Mar�a Teresa V�lez: Drumming for the Gods

<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link="#0000FF" vlink="#CC0000" alink="#CC0000"><center><hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade>The world through the eyes of a master religious drummer<hr width="350" size="1" align="center" noshade><p><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9781566397308&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><img src="1412_reg.gif" height=200 border=1 vspace=4></p></center><h1>Drumming for the Gods</h1> <H2>The Life and Times of Felipe Garc�a Villamil, santero, palero, and abaku�</H2> <h3>Mar�a Teresa V�lez</h3> <P>cloth 1-56639-730-8 $80.50, Jan 00, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <br>paper 1-56639-731-6 $29.95, Jan 00, <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <br>Electronic Book 1-43990-615-7 $29.95 <FONT COLOR=#990033>Available</FONT> <BR> 256 pp 6x9 1 figure 27 halftones </P><BLOCKQUOTE><I>"This is without a doubt the most comprehensive English language study of an individual Cuban religious drummer."</I> <BR>&#151<B>Steve Cornelius</B><I></I></BLOCKQUOTE> <P>"I am Felipe Garc&#237a Villamil" begins <i>Drumming for the Gods</i>, the life history of the Afro-Cuban artist whose music has survived both political and personal upheaval. "Balog&#250n for thirty years. Ol&#250a&#241&#225, of Matanzas, Cuba, for about forty years. Om&#243a&#241&#225 for almost forty-five years. Ol&#250Iyes&#225 [he who knows the secrets of the Iyes&#225 drums]." A practitioner of sacred drumming for almost his entire life, Felipe practiced his trade in Cuba both before and after the Revolution and brought it with him to New York, where he continues to play for the gods. <p>This book focuses on three periods of Felipe's life, each marked by changes in his personal life and by important historical events. The first period covers his formative years during which he received his initial training. Through Felipe's story, we explore the legacy of slavery in Cuba, the nature of Afro-Cuban religions and their musical traditions, and the history of bat&#225 drums. The second period covers the critical years of the Cuban Revolution. Here we see the effect of social turmoil both on music and religious practice (<i>santero</i>, <i>palero</i>, and <i>abaku&#225</i>). The third period covers Felipe's life in New York as a refugee/immigrant, and the role of music in rebuilding his identity. Felipe's story illuminates his cultural practices and beliefs as well as the ways in which an individual musician selects and modifies the elements of his cultural heritage to create a voice that is personal and unique. Felipe not only lives through history but also makes history, shaping an identity that cannot be described as "Cuban immigrant," "Afro-Cuban," religious drummer," or "santeria initiate," but is composed of all of them. <p>Through Felipe's experiences, Mar&#237a Teresa V&#233lez reveals the interaction between social, political, economic, and cultural forces and an individual's own actions. The professionalization of musicians in Cuba following the Revolution and the plight of Afro-Cuban immigrants in New York are seen as large historical and social problems to which Felipe must personally respond. A noted ethnomusicologist, V&#233lez provides the most insightful and comprehenisve English-language study of an individual Cuban religious drummer available. <p><i>Drumming for the Gods</i> is a must-read for those interested in ethnomusicology, Caribbean studies, and Afro-Cuban religions and culture. <BR> <h2>Excerpt</h2><P>Excerpt available at <a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress">www.temple.edu/tempress</a></p> <BR> <h2>Reviews</h2> <P><I>"</I>Drumming for the Gods<I> constitutes an impressive accomplishment and includes a great deal of previously unavailable information. It represents a significant contribution to existing literature on Cuban music and cultural history."</I> <BR>&#151<B>Robin Moore</B>, Temple University <p><I>"[This book] documents the musical traditions of the Afro-Christian Santaria cults through the life history of one of Cuba�s most esteemed practitioners of sacred drumming."</I> <br>&#151<b><I>Institute for Studies in American Music Newsletter</I></b> <BR> <h2>Contents</h2><P> <p>Acknowledgments <br>A Note on Spelling <br>Prologue <p><b>Part I: Learning the Trade</b> <br>1. Background <br>2. Entrance into the Afro-Cuban Religious World <br>3. Early Musical Experiences <br>4. Learning to Play Bat� <br>5. History of the Drums <p><b>Part II: Life as a Musician during the Revolution</b> <br>6. Making Ends Meet <br>7. Becoming a "Cultural Worker" <br>8. Performing Afro-Cuban Religious Music in Secular Public Contexts <br>9. Performing Afro-Cuban Religious Music in Private Ritual Contexts <br>10. Searching for Alternatives: Becoming a Craftsman of Religious Objects <br>11. Crafting A Bemb� Drum: "Manufacturing" Material Culture to Obey the Orichas" <p><b>Part III: Life as a Diasporic Musician</b> <br>12. Leaving Cuba <br>13. Building the Present: Exercising His Trade in His New Home <br>14. The Tools of the Trade <br>15. The Artisan Transformed into an Artist <br>16. Filipe's "There" Faces His "Here" <br>17. The Struggle of Memory over Forgetting <p>Epilogue <br>Notes <br>Bibliography <br>Glossary <br>Index <br>Photographs </P><BR> <H2>About the Author(s)</H2> <P><B>Mar�a Theresa V�lez</B> is a freelance ethnomusicologist.</P> <BR><H2>Subject Categories</H2> <p><A HREF="/tempress/latin.html" TARGET="_top">Latin American/Caribbean Studies</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/music.html" TARGET="_top">Music and Dance</a> <BR><A HREF="/tempress/sociology.html" TARGET="_top">Sociology</a> </p> <BR><h2 class="inpageheading">In the series</H2> <P><I><a href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/latin_music.html" onMouseOver="window.status='Click for other books in this series!'; return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''; return true;" target="_top">Studies in Latin American and Caribbean Music</a></i>, edited by Peter Manuel. </p><p><i>Studies in Latin American and Caribbean Music</i>, edited by Peter Manuel, aims to present interdisciplinary studies in the traditional and contemporary musics of Latin America and the Caribbean.</p> <p align="center"><a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/ChicagoBook.aspx?ISBN=9781566397308&&PRESS=temple" target="_top">Buy this book!</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">View Cart</a> | <a href="https://cdcshoppingcart.uchicago.edu/Cart/Cart.aspx?PRESS=temple" target="_top">Check Out</a></p><p><font face="Arial" size="1"><a href="copyright.html" onMouseOver="window.status='Web Copyright Policy';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Web Copyright Policy">©</a> 2015 <a href="http://www.temple.edu" target="new" onMouseOver="window.status='Link to Temple University home page';return true;" onMouseOut="window.status=''" title="Link to Temple University home page">Temple University</a>. 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