Nanette
Garcia talks
about Frankie Malabe:
One
summer afternoon in ‘87 I sat in a practice room at the Harbor
Conservatory for the Performing Arts, NY playing conga with Freddie,
another student. Freddie
whet my interest when he demonstrated a few Malabe inventos.
As
I listened I thought: what a fresh approach to playing
basic afro-cuban rhythms and asked Freddie “Who taught you this stuff?”… “Frankie” he
replied, as if referring to just another street player. I
listened to a few more inventos before asking “Where do I find this
Frankie?” …and with the same nonchalance he answered “He teaches
in the next classroom over”. To
avoid being rude, I waited another half hour before making
my way to this classroom…the room I’d spend every Monday
in for the next five years studying inventos.
Frank
is remembered as an innovative afro-cuban conguero, but
he was a composer who happened to choose the drum to speak through
and who
possessed the kind of musicality that never stopped challenging
the boundaries of tradition. I was fortunate to have lived in the
light
of that musicality for a moment in my life, and as a composer,
was inspired to make the ‘exploration of the Afro-Cuban rhythmic possibilities’ my
life’s work. The years of musical science that went into the compositions
that make up Alchemy are all Maurice and I can do to express immeasurable
appreciation for this musician’s contribution to the afro-Cuban
drumming community. To a great mentor and loving friend,
Frank Malabe.
David
Amaram talks about Alchemy and Frankie Malabe:
Nanette
Garcia and Mauricio Minichino’s long awaited tribute to master
percussionist Frankie Malabe is a cause for rejoicing. For those
of us who were
blessed to have known and played with Frankie remember him as
the keeper of the flame. He spent a lifetime learning and performing
the folkloric music of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and was deeply connected
to the religious music of the Yoruba tradition.
Frankie
never exploited scared or ceremonial music. He emphasized
to every serious performer and listener the importance of the ‘voice’ of
the drum of all music cultures throughout the world. He believed
this voice should be cherished,
respected, and carried on from generation to generation, as it is older
than recorded history keeps us connected to our ancestors.
In
1960, when I played with my first Latin band, there were
not many people around to explain the spiritual power of the
music. This power came on you
on its own, and you automatically knew that you were a part of something
you wanted to understand more about. And it was only trough
a show of extreme respect
and sincere interest for the music that knowledgeable person would
teach you what this deeper meaning was all about.
Once
you started feeling the clave and learned to play your first tumbao,
you became
a lifetime student of this University.
A University that
was not located
in an Ivy-covered building, but on the street of New York, descargas
at private homes park bench gathering on Sunday afternoon, playing
in all the Latin bands
around, and simply spending time with those who knew more about
the music
Frankie
not only possessed a unique style of playing conga, but was an
extraordinary teacher who shared his
love and knowledge of the
music with many of our finest
artists playing today. His warm and down-to-earth way with everyone
was a part of who he was on and off the bandstand. For those
of us who
knew him share
a common experience which we will never forget.
Nanette
and Mauricio’s
work in this album is a musical ‘homenaje’ honoring
the enduring value of Frankie’s legacy. It is the perfect way
of saying, from all of us, Muchisimas Gracias por tu trabajo
fabuloso,
Frankie.
David
Amaram 2005
Listen
to a clip by clicking the titles of each song: