BRIKAMO RYTHM

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Postby Laurent Lamy » Sun Apr 15, 2001 12:14 am

I am looking for informations, core and drums parts about Brikamo rythm, the abakua for women...
Thanks in advance. Laurent
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Postby Sakuntu » Mon Aug 14, 2006 2:35 am

Il ya un chanson qui s'appelle "Bricamo" sur l'album "Afro Roots" par Mongo Santamaria. Je ne sais pas si c'est ce que vous cherchez parce qu' il n ya pas des femmes qui chant sur le rhythme. c'est le voix d'un homme suelment qui commence le rhythme. Check it out and see. Bon chans!
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby vasikgreif » Fri Jan 07, 2011 9:35 pm

Anyone would know more about Brikamo rhythm? I heard it on Grupo Afrocuba Raices Africanas CD and really like it...
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby davidpenalosa » Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:06 am

As far as I can tell, the brikamo arrangement used by Los Muñequitos and AfroCuba is essentially the same as the Matanzas-style abakuá. If you are on Facebook, you can check out this video I shot of Los Muñequitos performing brikamo in 1992:

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php ... 5772&saved

I played abakuá bonkó in brikamo (in 2008) and the Matanceros present didn't object, or even lift an eyebrow.

Francisco Aguabella used a different arrangement on Mongo's Afro Roots, but I have not encountered that version anywhere else. I don't think it's exactly accurate to call brikamo a "women's abakuá," although besides ritual cleansing, I don't know what the function of the dance is.

According to David Brown (The Light Inside), brikamo is the ritual language of the abakuá. Ivor Miller (Voice of the Leopard) concures, but says that the term also refers to "a funerary tradition maintained by the Calle family of Matanzas city . . . In colonial Cuba there was a Carabalí Bríkamo cabildo" p. 215.
-David
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby vasikgreif » Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:52 am

Thanks David! Could you please explaind me what the bell is doing in Brikamo and if this is the traditional part (Afrocuba version)?
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby davidpenalosa » Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:14 am

vasikgreif wrote:please explaind me what the bell is doing in Brikamo


H L . H H L . H H L . H

H = high bell
L = low bell

Los Muñequitos are using an agogo bell in the performance. That is the traditional bell pattern. On the Francisco Aguabella "Bricamo" from Afro Roots, the pattern is offsest from this version. It is played with sticks and sounds like the sticks are striking the side of a drum:

X X X . X X X . X X X .

These are the two positions the pattern is played in abakuá too. There are four main beats underlying the rhythm. You should tap your foot four times per pattern:

1 . . 2 . . 3 . . 4 . .

-David
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby windhorse » Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:38 pm

So the clave bell would not be played? It is only played in the erî Kundî?

One day we were talking about this outside of Sandy's class where they had just taught this rhythm, and Vanessa said something like, "they don't usually teach this rhythm as it is inappropriate for outsiders or the uninitiated" She said something like - it is played for the dead in ceremonies. Then she said how cool it is that these guys are willing to share this with us...
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Re: BRIKAMO RYTHM

Postby davidpenalosa » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:48 pm

windhorse wrote:So the clave bell would not be played? It is only played in the erî Kundî?


That's right. In brikamo they only play this bell pattern:

X X . X X X . X X X . X

Whereas in abakuá, the bell alternates between the above pattern and triple-pulse rumba clave:

X . X . . X . X . X . .

-David
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