Con un poco de songo

Batacumbele

The Spirit of the Drum

At the center of Cuba's Santeria religion are the bata drums. Congalike and hourglass-shaped, these instruments, of African origin, give a deep and stirring sound, and are used to play specific patterns calling to individual deities in ritual ceremonies. So when, in the early '80s, a group of experimental Puerto Rican musicians in a band known as Batacumbele began playing bata and conga alongside drums used for traditional Puerto Rican rhythms like bomba and plena, eyebrows raised all over the Caribbean. Some veteran Cuban musicians worried that this revered instrument was being debased for secular ends.

In fact, Cuban popular groups—among them the esteemed Los Van Van, originators of the then-hot style called songo—had been using the bata in dance music for years. All Batacumbele was doing was broadening the rhythmic palette by incorporating bits of its own tradition. When Cubans heard it they went wild: "After we played several pieces, the audience rose to their feet shouting '¡Viva Puerto Rico!¡ Batacumbele con bata!' and waving their handkerchiefs in the air," percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo recalled of tours in 1981 and 1984.

Batacumbele's debut recording, Con un poco de songo, explains the ebullient reaction. It's a sleek, sophisticated sound, with tricky piano and bass figures darting around a percussion section that's deep into its own conversation. The vocal chants often seem borrowed from a religious ceremony, but even in the jazzy moments, the presence of the bata drums guarantees that there's some ancient spirits in the mix.

Genre: World, Cuba
Released: 1981, Disco Hit
Key Tracks: "Se le ve," "La jibarito," "A la i ole."
Catalog Choice: En aquellos tiempos.
Next Stop: Irakere: Misa negra
After That: Truco y Zaperoko: Música universal.
Book Pages: 52–53

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