CongaBoard Rumba and BBQ in San Francisco!!!

[taikonoatama]

Just moving this to the top of the list in case anyone who might want to come hasn't seen it.

James

[bongosnotbombs]

Whooo hoooo, gonna be a lot of noise in Oak-town this weekend!

I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing some really cool drums.

Hey, I'll even help with the carrying as I am not bringing any of my own, don't feel like hauling them on the Bart!

[blango]

I'll be there with my 'el chino' cedar tubs, looking forward to it!

Tony

[bongosnotbombs]

Hey Blango,
that old cuban conga was great, thanks for letting me play it. I
can't play it anywhere near as well as you. You really sounded good, nice meeting you!

[medorian]

Man, I missed out on the get-together!! I really wanted to go but had last minute family commitments. So, how did it go, guys?

Also, I really wanted to meet you Blango, since you are in the Napa area. I'm new to conga and am starving for input.

Hope it was as fun as I imagined...

[windhorse]

James, thanks for arranging this for everyone and being a great host!
Talo, Tony, Giordi, Lisa, et al, (sorry, I can't remember everyone's names, but I think there were 6 of us from Congaplace)
Great meeting all you folks and sharing our love - "Geeking out" as James mentioned once. :;):
The Rumba at La Pena afterwards was pretty special as well!
Flaco, aka Chris Walker, introduced me to Pealie who helps with making Isla drums. He had a prototype of their Bata that they are making out of the same aircraft aluminum hardware, and canoo wood that they are using on their congas. They are AWESOME! When I buy a set of Bata, I plan to get the Islas!
After the La Pena Rumba, James and I weren't done! We went down to the wharf here in Berkely to play one last time for the day, then we watched an obscure Rumba video in Matanzas that James had stashed!
What a great day!?!?
I'm going to stay here one more day, probably go into San Fran for the day and roam around.
If anyone's into tapping a drum together tonight, let me know!
Dave



Edited By windhorse on 1184601064

[taikonoatama]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for coming out! It was good to put some faces with some online names, check out some great drums, and lay down some real nice grooves (Guaguanco, Columbia, Palo, Bembe, Comparsa, Mozambique, Iyesa, Abakua, Bomba, etc.). We talked about doing a drum-circle groove in honor of CB member congamyk, but never got around to it, and we didn't have any djembes besides.

There was only one crazy homeless lady! So that was good, too.

Nothing like playing congas and/or talking about congas/drumming for 4 hours. Three of us are going up to Humboldt next week for the Cuban Drum and Dance workshops for the week. We're all really looking forward to that.

It was a nice spot, too, under a couple of big oak trees, with a bbq right there - sorry about the rubber fish, David!

Afterwards a lot of us went over to La Pena (a great latino arts center in Berkeley) to check out the heavyweights laying it down at the bi-monthy rumba: Yaya Maldonado, Trevino Leon, Pili, Chris "Flaco" Walker, Javier Navarrete, etc. - Sandy Perez was supposed to be there but couldn't make it. We are truly blessed in the San Francisco Bay Area to have such a talented group of percussionists living here.

As for drums, David (windhorse) brought a real sweet set of 3 mahogany Sols out from Colorado, Tony (blango) brought a cedar "Chino" that he recently got from Florida and renovated - fantastic drum! - and an old oak GB quinto, and I brought my King Congas, my old former-tackhead yellow drum with the funky hardware, and a 50s Havana quinto that I renovated. It was real nice for all of us to play some great drums you don't see every day.

My camera decided not to work, so no pics from me, sorry.

Until next time ...

Keep hitting those drums!

~james



Edited By taikonoatama on 1184605327

[blango]

Yea, that was fun!

Bombs, thanks for the kind words about the tub and the hands :;):

Windhorse, tks for the pint!

James, what a fine job on the old Requena! Wow, thats a cool tub. thanks for putting the bbq together.

Please let the board know what you think of the skins, if you will.

It was great to see Cecil at the BBQ, he's a heavy who got his chops in Spral Plaza in Berkeley in the 70's.

Back then, I was the white kid sitting and quietly being inspired by cats like Cecil and Butch (another heavy that was at La Pena) every Sunday in the Plaza, back in those days.

Yea the rumba al La Pena was fun. After, Trevino the graceful, Pili the chop master, Damian the chosen one, Afsheen the cross culturalist, a couple of Cuban cats and i went to Trevino's place to play. We played bembe till late.

I got a chance to play Pili and Mario's set of Canoe Bata! What a dang cool set.

Someone up at the humbolt workshops will end up with this set. They will be bringing it up to sell. Some lucky person is going to score.

Arnt we lucky to be in the bay area! This is a typical Sunday for me, and i feel blessed.

Tony



Edited By blango on 1184606971

[bongosnotbombs]

I'm going to stay here one more day, probably go into San Fran for the day and roam around.
If anyone's into tapping a drum together tonight, let me know!
Dave

hey Dave,
give me a PM and I can meet you later tonight, I live in Haight Ashbury, you could check out the drums there or whatever, but I'll buy you a burrito or a drink or both if you can make it.

[windhorse]

Cool Giordi,, I'll see you tonight!
Tony, I might nab the bata if they're priced nicely.. I heard a bit of the Iya, and Chris let me play it a bit... It's freaking outstanding!
Headed up to Eukia tomorrow!
Dave

[blango]

Dave,

You may want to ask Flaco as soon as you get there. They might go quick.

I just caled Pili and left a vm to see how much they want.

Man, that is a nice set. Isla usually prices under the other high end manuf. , so i dont imagine them being too expensive.

All their drums are very nice sounding, which is mostly what matters to me, but i think their Bata are out of this world.

That Canoe wood is great for this use, and i believe its more stable.

Tony

[109-1176549166]

Windhorse (Dave),

First of all, belated welcome to our beautiful San Francisco Bay Area, one of the most beautiful cities in the world!

I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to meet an out-of-towner CongaBoard member, such as yourself. Hopefully, next time. Or, perhaps, if I happen to visit Colorado again. (My brother-in-law [my wife's older brother], his wife and one of his married sons live in Colorado Springs. My family and I visited Denver and Colorado Springs in 2003 to attend the wedding of my brother-in-law's eldest son.)

I have a strong gut feel that the Isla Bata will be priced reasonably and you'll end up being another proud owner of an Isla drum. From what I've known so far about Mario Punchard of Isla, he will never allow any overpricing on his products. It's simply bad business practice, especially in the long run, and will just jeopardize his already fast-growing good reputation not only in the U.S. but also worldwide.

Enjoy the rest of your stay! And best of luck to you re: the Isla Bata!



Edited By mjtuazon on 1184614814

[congamyk]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for coming out! It was good to put some faces with some online names, check out some great drums, and lay down some real nice grooves (Guaguanco, Columbia, Palo, Bembe, Comparsa, Mozambique, Iyesa, Abakua, Bomba, etc.). We talked about doing a drum-circle groove in honor of CB member congamyk, but never got around to it, and we didn't have any djembes besides.

:D :laugh: :laugh:

Didn't anyone get photos?
Man I wish I could have been there!

When is the next one? JC you gotta come down!

[Whopbamboom]

Does anybody have pictures???

[109-1176549166]

Hear, hear!!!