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Havana Drum Festival-From the Isle of Rhythm

Coming to you direct from the Isle of Rhythm, is the 4th Annual Havana Drum

Festival. Where better to have a Festival of Drums then in Cuba, home of so

many great musicians, wonderful warm people, and scintillating, hot, steamy

grooves? Rhythms emanate virtually from every corner and crevice of the

great city of Havana. From the barrios such as Cerro and Miramar, to the

tourist hotels in Vedado and Central Havana, the music of Cuba is a rich

blend of tradition and modernity, rhythm and harmony, sweet, soul, and

survival. Now, these rhythms have been all focused in a few concert halls

and night clubs in Havana, for four days of extreme and soulful music.

Many of Cuba's top performers have participated in the former Festivals.

Names that most people know, such as Changuito, Tata Guines, the great

pianist Chucho Valdes, Girardo Piloto and his group KLIMAX, Bamboleo, Samuel

Formell from Los Van Van, Oliver Valdes, a wonderful drumming talent, have

performed during past Festivals. Also, folkloric groups such as Yoruba

Andabo, AfroCuba de Matanzas, and Clave y Guaguanco, all perform. It's

AMAZING!

In 2003, each day of the Festival was dedicated to different styles of Cuban

music. Day One featured a tribute to Afro Cuban folkore. The opening concert

featured a bata orchestra. (Bata drums are AfroCuban religious drums.) Bata

are usually heard in a group of three drums, sometimes accompanied by

singing. The opening concert featured many sets of bata, with the main drum

being played by Papo Angarica, a legend in AfroCuban religious drumming.

(Even that phrase, "religious drumming" is redolent with meaning and depth.

Imagine playing drums for worship and spirituality. I've found, many times,

my reasons for playing drums, while being absorbed in the language of bata.

You can get in touch with the depth of drumming while in Cuba!)

The first full day of the Festival continued with the folkoric theme. Two

concerts a day are offered; one in the afternoon, one in the evening. The

Yoruba House invited all to attend a toque (a rhythmic offering) for Chango,

the African deity of drums! The legendary apkwon (Yoruba singer) Lazaro Ros

sang cantos to Chango, while Masters played bata. Moving, spiritual,

profound, exciting, emotional....how many more words can one use to describe

this ceremony? It was truly incredible. At the evening concert we were

thrilled by a group of young drummers playing rumba, Cuban folkoric

drumming. The lead drummer, playing the quinto (solo drum used in the rumba

drumming ensemble), appeared to be about twelve years old! No matter. He

played with a ferocity that had everyone dancing and moving.

Day Two was dedicated to rumba. Only rumba. Beautiful, sensous rumba. Yoruba

Andabo. Clave y Guaguanco. Laly y sus Estrellas. It was "All Rumba, All the

Time". And what a time it was. The afternoon concert was held in a small

club in the Vedado district of Havana. Yoruba Andabo are purveyors of modern

Havana style rumba. The music is a very sophisticated blend of traditional

and modern influences. The dancing hails back a hundred or more years, with

modern moves thrown in as well. Three main styles of rumba were performed:

Yambu, Guaguanco, and Columbia. Yoruba Andabo are true Masters of the art

form and they thrilled us all

Day Three was featured well know popular bands from Havana. First to perform

was Chispa y sus Complices. (Chispa and his Accomplices). They perfomed at

la Casa de la Musica (the House of Music) in Central Havana. Led by Chispa,

a wonderfully soulful bassist, the Complices play timba, very agressive

Cuban music, sometimes called salsa Cubana. The featured instrument in many

of the timba groups is drum set. Yes, the _featured_ instrument! Drum set

artistry in Cuba has attained quite a high level of proficiency and Chispa's

drummer certainly was no exception!

The evening concert featured two of Cuba's better know bands, KLIMAX and

Bamboleo. What a concert! Klimax, led by drummer/composer/arranger Girardo

Piloto, played a tremendous set of dance music and very intense, exploratory

Cuban jazz. KLIMAX has toured internationally to wide acceptance and

recognition, as has the next group in Day Three's lineup, Bamboleo. Bamboleo

is a funky dance oriented band where featuring some of Havana's finest

musicians. To play in these bands, each musician must really be very

proficient on their respective instruments, and it shows. Each set, that of

KLIMAX and Bamboleo, was more than an hour and a half in length, and the

audience was dancing in the aisles the whole time.

Day Four was for the drum set performers. Master Classes were held during

the day, featuring Chispa y sus Complices and KLIMAX. Drummers attending the

Festival as participants could go to the Master Classes and play with each

group, while also taking lessons from each of the percussionists in the

groups. The evening concert featured six fine drummers: Enrique Pla from

Irakere, Samuel Formell from Los Van Van, Oliver Valdes, Girardo Piloto from

KLIMAX, Dom Famularo from New York, and this writer. After short solos from

each drummer, KLIMAX was assembled on stage and all six drummers played an

incredible song in 5/4, complete with extended drum solos!

This year's Havana Drum Festival will feature:

Richie Garcia

David Garibaldi

Luis Conte

Dom Famularo (Dom says, "I found the roots of drumming, and they're in

Cuba!")

Ron Powell

Chuck Silverman

Aldo Mazza

plus

Many of Cuba's top drummers and drumming ensembles.

When is the next Festival? The dates are Nov. 12-16, 2003.

Havana Drum Festival Program, a two week trip, is being organized by this

writer.

The dates are November 1-15, 2003

Arrangement are made through Chuck Silverman at

<email>chuck@chucksilverman.com

and http://chucksilverman.com