Tata Guines and Anga

IN MEMORY OF TATA AND ANGA
Tata Guines ~ 6-30-1930 2-4-2008 ~
Federico Aristides Soto better known as “Tata Guines”. Tata was born in Guines, Cuba to a musical family and believers of African Spirituality. His father Joseito played tres. As a child, they started calling him Tata because he started to play on his desk at school and he himself made his first set of bongo with a can of chorizos and a can of condensed milk. He played bongo, guiro and bass and at 12 years old began playing congas with Estrellas Nacientes. He had grand admiration for Chano Pozo who had a great influence on him and he would try to imitate his solos that he would hear on the radio. The first time he saw Chano in person was at a concert with Miguel Matamoros. He was so full of emotion that he took a Bongo solo and Chano looked at him and said “ Little one, you will be grand.”
In 1949 he played with Arcano y Sus Maravillas. On this trip, he suffered racism and poor treatment of payments. However, he challenged himself to make the conga a prestigious instrument and of great importance within an orquestra. He began to play the drum with his fingernails! He created a new style that you could recognize by it’s clean and distinct sound, impressing all of his colleagues. He started to make new timbres and his classic rhythmic phrases. Later, many percussionists took from his innovation and worked on developing more experimental sounds.
He is Cuba’s most revered percussionist. An innovator and father to many percussionists. He created a true classic style. He was known for developing the “Solos Bonitos” (Beautiful Solos), Clear Sound, Technique, and Fingernails! He is a Pioneer and evolutionized the Conga Drum to another level. His first recordings with Cacaho in 1956 and legendary pianist Peruchin is a documented history of his Sound and Solos that all percussionists study to this day. His influence on percussionists is grand. He was 77 when he died in Havana, Cuba on Monday February 4th, 2008.
Miguel “Anga” Diaz ~ 6-15-1961 8-9-2006 ~
Miguel Aurelio Diaz Zais was born in San Juan y Martinez in Pinar Del Rio. He inherited the nickname from his father Aurelio Diaz Fernandez, the original Anga. As a kid, there was always a musical atmosphere at home. His father also played saxophone. He was surrounded by Rumba and played every Sunday from 2-6pm .
He had “Sentimiento Manana”, a serious Timbero/Rumbero. He was one of the innovators in conga technique. One of Cuba’s top leading young percussionists. At his first day in Havana, at the Cuban School of Arts he rehearsed with the group Opus 13. It became his first professional group and he played with them for nine years. After Opus 13 he joined Irakere at 28 years old. He replaced the original Irakere Conga Player, Jorge “El Nino”Alfonso and played with them for nine years.
He developed and perfected his unique 5 -Congas technique and beautiful melodies. His “Marcha” is like no others, very clean and at fast tempos. A sound you recognize as his immediately and will never forget. Anga was widely regarded as one of the world’s great congeros. In 1994, he recorded Pasaporte with his mentor Tata Guines and in 1995 the album won a Egrem Album of The Year Award, equivalent of a Cuban Gramy.
He toured internationally, moved to Paris and started recording and touring with Steve Coleman, Roy Hargrove, Orishas, Omar Sosa, Juan De Marcos, Afro-Cuban All Stars, Cachaito and Buena Vista Social Club. He recorded his dream album Echu Mangua (his Saint in the Yoruba Religion). The concept of the record is the union between Africa, Cuba and a DJ. Anga was an independent musician always creating new projects and experimental ideas but still remaining true to his Afro-Cuban roots.
He moved to Barcelona, continued to teach and tour internationally. He also recorded an educational video called Anga Mania!
Anga suffered a heart attack at his home in Barcelona. He was 45 years old. I knew Anga to be a warm and generous individual. In addition to his father and brother, Diaz is survived by a number of relatives including his parents, his brother who resides in Spain and his three daughters. A young Maestro lives in the sky with other great Rumberos/Masters.