Carlos Aldama's Life in Bata

Batá identifies both the two-headed, hourglass-shaped drum of the Yoruba people and the culture and style of drumming, singing, and dancing associated with it. This book recounts the life story of Carlos Aldama, one of the masters of the batá drum, and through that story traces the history of batá culture as it traveled from Africa to Cuba and then to the United States. For the enslaved Yoruba, Batá rhythms helped sustain the religious and cultural practices of a people that had been torn from its roots. Aldama, as guardian of Afro-Cuban music and as a Santería priest, maintains the link with this tradition forged through his mentor Oba Ilu, who was himself the connection to the preserved oral heritage of the older generation. By sharing his stories, Aldama and his student Umi Vaughn bring to light the techniques and principles of batá in all its aspects and document the tensions of maintaining a tradition between generations and worlds, old and new. The book includes rare photographs and access to downloadable audio tracks.

UMI Vaughan is Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at California Slate University, Monterey Bay, and author of Rebel Dance, Renegade Stance: Timba Music and Muck Identity in Cuba. To learn more visit UmiArt.com. Carlos aldama is omo An (sworn to the drum) and a priest of Chang in the Santera religion. Born in Havana, he was a founding member of Conjunto Folklrico Nacional de Cuba, studying under its original musical director, Jess Prez (Oba Ilu), and later serving as musical director himself.