At the heart of traditional Afro-Venezuelan polyrhythms: an encounter with the mythical and mystical Barlovento and SantériaPar Miguel Urbina, accompanied by Jhony Rudas and Keny Quintana (percussion), Julio D'Santiago (mediator and translator)
Hosted by Miguel Urbina, with the support of Julio D'Santiago, this instrumental encounter invites you to delve into the heart of Afro-Venezuelan and Afro-Cuban musical traditions. The focus will be on the cultural riches of the emblematic region of Barlovento, in northern Venezuela, where drum polyrhythms and dances rooted in African traditions are still very much alive today.
In conjunction with the concert on 11 October (MEG, 8pm) as part of the ADEM festival, Music and Mysticism, we will also be looking beyond Barlovento to the sacred repertoire of Santería, an Afro-Cuban religion that draws its essence from the Batá and Añá drums. These instruments are used to invoke and honour the Orishas, divine entities or ancestral spirits from the Yoruba religion, each Orisha having his or her own rhythms and songs, making the drums not just musical instruments but particularly effective intercessors between the spiritual and earthly worlds. The rhythm and cadence of the drums are said to resonate with the spirits, facilitating spiritual possession and communication with the Orishas.
Miguel Urbina was born on 28 December 1966 in Rio Chico, in the state of Miranda. From an early age, he took an interest in percussion with his father Humberto Urbina and his brother Raúl Urbina. At the age of 14, he joined the group Danzas Negras de Barlovento, where he began a systematic study of percussion. It was there that he took his first Afro-Cuban percussion workshops with Orlando Poleo and Omar Olivero. He moved to Caracas and continued his percussion studies at the Sarría Art workshop with Orlando Poleo, and also began studying Batá drumming with Orlando Poleo, Farides Mijares and Omar Olivero. He studied symphonic percussion at the National Youth Orchestra Conservatory with Benigno Medina and Jesús Blanco, and later joined the Venezuelan Percussion Ensemble directed by Alberto Vergara. He also studied music theory and harmony. He studied geography and art at the Central University of Venezuela. He was a member of the Afro-American Studies Workshop in the Faculty of Humanities at the Central University of Venezuela, directed by Jesús García, where he was part of the research team on Afro-Venezuelan music, which led to the recording of 7 albums with musicians from different Afro-Venezuelan communities.
Jhony Rudas is dedicated to teaching traditional Afro-Caribbean music. He has taught in rural areas of the municipality of Andrés Bello and in the cultural department of the Federal District town hall. Jhony is one of the founders of the legendary group Mina. He has recorded with renowned artists such as Henry Threadgill and Guaco, and has been a member of numerous batá drum orchestras and ensembles. Keny Quintana began studying Afro-Caribbean percussion at the age of 11 under Miguel Urbina. He continued his studies at the Cátedra Libre de Percusión in San José de Barlovento. Keny has played with the group Mina in New York and is a member of several batá groups. Julio D'Santiago, an ethnomusicologist and musician of Venezuelan origin, currently works as a teaching assistant at ADEM (Ateliers d'ethnomusicologie, Geneva).