It is a beautiful Saturday morning when I enter the grounds of the Andrew Freedman Home in the Bronx where Jose Ortiz, also known as Dr. Drum, hosts a free Bomba Yo workshop every Saturday. Jose is already busy setting up the drums, usually made of rum barrels and goatskin, in the beautiful park-like setting for the lesson, and he invites me to his studio, where he keeps all his drums. Jose, a Bronx native, tells me that Bomba changed his life. For him, Bomba is not so much about the fame and fortune, though he has quite a list of accomplishments to show for, but more about healing the soul, knowing where one comes from and honor those who paved the way before him.
Bomba, a fusion of African, Spanish, and Taíno cultures goes back 400 years when the first African slaves from different tribes were brought to Puerto Rico to work on sugar plantations. The only way they were able to communicate with each other was through barrel drums. It evolved into a rhythmic language between dancers, percussionists, and singers when Maracas dating back to the Taíno and dance elements, were added. While other music genres usually dictate the rhythm to which a dancer moves, with Bomba, it is the dancer who controls the rhythm of the drums with their moves.
For Jose, it is essential that his students learn about the cultural importance of Bomba and the role it plays in Puerto Rico’s history. Bomba, he says, is not just about dancers moving to the rhythm of the drums. He wants his students to understand that the drums created the identity of Bomba and that its evolution represents the struggles of Puerto Ricans throughout the centuries. “We are not talking about an idea. This is the reality that this instrument is our culture. This is not to join the band; this is about waking up to yourself; this is who I am,” he tells his students.
Jose then introduces Jose Emmanuelli Nater, Director of Centro de Investigación y Cultura “Raíces Eternas,” and El Bombazo de Puerto Rico who is going to teach today’s workshop. For Jose Emmanuelli, it is crucial that Bomba doesn’t become a spectacle but that it is honored for its rich history and that Puerto Rico’s oldest musical tradition is passed on to the next generation.
For the next two hours or so, with Jose Emmanuelli on the leading drum barrel, the Primo, students are going to enter the dancing circle, one by one, tipping their head to Jesse beginning a dialogue with him through their dance moves and expressions. He follows their moves with the beating of his drum which in turn is followed by musicians playing the Buleador drum and the Maracas. It is a lesson in how a community works or should work — a lesson in observing, listening, and working with each other.
If you are interested in a Bomba workshop visit http://www.bombayo.org/classes-services.html
Impressions of the workshop:
