Berimbau Solo

An improvised solo, from moviefilms made for an upcoming documentary by Brooklyn-based Greg Deliso and George Davis. I'm a percussion/drum kit player and a Taketina rhythm teacher in New York. I hope you enjoy it. Filmed January 2007 in The Bronx, New York.

Most often I use this instrument when leading Taketina rhythm workshops. For upcoming workshop announcements/details, please copy/paste this URL: http://www.homepage.mac.com/greg_taketina

I honor and respect the Afro-Brazilian and Capoeira spirits and roots of this magical instrument but believe it can be a great sound in other musical contexts (notably in the work of Nana Vasconcelos, Papete, and Airto Moreira).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• berimbau
• berimbao
• greg
• burrows
• percussion
• drums
• improvisation
• worldmusic

[shirleystemple]

Hello, Greg.

Yes, this is still fantastic. A pleasure to hear again.

What have you been up to?

~Max

[gregoryburrows]

Hey Max -- doing lots of live shows, a bit of touring and very little Taketina/berimbau right now -- i want to get back on the horse in 2011. Thanks for your kind words! -Greg B

[kokopellime]

iIdid a evening bones workshop with you back in 2001 or '03 @ Tribal Soundz in the E. Village; wasn;t too good then but finally got it.. I just purchased a berimbau (will hopefully arrive later this week) as i continue on my musical journey (NA flutes; frame drums; didj, bones etc.). It's a pleasure to see you, though only virtually, again. Do you play capoeira? I remeber that you do TaKe TiNa rhythms and was curious as to how they might overlap since capoeira is such a rhythmic art

[gregoryburrows]

@kokopellime -- nice to hear from you and good luck in your quest to play berimbau. No, I have not played in Capoeira but have heard some of the original folkloric music. Basically. the style I'm playing in the video is the style I picked up through Berimbau workshops taught by Taketina's founder, Reinhard Flatischler, with inspiration from Nana/Airto, followed by some of my own experimentation.

[shirleystemple]

Obrigado.

[gregoryburrows]

de nada -- PS, Soma looks really interesting

[shirleystemple]

My pleasure.

How have the shows been going?

[SerjVGM]

Very interesting instrument and nice playing!

[GriNGoLocoTe]

Well, its not a rythm you would use in a roda, but it definitely sounds great!

[dewyandsprite]

@gregoryburrows hey i talked with him earlier and he had said that for the basic rhythms we are playing, that we dont strike below the string...sorry.

[gregoryburrows]

@dewyandsprite - Tell your instructor (and recommended for you also) to listen to and study the masterful berimbau work of Nana Vasconcelos, Airto Moreira, and other great percussionists from Brazil (and elsewhere). they play all over the instrument, without limits on where to strike the string, and always in a musical way.