Carlos Aldama's Life in Batá: Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum

Foreword

xi In his introduction to Carlos Aldama’s Life in Batá: Cuba, Diaspora, and the Drum, Professor Umi Vaughan reminds us of what every percussionist , possessed by the spirit of the drum, must do–eat, drink, sleep, and dream drums. I have been a percussionist for forty-seven years and a priestoftheòrìs ˙ àObátàlàforfortyyears.Intheearlyyearsofmymusical training, I would fall asleep in my bed while playing a drum, much to the annoyance of my very understanding parents. Even today, no tabletop is safe from my constant practicing. Just ask my wife. Although the Africans in Cuba were able to reconstruct and invent innumerable musical instruments to represent and assist in cultural reclamation, the sacred set of three bàtá drums of the Yorùbá/Lùkùmí can unequivocally be considered the most important musical symbol of the reclamation movement. For the Yorùbá/Lùkùmí, the spirit that animates all drums is called Àyàn (The Chosen) and the drummers consecrated to that spirit are called ọmọ Àyàn (children of the Chosen). Like children everywhere, we all need good parents who will teach us about our place in the family history, show us the proper way to live in the world, and how to interact fairly with our fellow humans. For the traditional , religious drummer the discovering of the knowledgeable teacher who also possesses good character is critically important. The master drummerdevoteshislifetoperfectinghisartandlearningtomanipulate the transformative powers of the drum in service to the community. He must learn all the songs, praises, dances, and ritual gestures associated with each of the òrìs ˙ à/divinities. Good character helps to assure the F o r e w o r d John Mason Foreword xii ethicalandprudenttransmissionofthosetransformativepowers.Carlos Aldama is widely considered one of those master teachers. I first met Carlos Aldama in 1986 in Havana, Cuba, during my participation in Folk Cuba, a two-week long folkloric course hosted by ConjuntoFolkl óricoNacionaldeCuba.HeandMarioAspirinawerethetwo mainpercussioninstructors.Iwastold,withoutanyfanfareandsodidn’t think much of it at the time, that Mario came from a famous drumming family and that Carlos had been taught by renowned drummer Jesús Pérez, who was well known among informed American ritual drummers . Being a professional drummer and drumming instructor already, I hadn’t gone to Cuba to study drumming. In those days the Folk Cuba course allowed American cultural researchers to go to Cuba without problems from the United States government. My research goal was to document, firsthand, elders, Lùkùmí history, and ritual procedures in both Havana and Matanzas. So, farsighted, I missed an at-my-fingertips golden research opportunity. But it wasn’t a total loss, because I was able to see and hear Carlos Aldama play, in various drum ensembles, almost every day for the two weeks of Folk Cuba. He was also present during, and contributed to, an interview I conducted at the home of a famous singer, Ògún priest, and Folklórico organizer, Lázaro Ros. Carlos even offered to give me a private bàtá lesson, but I declined. The last time we saw each other was in Matanzas in 1988 during Carnival. We were both trying, without success, to sit in and play with the world famous rumba group Los Muñequitos de Matanzas. They performed every day during Carnival on a public stage set up near the marina. Some time later, information came to me that Carlos had come to the United States and was living in Oakland, California. Another master had graced our community. I met Umi Vaughan in 1999 at the University of Michigan, where I had been invited to lecture by Professor Ruth Behar, who was familiar with my works on Yorùbá religion in the Americas. Umi and I hit it off and kept in touch. His artistic enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and thoughtful respect serve him well. Umi’s finding and being accepted as an apprentice by master drummer Carlos Aldama was a blessing for us all. The title given to Aldama when he was initiated as a priest of the òrìs ˙ à S ˙ àngó is Ọba Kó ˙ wé(ì)’lù Foreword xiii (Ruler who built enwrapped drums). This title seems to indicate that his life and story, spiritually tied to the initiators of the bàtá, may help those of us who missed the opportunity to study and spend time with him to fill in the missing blanks in our respective...