Profiles in greatness: Selected works and solos by Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente - Cuba

Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente

Bongocero
1956 Conjunto Rumba Habana
1980 Conjunto Casino
1990 Septeto Habanero

What is nice about Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente's
playing style is that it is tasteful and all about simplicity.

He also at times plays an older style/pattern of cowbell/campana, with two beats on the back end consecutively throughout his ride.

Phonetically sounding like:
Toe ti-ki-Toe ti-ki-Toe ti-ki Toe.
As opposed to now commonly:
Toe ti-ki-Toe ti-ki-Toe ti--Toe.

Selected works and solos by
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente

"Septeto Habanero - 75 Year later"
CD - 1995
El fallecido*Manuel Furé: vocals

7. "El Príncipe De Los Bongoceros"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes

10. "Guaguancó Del Tipico"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes

  
"Septeto Habanero - Orgullo De Los Soneros"
CD - 1997
On these sessions, Ricardo's bongoes are a bit
low in the mix, but he can still be heard nicely.

5. "Las Maracas"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes

10. "Guaracha Y Son"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes


"Septeto Habanero - Celebrando Sus 80 Años"
CD - 2000

5. "India Inglesa"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes

11. "Al Compas Del Habanero"
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes


Septeto Habanero
Ricardo Vidal Ferro Vicente: bongoes

Conjunto Tipico Cubano y Septeto Tipico Habanero - Cuba

"Tipico Y Habanero"

Mid 1960's LP on Areito

Side A features 'Conjunto Tipico Cubano', a sexteto that plays close to the original early style of Son by using a Marimbula instead of an acoustic bass and does not use trumpet, the bongocero also plays in the early style in which he utilizes a "glissando" technique by occasionally running his finger accross the skin producing a sort of "mooing" sound as well as not "adhering" to the more contemporary 'Martillo' rhythmic form and repicando (riffing) more.Side B features 'Septeto Tipico Habanero' that uses acoustic bass and trumpet.
This is a killer LP. Bien "Tipico".

2. Nieves
Conjunto Tipico Cubano
Oscar Sotolongo: Dir. y bongoes

4. Tiene Son y Guaguancó
Conjunto Tipico Cubano
Oscar Sotolongo: Dir. y bongoes


* * * * *

8. Elena La Cumbanchera

Septeto Tipico Habanero
Manolo Furé: Dir. and lead vocal
 
12. La Loma De Belen
Septeto Tipico Habanero
Manolo Furé: Dir. and lead vocal

The Egrem cover above.
The bootleg cover on the Caribe label below.

An LP by Septeto Tipico Habanero from the late early '70's.
The cover says: "Septeto", though this is Tipico Habanero as a Conjunto with more than one trumpet.

Both the original Cuban LP on Egrem and the "Caribe copy" have two *songs by Conj. Tipico Cubano from the other LP on Areito, but they don't tell you that on the back of the LP... because whoever produced the original Egrem LP didn't know that.
The Tres playing on both LP's is "high art and superb".... no electric "Wah-Wah" crap here.

4. Guaguancó Del Tipico
"Conjunto" Tipico Habanero
Manolo Furé: Dir. and lead vocal

11. Preludio De Godinez
"Conjunto" Tipico Habanero
Manolo Furé: Dir. and lead vocal

"A La Loma De Belén" Fidels Eyeglasses 22 version compilation

"A La Loma De Belén"

22 versions.

A Fidel's Eyeglasses compilation

1. Sexteto Habanero 1925
2. Septeto Nacional en Madrid Spain 1929

3. Septeto Habanero 1960's
4. Septeto Habanero 1970's
5. Septeto Habanero 2010
6. Cuarteto Caney con Miguelito Valdés
7. Cheo Belén Puig
8. Grupo Sierra Maestra
9. Carlos Barberia y Su Orq. Kubavana
10. Israel "Cachao" Lopéz
11. Neno Gonzaléz
12. Sonero Classico De Caribe
13. Vieja Trova Santiaguera
14. Roberto Borrell y Conj. Tipico Cubano
15. Maravilla Yunqueña
16. El Gran Combo de P.R. 1963
17. Sol y Son de Santiago de Cuba
18. Miguel Quintana y Son Habanero
19. Felo Bergaza
20. Pedrito Martinez
21. Pedro Celestino-Fariñas
22. Manuel Martinez Olivera 'El Llanero'

Profiles in greatness: Agustín Gutiérrez (selected bongó solos)

1925
Agustín Gutiérrez a.k.a. "Manana"

(pictured with Abelardo Barroso playing Clavé)
Born: La Habana 1900 - died: ?

It's often thought that Agustín Gutiérrez created
the "Cuban" rhythmic form called the "Martillo"
which is the basic pattern played on the bongoes.

Agustín Gutiérrez was a member of the Abakúa in
La Habana and is often thought to be one of the first
bongoceros to introduce the technique of using the
thumb and middle finger to produce a glissando effect
by running the finger across the skin, producing a
low pitched "braying" or "mooing" sound, which in
actuality was derived from the highly secretive
Ékue drum which plays a major role in Abakúa
rites, never leaves the Fambá (temple) and is rarely
ever heard by non Abakúa societal members.
The sound is meant to replicate the call of a Leopard.
(originally rooted in the Calabar region of Nigeria)

Agustín Gutiérrez - 1927

Agustín Gutiérrez - 1928


Agustín Gutiérrez third from left.

El coro dice:
"Agustin el bongocero, que tiene fama mundial 
ahora le va a repicar hasta que se rompe el cuero"
 Cuarteto Caney -1936 
Panchito Riset: vocal
"Sabrosito bongó"
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

 

*************

"Loma De Belén"
Sexteto Habanero 1925
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

"Yo No Tumba Caña"  

Sexteto Habanero 1926  

Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

"Elena La Cumbanchera"

Sexteto Habanero 1927  

Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

 
"El Bongó Del Habanero"  
Sexteto Habanero 1928
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

 

*************  
Septeto Nacional recorded in Madrid,1929

Bienvenido León: voc.

Juan De La Cruz: voc.
Lazaro Herrera: trumpet. 

Ignacio Piñeiro: bass.
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes.
Eutimio Constantín: guitar. 

Francisco Solares González: tres.

"El Que Siembra Su Maiz"
Septeto Nacional 1929
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

"Bururún Barará"

Septeto Nacional 1929

Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

 

"A La Loma De Belén"

Septeto Nacional 1929
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

"Aurora"
Septeto Nacional 1929
Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes

"Maruxina"  
Septeto Nacional 1929 

Agustín Gutiérrez: bongoes 

 *************

Agustín Gutiérrez with Conj. Clave y Guaguancó -1967

3. "Tumba La Caña"

Agustín Gutiérrez: quinto-cajón

 

 5. "Cuando Me Toca Mi"

Agustín Gutiérrez: quinto-cajón

7. "Sarabanda Kimbansero"

Agustín Gutiérrez: quinto-cajón

8. "Coco Mondanséré" 

Agustín Gutiérrez: quinto-cajón

Conjunto Nasako

Agustín Gutiérrez playing Chekeré
Luis Santamaria (Mongo Santamaria's cousin) singing.
Jesús Pérez playing el hierro (guataca).
Sonia Calero dancing.
(3 drums made by Candido Requena)

"Ochun"

The drummer on the left in the photo below on the classic

Panart 'Guaguancó Afro-Cubano' LP is in the video above.

The drummer on the left is playing a tumbadora made by

Candido Requena... and the other drummer on the right is

playing my absolute favorite Quinto for the last 45 years.

I'd kill for a drum that exact shape and size.

(Nicolás Mauro: quinto)

Septeto Habanero "90 años" (2 CDs) 2010

"90 Años"
Septeto Habanero

2 CD's recorded in 2009, released 2010

Very tasty sessions, though I prefer the "earlier" band/s of the late 20's, 60's, '70's, '90's.
Gilberto Azcuy (de Rumbavana) as always, plays superb "tipico" trumpet, as well as Frank Padron's trumpet on several tracks.
(Thankfully without any American "Be-Bop derived Jazz licks" and no tumbadora in the band)
Ernesto Laza the resident bongocero and 12 year old Dayron Rodriguez Velazco plays bongó on one track and is not just another "serial roller".
Unfortunately Lp® is already trying to brainwash him with an "endorsement deal".

(the kid should be given either Matt Smith's, Jay Bereck's or Junior Tirado's or algo hecho en Erekusú)

1. "Sin Detenerser En Su Andar" (CD1)

13. "Elena La Cumbanchera"
Ernesto Laza: bongó solo

1. "El Orgullo De Los Soneros" (CD2)

6. "El Congo Dónde Está"

10. "Alerta A Los Bailadores"
Dayron Rodriguez Velazco: bongó solo

Video: 'Dayron Rodriguez Velazco' bongó
Gilberto Azcuy: trumpet

Sexteto Habanero Godinez 'Oscar Sotolongo' bongó 1920 - Cuba

'Oscar Sotolongo'

Sexteto Habanero Godinez

Later: Sexteto Habanero and Septeto Habanero

Mujer Bandolera - 1920

Rosa Que Linda Eres - 1920

La Herrería de Sirique (1966) Dir. Héctor Veitia

Graciano Gomez & Isaac Oviedo of the Septeto Tipico Matancero.
Sindo Garay.
Manolo Pla of the Sexteto Boton de Rosa.
Nico Saquito (wearing "the Eyeglasses").
Luis Peña.
Jesus "Chuchu" Aristola of the Terceto Yoyo.
Agustin Gutierrez of the Sexteto Habanero playing the cajón and dancing with Grupo Clave y Guaguancó.
Ciro Rodriguez & Rafael Cueto of the Sexteto Matamoros.
Enrique "Chungo" Enriso & Rafael "Nene" Enriso of the Sexteto Enriso.