Galveston Beach Fstival

[ABAKUA]

Abakua, you are makin a whole lot of sense out there and I have heard your sound first hand, respect!

Thanks dude. Glad you liked it.

[zaragemca]

Greeting,first of all I going to point out,that I'm going to answer only to forum members which come with specific subject,not to 'ramblers,' to SteadyFreddy,( among my african percussion students,there was one Nana,from Ghana,three from South Africa, five, from Nigeria, two from India), plus I've played with Nigerian,Senegal,Guinean Ensembles and Ethiopian Bands.And there is a large community of african people here in Houston.... to David,.. I already asked two questions to you, come with the answer, or recognize that you don't know that much about Arara culture,without counting that you already scruted it by not knowing from where the 'Fon', name come from..To Berimbou,this type of maps where the one used over and over before the intervention and subdivision of Africa. And it is Not all Africa,but it showed the specific area which I already know was covered by the Guinean Empire.Dr Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1120068570

[davidpenalosa]

Dear Dr. Zaragemca ("Master Percussionist from Cuba, and an authority in Afrocuban Music-Percussion,and Yorubas Culture","Pioneer within the Afro, and Caribbean Percussion", "incorporator of the Djembe for soloing into guaguanco, Rumba and Yoruba Patterns, syncronizer of 4 different Bell's patterns in to Samba, creator of a drumming pattern for Samba, which is played by holding three different time-signatures,5/4-6/8-4/4, introduction of the Congas and Djembe in to Ethiopian Music," King of the Kongos, Oba of Nada and Drum Circle Leader), :O

You funny! You have a bizarre mix of facts and falsehoods. Did you think you could log onto the world-wide-web, talk nonsense and not get called to task? I used to have to refer to my books for reference, but now anyone can "Google" any of these topics and get hundreds, if not thousands of hits. It’s so easy to do fact-checking on-line.

To everyone else: I recommend a cool French CD called "Benin; Rythmes et chants pour vodun" (VDE CD 612, 1990). It has some great recordings of Fon and Nago-Yoruba drumming. The CD has good liner notes. Here’s an excerpt in regards to the origins of the Fon in Benin: "The area occupied by the Fon corresponds to the former kingdom of Dahomey. According to oral tradition, their founding fathers originated from Adja Land near Tado on the Togolese border." It goes on to explain how the Fon belong to the Kwa-Ewe linguistic group and live in cultural symbiosis with other ethnic groups such as the Yoruba. This is the standard type of explanation one comes across in other sources. I did a "Google" search with "Fon, Ewe, Arara" and got 467 hits, so there are many sources out there for anyone interested in this topic. The best on-line source I know for Ewe music is C. K. Ladzekpo’s site:
http://www.cnmat.berkeley.edu/~ladzekpo ... lesFr.html

Dr. Dave
:;):

[Berimbau]

For what it's worth I have a degree in ethnomusicology and have studied cultural anthropology at several major universities. I am also the author of a number of scholarly books and articles, and I DO NOT have a Phd. Not even Honoris Causa! So I make FEW claims regarding my own "errudition." But I DO find some of the more eccentric viewpoints and egotistical claims being made in this forum to be both counterproductive and quite tiresome. If we are to learn anything from each other, let us please check our egos at the door and come up with some REAL information, and not so much of the vague gobbligook that only the most unlettered would forward. Now that being said do please note that I have mentioned NO NAMES WHATSOEVER in this post, and I would also appreciate NO INDIVIDUAL'S RESPONSE WHATSOEVER to this post. Instead let us ALL work together to keep this forum FACTUAL and FRIENDLY!! I sincerely thank EVERYONE for your time and efforts, and look forward to a trully positive learning experience!!!



Saludos,



Berimbau

[zaragemca]

Greeting David,thanks for this presentation,( pointing out that what it said had been witnessed by thousands of people already)...But still the google search is not helping you to answer my questions,and to 'keep my standart', I only debate subjects,I could not debate anybody skills as musician untill I observed the performance.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1120080404

[JohnnyConga]

Hello Zara...we have a problem....it seems that your posts are not finding "good ears", that your posts are not quite understandble to everyone, and are creating "friction" with the members. Nobody knows the "whole truth" of anything and everything regarding the drum and it's history. with all due respect to you and your experience, you don't either. I would hesitate to call myself a "Dr." especially without "credentials" despite your so called lengthy history...I am 57 years old and have playing as a "pro" since I was 15 in New York City ...shouldn't I be a Doctor too?....Now your facts "as you see them" tend to differ from the "masses" here at Congaboard. I would recommend to you at this time to take a 'back seat" and just listen for a change, may be you can learn something too....en paz....tu socio ..."JC" Johnny Conga....

[zaragemca]

Greeting brother JC,I was in the process to inform you the experience and knowledge which I have the opportunity to have since I was growing up in Cuba,when other members of the forum switched to the subject of the root of Arara-Culture,It is my experience that in the forums,'AlWAYS ARE GOOD EARS',for every response there a lot of people which are just listening and learning,in any forum always there are debates,( which could be done without getting in childish stuff,and be honest in relation to the limitation of knowlege to an specific subject, 'in this case it is a historic one'. for which I point out the true,as it was conveyed to me when I was researching this ancestry with the people with really knows the decendants of this cultures...There are a lot of people in the entertainment and intellectual business calling themselves many names,I don't debate about how anybody is called,I only debate about specific subjects,or skills,(after observing somebody performing)..If somebody really have knowledge of the subject,it is going to show regardless.The big benefit are for those getting in to percussion which are always learning something which they didn't know before,and the 'Pro' which have been in percussion-drumming for sometime,conducting ourselves with seriousness and professionalism, there are other forums doing it and we could do it also.Dr. Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1120233043

[steady freddy]

Hello Zara,
I think no doubt you have certain knowledge but like you said yourself, performing is also an important part of showcasing and expressing that knowledge. So you can imagine that a lot of congueros out there would like to hear some of your recordings and/or see some footage from someone like yourself who has almost almost 40 years of playing experience. And I do agree with JC with his view on the "whole truth", you can only know and assume so much in this lifetime there for you also have to listen when you want to learn some of the truth!

Peace and Happy Drumming

[zaragemca]

Greeting Steady fready,I have never refused to listen anybody bringing a subject,for which it might have knowledge,yes there could be a lot of percussionists which might want to see me playing,the same way that there thousands of people and percussionists which had already observed me,as I said to JC,my percussion bags where I have a collection of videos,pictures,advertisement,business card,periodicals,ID's,etc.,have been ,(purposely stolen from me twice,I reported, went to F.B.I.,etc.etc.,notbody have done anything about it,(which I don't think is a coincidence anyway)..I cann't go around the U.S., playing for free so the people could see me playing,but I'm active still playing around,and teaching.Dr.Zaragemca



Edited By zaragemca on 1120340601