever - or do they just deliver a service? What are the preconditions for feelings of togetherness in our societies - provoked by music?
In the clips with Manolo Badrena I perceive that Joe Zawinul is very important as a kind of master of ceremony (MC). He is electrifying by being turned very intensively to every member of the band. It is his extreme curiousity for the acute moment´s possibilities. And this is why everybody is full of respect for and pemanently focused to him.
Thomas Altmann wrote:I wonder whether Manolo played the entire concert with Ahmad Jamal. I know Ahmad's work from around 1960 pretty well, and the trio with Vernell Fournier and Israel Crosby still is one of my favorite groups. But this band was all about SPACE, and I'm not sure whether an additional percussionist would serve the music well for this purpose.
I think I sense what you mean. But Manolo seems to be a permanent member of the Ahmed Jamal Quartet. However you might be right, when you feel that Manolo is a little bit dispensable.
Here is an example for an improvised session. Nene was asked by the drummer and the bassplayer to join them for a little session. They know each other because they have their exercise rooms in the same building in Hannover - Achim Seifert and Julian Kuelpmann play together in a jazz quartett. I think this is a very typical constellation: the percussionist is added. I like it very much, but when I watch the clip I have the imagination, that Nene is a little bit outside.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_T-_eyiDgYI hope it was not too much diffusivity
Regards
Oliver