Francisco Aguabella passed away this morning

[davidpenalosa]

Maestro Aguabella passed away this morning at 6:15am local time

[JohnnyConga]

We have lost another "Godfather of the Drum!"...we only have Armando and Candido left ...RIP Fransisco..."JC" Johnny Conga

[bongosnotbombs]

Truly sad news. Francisco was a fantastic artist and a wonderful person.

[OLSONGO]

Very sad news indeed , rumba tonight in heaven...if it rains in your area , it's to cleanse your soul.
Se fue uno de los duros. RIP Francisco.

Amen
Olsongo

[niallgregory]

RIP Francisco .

[KING CONGA]

I just heard the news, it's a sad day indeed. Francisco was a regular at Steamers in the City of Fullerton. Tomorrow night they are having a tribute for him. I regret being a local and not having taken the time to go and see him, my loss.
R.I.P. Mr Aguabella.

Drummer/percussionist Francisco Aguabella emmigrated to New York City from his native Matanzas, Cuba -- where African music was a tradition -- in 1957. He follows a long line of Cuban drummers who made their mark in America: Chano Pozo, Patato Valdez, Candido, and Mongo Santamaria. Aguabella's music fuses traditional African and Latin rhythms with smooth jazz/soul for an electrifying sound.

His proficiency on the Bata (talking drums of Yoruba origin) made him a wanted man. He first worked with Dizzy Gillespie, then Peggy Lee, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Weather Report, Cal Tjader, Frank Sinatra, Louie Bellson, Walfredo De Los Reyes, Nancy Wilson, Lalo Schiffrin, Machito, and Carlos Santana. He was an original member of Malo, which included George Santana; Malo had three LP releases and crisscrossed the States before disbanding.

The Cubop label (which is also an apt description of Aguabella's music) is reissuing some of his early recordings on CD. The legendary drummer has participated in movie soundtracks and television scores. Producer Les Blank chronicled Aguabella's career in the documentary Sworn to the Drum. He also received a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment of the Arts. He's a visiting professor in U.C.L.A.'s Department of Ethnomusicology, where he teaches a basic and an advanced course in Afro-Cuban music. The Los Angeles resident performs along the West Coast with his group, Francisco Aguabella's Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Here he is Playing his favorite Congas, Skin on Skins.

[davidpenalosa]

I had the honor of playing with Francisco in recent years at the annual Afro-Cuban dance and drum workshop at Humboldt State. Francisco had a reputation as a tough customer, but at the workshop he was a sweetheart and very easy to play with. He showed up early and left late at every party I attended. One night he broke out some mean bonkó. He came from another era, when rumba was played on boxes, the dockworkers were Abakuá and musical knowledge was secret.
-David

Francisco Aguabella, Lazaro Galarraga, me

26438_101109003261094_100000859855888_28709_7133503_s.jpg (5.08 KiB) Viewed 6853 times

John Santos, me, Francisco Aguabella, Joe, Barroso

24183_101278843244110_100000859855888_33206_8168473_s.jpg (6.32 KiB) Viewed 6850 times

(This is my first posting of pics. Sorry about them being so small. I don't quite have the hang of it yet)

[jorge]

This is a big loss. Francisco Aguabella was one of the great Afrocuban percussionists, nearly the last of his generation. I got to know him a little 2 years ago at the Humboldt Afrocuban workshop. He would come to the rumbas every night. When he played, he had a presence like no other drummer I have ever witnessed. He would sit down and play caja in a bembe and all of a sudden there was no other force in the room, he totally dominated the song. It was like Chango was there. The other drummers would lock in to their parts tighter than before. Everything he played had a logic you could follow and the dancers had to dance it right, it was like they could do no wrong steps. He played caja with one stick and that stick was on fire.

He did not play that hard but he got more sound and energy out of the drum than anyone else I have seen. One night he was playing quinto and it was about 85 degrees inside the house, he had a black leather jacket on. Everyone else was playing hard and sweating, you could hardly hear the singer. When Francisco sat down the rumba got cleaner but not softer. His quinto slaps were so loud and clear they hurt my ears. Even so, I noticed that all of a sudden you could hear the singer. He was placing his quinto licks just right, in between the singer's phrases, with only a minimal ride while the singer was singing. He stayed on the quinto for about 20 minutes. After that song he got up and said to me "hace calor", but he wasn't sweating. He still had his black leather jacket on.

Other than playing clave at the rumbas, I only got to play with him once. At the rumba on the beach that week, we had a nice guaguanco going, I was playing quinto, and Francisco came over and started to sing the Tio Ton song "Camina a trabajar" (Caballero que mujer), Susana Arenas was singing coro and Freila Merencio was dancing with Rey Gonzalez. I had never heard Francisco sing before, he had a really high voice that cut through the drums effortlessly. Although I was playing to the dancers, I was trying to give him space to sing between my quinto riffs, like I had seen him do. I think he could have made his voice heard even if I hadn't. That was an experience I will never forget. Afterward I thanked him and told him what an honor it was for me to play in a rumba with him, he just laughed.

Francisco told me he didn't smoke or drink. At that time he was 81 and was by far the strongest drummer at Humboldt. Sandy Perez, Mike Spiro, Jesus Diaz, John Santos, Colin Douglas, Chris Walker, and Rogelio Kindelan "Ñoño", the other instructors, were all great drummers, but Francisco had a strength and presence in his playing that nobody could touch. Although he was physically strong, the strength of his playing was more from his deep knowledge of the music, and his technique, timing, phrasing, and personal energy, not from his muscle strength or physical effort. He was totally dedicated to the drum, and told me the day he stops playing will be the day he dies. Sadly, that day finally came yesterday. Francisco Aguabella, RIP. Que en paz descanse. Ibae bayen tonu.

[Congadelica]

What a sad loss . my thought s and heart felt feeling to his friends and family .

M

[windhorse]

Many great tributes that you guys posted.
I think it was three years ago, maybe four, when Francisco was called to the front by Howie announcing the line-up for that year's instructors. He skipped quickly down the stairs like a playful kid in bright white shoes and hat - as an octogenarian. Like Jorge said, he played Bembe caja like no other! It was always monstrous,, but also undeniably perfect. He chose perfect age-old tried and true spots that when played would make you feel a connection to the ancestors who passed along this priceless music.

The time I remember playing with him was my first visit to the camp at a party at Howie's house. He wanted to sing something and looked around for someone to play the clave, and in the middle of a rumba, with Johnny, Jesus, and Sandy playing the drums, suddenly I've got the clave in my hands.. OMG! I knew if I screwed up I'd have my arms torn off by the old codger,, but I puckered up, dug in, and made it happen. My hands were sweating so much that I chocked up on the clave until there was only about an inch left beyond my hands to play..
Whoof! I felt like I climbed mt. Everest without Oxygen and lived..

That man was awesome. RIP Mr. Aguabella

[maSSivdrums]

Aloha,

I had the pleasure of meeting this Giant of a Rumbero at the 2006 NAMM Show, and considered it an honor to briefly chat with this humble Legend. May He Rest in Peace.

Keep on Poundin'.... maSSivdrums

[ABAKUA]

Very sad news, we lose another of the greats.

Ibae, bayen bayen tonu.

[Anonimo]

POST REMOVED BY THE AUTHOR

[No.2-1820]

A huge loss, RIP. Another enormous inspiration passes.

Barrie

[Lonz]

Condolences to the family and friends of Francisco Aguabella.