Diálogo

Volume 7 Number 1 Article 14

2003

Jesus Perez and the Transculturation of the Cuban Batá Drum

Ivor Miller

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Recommended Citation Miller, Ivor (2003) "Jesus Perez and the Transculturation of the Cuban Batá Drum," Diálogo: Vol. 7 : No. 1 , Article 14. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/14

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This article is available in Diálogo: https://via.library.depaul.edu/dialogo/vol7/iss1/14 - Jesus Perez

A n d t h e T ransculturation of the Cuban Batá Drum by Ivor Miller "For the first time in Cuba, I created aprogram of Yorübá chants and prayers on radio Suaritos, whichbecame famous throughout theisland. We performed these chants and prayers with their authenticdrum rhythms. I learned all this from Jesús and Trinidad [Torregrosa], the percussionists who accompanied me. They guided me, and if I had doubts, I consulted with them. Doctor Ortiz, after listening to the program, asked Jesús and Trinidad to bring me to his house so he could greet me. When they brought me to his house, on the corner of L and 27 streets, he openedthe door. Being surprised by my smallsize, he gave me the nickname "thelittle aché." [Aché is 'power' in the Lukumi language]. In 1955, Jesús worked in

Venezuela, inw the show of Havana's cabaretMontmartre with legendary w congadrummer Tata Guiñes. As Tata Guiñestold me: There is much to say about JesúsPérez, yet little has been said. I think that when one mentions his name,one mentions the master of the batá in Cuba. I think that the batá player who doesn't mention Jesús Pérezdoesn't mention his own drum. Jesúsis eternally present, and when onespeaks of percussion, one must speak of Jesús Pérez. It was he who openedthe breach, the path to follow. In the late 1950s, he created Afro*Cubanshows in cabarets like Tropicana, the Riviera, Sans Souci. In 1959, he traveled to Mexico with his show

"Oba Koso Bata" (The bataofChango)KosoBata"where"Obahetraditionalanalbumrecordedpopularmusic.5andLukumiactedReturningtoHavana,as informantArgeliersLeonDr.intheNational traditions that flourished in nineteenth century Cuba through West Africanslaves brought to work in the sugarindustry. Notable among them was Pablo Roche, master batatero (batá player), "son" of Changó and Abakuáleader of Guanabacoa; Maximiliano Ordaz, singer Theater en 1959-60. In 1961, Jesus played a leading role and diviner for Santería,Abakuá leader and godfather to Jesús.Jesús was exceptional as a founder of Danza Moderna by selecting many of its for his leadership in defending Afro-Cuban culture by performing and teaching it to members.6 In 1962 he co-founded the Conjunto Folkorico others. Among his achievements are playing batá in Fernando Ortiz's first conferenceon Nacional, where heagain helped select members, and Afro-Cuban culture in 1937 inHavana.3 Jesús enjoyed a long andconsistent relationship constructed their drums. Here, he acted as informant with Ortiz,enabling his studies of the Cuban batá, as well as Abakuá music, as found to Rogelio Martinez-Fure for twenty years, and toured in the fivevolume masterpiece "Los instrumentosde la música afrocubana." Amado de the planet performing with the Conjunto. In 1977, when Jesús Dedeu, a student of Jesús, described the background:"Jesús told me a lot about he participated in FESTAC '77 with Danza Nacional de the firstconferences with Fernando Ortiz. Pablo Roche played the lyá [the leaddrum], Cuba, hebecame the first person to carryconsecrated Aguedito played the Itótele [the second drum], and Jesús the Okónkolo [the smallest], Cuban bata drums to Nigeria. There he played bata illustratingthe theories of Ortiz with their musicianship.4 The three major informants for Ortiz before the Alaafin of Oyo, a traditional leader were Jesús Pérez,Santos Ramírez "El niño," and Agustín Pina "Flor de Amor" (who was Abakuá and a rumba player). Jesústold me that on Ortiz's birthdays,intellectuals and politicians wouldcome to greet him in the Palacio deAldama, on the corner of Reina and Amistad streets, where he had an office. On some occasions, whenFernando was in his office with these people waiting for him below, he would tell the porter, "If Jesús,Agustín, or Santos 'El niño' arrive, tell them to come upstairs." Thus theyhad a great fellowship with Fernando,and contributed much to his work."From the first conference with Ortizonwards, Jesús acted as a bridgebetween the esoteric traditions of his local religious communities, and the public sphere of national culture. In1937 he played batá with the orchestraof Gilberto Valdés, and in the 1940swith Obdulio Morales, both of whomsought to integrate Afro-Cubanliturgical ideas into popular music (cf. Ortiz 1937). In this decade, Jesús taught and performed with renowned singer Mercedita Valdés. Mercedita told me:

Because of his comprehensive efforts to document and interpret Cuba's multi­faceted popular culture, Fernando Ortiz yFernández became known as the"Third Discoverer of Cuba." Ortizlearned much by maintaining lastingrelationships with leading practitionersof various African religions. Among them, Jesús Pérez Puentes was one of Don Fernando's main informants forthe study of Lukumi music, derived from the Yorübá of West Africa and maintained by their descendants as theSantería religion.After several years of researching the accomplishments of Jesús, in part byinterviewing those who worked closely with him, Iconclude that he was aprimary figure in the transculturation of the Cuban batá drum. During his lifetime, from 1915 to 1985, batá wentfrom being an obscure instrument, usedexclusively in Santería ceremonies, to being a secular instrument usedthroughout popular music in Cuba, and around the globe. The batá began as alocal phenomenon of Havana and Matanzas, where it was recreated byYorübá migrants in the 1830s. It is used today in Santería ceremonies across theplanet. Jesús played a pivotal role in these transitions.Jesús played the tres, flute, bass andtrumpet. He was also a dancer and singer. But he was famous for hismastery of batá. A religious man, hewas a mason, an Abakuá (a secretsociety derived from southeastern Nigeria), and a santero with Changó "made" (a Santería initiate consecratedto Changó, thunder deity). It is wellknown that Changó is "king of the batá." Not surprisingly, many important Orno Añá, or "children of the sacred drum," have been "sons of Changó." Yet Jesús stands out among them. As anOlu Añá, or "keeper of the drum,"Jesús's ritual Lukumi name was Obá-llú.2Obá is 'king', and llu has two meanings,depending on its pronunciation. As Rogelio Martínez Furé (artistic directorof the National Folklore Ensemble of Cuba) told me:There aren't sufficient words to detailhis stature: Oba 11ú: King of the people [the Santería community], or Oba llu: King of the drum . .both epithets serve to crown his regal head.As a young man Jesús was fortunate to have studied with the masters of thisculture. His teachers were essential links to the orthodox Santería and Abakuá Jesús, Mercedita y Barreto en su casa con su tambores de fundamento arly 1980s g •$. ^ % % A W «fe % **. *. * % I^T*; ÜW

in Changó's historic homeland, who Amado de Jesús, currently director of Furé (1999: 15) wrote: "To die of natural commented on the resemblance to the rumba group Clave y Guaguancó. causes at an advanced age, leaving Yorúbá sacred music. Batá were created This is only one way Jesús helped bring behind numerous progeny, like a 'tree and maintained since the slave trade in batá into Cuban national culture. bent from the weight of its fruit,' and in Cuba, and Jesús became the first person Whereas in the nineteenth century it harmony with the divinities and the in the Americas known to bring the was considered an African drum, and in ancestors; to be buried with the batá back to its homeland.7 Later that the early twentieth an Afro-Cuban performance of all the rites that mark year (1977) he traveled to Paris with drum, today it is viewed as a Cuban the tradition -- which permit one to Danza Nacional, where they performed instrument, integrated into all forms of enter Orun (the other world), where in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. musical expression as a symbol of one is reunited with the ancestors of cubania (cubanness). Even leaders of one's lineage to be later reincarnated -- As a member of "Los Amigos" de Fran the Nueva Trova (the New Song constitutes for the Yorúbá the good Emilio, he was the first to bring the batá Movement), Silvio Rodriguez and Pablo death."u into the Cuban descarga (jam) sessions, Milanés have used batá in their music. demonstrating the capability of the As Amado de Jesús told me: Popular poet Eloy Machado "El Ámbia" batá to create a musical dialogue with (1993: 21-23) wrote "Oba Ylu," the q uinto (conga drum) of Tata "Jesús wanted drummers who were dedicated: "to Jesús Pérez, with all the Güines.8 In 1968, he co-founded the serious and responsible. Many love that he merited": group Orú, later performing with them wanted to play with him, but he around the world. Composer and w ouldn't let them to because they . . . Tocaba con sentido poético: guitarist Sergio Vitier told me: were "puppets" [informal]. Many of . . . He played with poetic feeling: the young drummers liked to invent su verso "Jesús had the rare capacity to and improvise with the batá rhythms, his verse integrate himself into different and Jesús strongly rejected this. He era el sonido del tambor, worlds; he knew how to bring his told them to play within the was the sound of the drum, talents even into the world of classical tradition, and not to invent. When he yorubizaba el cuerpo, music. Cuban music has tw o phases: in went to ceremonies and heard the it yourbized the body, the first, Lukumi culture did not enter young drummers improvising, he la vida, into the language of popular music. would get up and leave." life, After 1968, when we formed the era el sol del tambor, group Orú, we began its introduction By respecting the ceremonial traditions it was the sun of the drum, into popular music, which today has of Santería, even while being innovative la luna del mayor, become the rage.9" w ith its music in secular contexts, Jesús the moon of the elder [lyá drum], built bridges in a way that eventually lucero batable. In addition to his performances, Jesús earned him the respect of orthodox drummable star. recorded music for several films, religious leaders, many of whom first Y se canto la rumba including Obá-llú; Una pelea cubana condemned him. We know he earned And rumba was chanted contra los demonios; Shangai; and De their respect because his funerary rites tocando en su ataúd. cierta manera.'0 were performed with the participation While playing on his coffin. of hundreds of religious elders. Era mi amigo As a teacher, he contributed to the He was my friend process of transculturation by teaching The importance of well attended y yo lo llevaba. white students. Before the 1960s, funerary rites as a symbol of respect is And I carried him [to the grave]. whites were not taught batá, but Jesús found throughout the African diaspora, Si un peso tenia broke the mold, nurturing students like and Cuba is not an exception. Martinez- If he had one peso

))idtoqo 72 SPRING 2003 N0.7 will be understood and celebrated in the future by students around the world. As Cuba iswell known internationally as asource of musical wealth, to laud its leading musicians like Jesús Pérez isto celebrate the society from which he came.Ivor Miller isVisiting Professor of African &Black Diaspora Studies at DePaul University.SOURCESAbímbólá, 'Wáñdé. 1976. ifá: An Expositionof Literary CorpusIfa . Ibadan: Oxford UP Nigeria.Abímbólá, 'Wáñdé &ivor Miller. 1997. Ifá Mend OurWill Broken World: Thoughts on CultureYorübá inWest Africa and the . Roxbury,Diaspora MA: AIM Books.Barnet, Miguel. 1997. Interview by the author inthe Fundación de Fernando Ortiz inDecember. Revised by Mr. Barnet inMarch of1998.Carvalho, José Jorge de &Rita Segato. 1992.Shango Cult inRecife, Brazil. Caracas, Venezuela: Fundef, Conac, Oas.Catalogo de filmes producidos por los cinematográficosestudios y de televisión de FAR: 1962-1986.las 1986. LaHabana: Imprenta central de las FAR.Dedeu Hernández, Amado de Jesús. 1996. Interview by the author inthe home ofDedeu Hernández. Revised by Amado in1998 and 1999. La Habana.Güines, Tata. 1999. Interview by the author inthe home ofMr. Güines inApril. Havana. Revised by Mr. Güines inMay of1999.Hernández, Gregorio "El Goyo." Interview by theauthor inthe home ofMr. Hernández inSeptember. Havana. Revised by Mr. Hernández inDecember 1997.Linares, Maria Teresa. 1995. Interview by the author inthe home ofDr. Linares inNovember. Havana. Revised by Dr. Linares inDecember 1997.Machado, Eloy "El Ambia." 1993. Elcallejón suspiro. Ladel Habana: Ediciones Unión, UNEAC.Martínez Furé, Rogelio. 1999. "Descargas: ritual yfiesta de lapalabra." Conjunto (revista deTeatro Latinoamericano, Casa de las Américas). nos. 112/113. Enero-Junio, p.13 -16.Martínez Furé, Rogelio. 1995. Interview by the author in the home of Martínez-Furé in March. La Habana. Revised by Mr. Martinez in 1996 and 1997.Ortiz, Fernando. 1937. "El concierto afrocubano de

Gilberto Valdés." Estudios Afrocubanos. vol.1, no. 1 (La Habana):Ortiz, 139-145. Fernando. 1938. "La música sagrada de medioThe hisstatureasacharismaticindividual,butalsothefundamentalimportanceofpraisetoJesúsPérezreflectsnotonlyoutpouringextraordinarypesomedaba..hewouldgivehalfAfrican-deriveddrummingtraditionsandtheircaretakersidentitymanycontemporaryCubans.Manystudentscolleagueshavemaintainedmemoryaliveinownways,byDanzaNacionai'srecordingLP"HomenajePerez";director"Goyo"HernándeznamingfolkloregroupwithJesús'sLukuminame"Oba-llu."IhopethatmyforthcomingbookonhistoryBatádrumAmericaswillencourageCubaninstitutionscelebratelastingcontributionsnationalculture.Tothisend,thankMiguelBarnet(presidentFernandoOrtizFoundation),whotoldme:"Ilife.Andailwasnurturedhere,popularAsisLázaroRos,MerceditaValdés,learnedmuchfromPérez.Allbatádrummerspayhomage-Oballú,greatestplayersknownsymbolthinkhouseOrtiz.DonhadtremendousrespectforJesús,Mercedita,PabloRoche,MaximilianoOrdaz.Thiswhatcan sayaboutgreatfriendJesúsPérez."Beyondtostudytheworksandlegacyofteacher.leftstillanothercontribution,anearly400pagemanuscripthelpparticipantsnowglobalpracticedrummingthis,techniquesmusicalannotationsclassicallytrainedcomposer.12Iaimpublishworkwithlargearchivephotographsextensiveinterviewshiscolleagues.rhythmsoriginatinginWestCentralAfrica,ManygenresCubanmusicarebasedonperformancecomplex

los negros Yorubá enCuba." Estudios vol.2,no. 1.PagesAfrocubanos. 89-104.Ortiz, Fernando. 1951-55. Losinstrumentos lamúsica afrocubana. 5vols.de LaHabana: Habana: Ministerio deEducación."Una peleacubana contralos demonios." 1971.Tomás Gutiérrez Alea,director. LaHabana: ICAIC.Ros, Lázaro. 1995.Interview bytheauthor inthehome ofMr.Ros inNovember. Guanabacoa. Revised byMr. RosinDecember 1997,and January 2000.Valdés, Mercedita. 1996.Interview bytheauthor, MichelDíaz, andIdania Díazin thehome ofMichel Diazin May.La Habana.Vitier, Sergio. 1995.Interview bytheauthor andMichel Diazin thehome ofMr.Vitier inMarch. Revised byMr.Vitier inJuly1995.Photograph Credits1. a&b)2."Ricardo Carballo playsbatá atthetomb ofJesús Pérez."1985. OldCemetery ofGuanabacoa. Archives ofRicardo3. Carballo. Jesúsat homewith Mercedita andBarreto; fundamento drumsat back.Early 1980s. Author's archives. Tropicana nightclub, 1950s. Archives ofRicardo Carballo. "LuluYenkori group." LefttoRight: "Papo," LuisaBarroso, Ricardo Carballo, Mercedita Valdés, JesúsPérez, Ramiro Hernández. Fernando Ortizinterpreted "LukuYenkori" as"chants, rhythms anddances," usingthe termforone ofthehis Fundaciónconferences dewithFernando MerceditaOrtiz ValdésinHavana,(p.c. Nataliawhen theBolivar,author 1999).wasaIt Scholar-appears in-ResidencethatM. Valdésatused thethisSchomburg titlefor herCenterownfor group.Research inBlack Culture. Research forthis articlewas fundedby theNational Endowment fortheHumanities through theSchomburg Centerfor Research inBlack Culture's Scholar-in- Residence Program.2. Thereare threecategories ofinitiationforbatá drummers. Thefirst ishaving one"hands washed" (/asmanos lavados), aceremony thatenables mento playthe Añádrums. Thesecond iscalled OrnoAñá, referred toas"sworn tothedrum"

later transform ed in Cuba. Due to a past of oppression and discrim ination, the great m ajority of men and wom en who helped create Cuban m usic from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries are unknown to the present generation. We are fortunate then to have detailed information about Jesús Pérez and his colleagues, so that their contributions

akin to initiation into Santería, that is, itis acomplex, seven day ceremony. Orno Añá are able to learn secret batá rituals. The third and maximum level is "Olu Añá," where an Foto en el Tropicana, 1950s

Orno Añá receives a set of batá Añá in lives in O yó" (A bím bólá 1976: 247)] and 2) Jim enez) Jorrin on flute, "Cachaito" on order to be its caretaker. As an O risha, A ñá Oba kóso: "The Oba did not hang bass, Frank Emilio on piano, and often does not have an "owner," but a [himself]" — a reference to a legend w ith Sergio V itier on guitar. caretaker. Olu Añá are popularly called where Sángó disappears from the tree "owners of the drum" (dueños del w here he had com m itted suicide and was 9. Cuban popular m usic has its foundation in tam bor), but they are actually considered heard trium phantly thundering from the rhythms and instrum ents derived from its "slaves." D uring cerem ony Olu Añá are sky. Thanks to Victor M anfredi for these Kongo (Bantu), such as the Son and the ritually linked to a particular set of batá interpretations. Rum ba, as w ell as in Spanish secular m usic. drum s. If these drum s are not cared for The Yorubá language of W est Africa has Before the group Orú, instrum ents derived properly, the divinity A ñá inside them will three tones: high, mid and low, indicated from the Yorubá (Lukumi) peoples w ere w ither and die. So too, the w ell-being of by diacritics. W ithout these, Roman not widely used. Before Orú there w ere its caretaker is thought to be endangered. spellings of Yorubá w ords w ould be either various attem pts to do so, as in the case of ambiguous (out of context) or G ilberto Valdés, O bdulio M orales, Caturla, 3. In an essay about this conference, held on meaningless. One would be unable to Roldán and others, but they had few May 30, 1937, Ortiz points out that the distinguish a tow n (//tí) from percussion follow ers. The nam e of the group is Orú, batá music heard by the audience would (ilu). Because the Yorubá language has but the term is pronounced 'óru' by m any not be "contam inated" by European m any varieties, interpretations betw een professional bataleros, such as in the m usic, that it w ould "conserve its ancestral Cuban, Brazilian, and W est African usage phrase 'óru seco' (dry óru), which are purity." He w rote: "In Cuba, these religious are often complex. Chang© in Cuba is liturgical batá rhythm s perform ed w ithout chants of the yorubá are conserved often Sángó (pronounced Shangó) in W est c h a n t i n g . orthodoxly and purely . . . because of their Africa (cf. A bím bólá & M iller). esoteric isolation, their African orthodoxy 10. O bá-llú." 1985. D ocum ental. Realización: has not yet been transform ed by the 6. O riginally the C onjunto Nacional de D anza Emilio Oscar Alcalde. 9 m inutos. Prem io influence of w hites." Ortiz expressed his M oderna, later nam ed Danza Nacional de Caracol al mejor Documental en el hope that this batá music w ould contribute Cuba and today known as Danza Festival de Cine UNEAC/1985. "Recoge la to "the glory of the national music of Contem poránea. vida de un tam borero de batá, Jesús Cuba, and its repeated universal Pérez, Obá-llú en lengua Yoruba, uno de contributions [a reference to the then 7. Batá are know n as drum s of Shango. The los grandes tam boreros de batá de la international rage of Cuban popular nam e batá is used for drum s in Brazilian m úsica afrocubana" (C atalogo 1986: 417). m usic]" (Ortiz 1938). Ortiz w as aw are that Candom blé, but these seem to not have a his efforts would encourage the guild tradition and a ritual lineage which 11. "Fallecer de m uerte natural m uy anciano transculturation of the batá into national are key to the Cuban bata drummers. - o anciana - , dejando tras sí una culture. It was Jesús Pérez w ho took the Recent research, however, has found that num erosa prole, com o un 'árbol doblado lead role in the actual process. "at the oldest shango house of Recife por el peso de sus frutos,' y en arm onía [Brazil] one can still hear a trio of bata con las divinidades y los ancestros. Ser 4. In Ortiz's first conference in 1937, Pablo drums being played. These well known enterrado tras celebrarse todos los ritos Roche used a set of consecrated batá drum s Yoruba drum s, still found today in Cuba funerarios que m arca la tradición, y que inherited from his father. On this occasion, and am ong the Cuban com m unities in the le perm itan entrar en O run (el m ás allá), the musicians w ere Pablo Roche on lyá; U.S.A., w ere believed extinct in Brazil for donde se reúna con los antepasados de Á guedo M orales on Itótele and Jesús Pérez more than fifty years. Thus, the bata su linaje y luego reencarnar, constituye on O kónkolo (Ortiz 1938: 93-95). drums which can be heard in our music para los yorubá la buena m uerte." selection are, m ost probably, the only ones 5. Oba Kosó Batá literally could be th at can still be found in Brazil" (Carvalho 12. Mr. Juan Elósegui, a musician and interpreted as "The batá of Sángó (The & Segato 1992: 9). pedagogue form erly of the National king of Kóso, or the King who did not Sym phony of Cuba. hang)." The phrase "O ba Kóso" in Yorubá 8. The group "Los amigos" performed has tw o interpretations: 1) Oba a Kóso descargas w ith Guillerm o Barreto on the "The pba [ruler] of Kóso ["the com pound pailas, "Tata G uiñes" on the congas, Jesús w here the political head of the Sángó cult Pérez on batá (and som etim es w ith Regino