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This compelling book presents the life history of the Afro-Cuban artist whose music has survived both political and personal upheaval. A practitioner of sacred drumming for almost his entire life, Felipe practiced his trade in Cuba both before and after the Revolution and he brought it with him to New York, where he continues to play for the gods.
List of contents
Acknowledgments A Note on Spelling Prologue Part I: Learning the Trade 1. Background 2. Entrance into the Afro-Cuban Religious World 3. Early Musical Experiences 4. Learning to Play Bata 5. History of the Drums Part II: Life as a Musician during the Revolution 6. Making Ends Meet 7. Becoming a "Cultural Worker" 8. Performing Afro-Cuban Religious Music in Secular Public Contexts 9. Performing Afro-Cuban Religious Music in Private Ritual Contexts 10. Searching for Alternatives: Becoming a Craftsman of Religious Objects 11. Crafting A Bembe Drum: "Manufacturing" Material Culture to Obey the Orichas" Part III: Life as a Diasporic Musician 12. Leaving Cuba 13. Building the Present: Exercising His Trade in His New Home 14. The Tools of the Trade 15. The Artisan Transformed into an Artist 16. Filipe's "There" Faces His "Here" 17. The Struggle of Memory over Forgetting Epilogue Notes Bibliography Glossary Index Photographs
Summary
A practitioner of sacred drumming for almost his entire life, Felipe practiced his trade in Cuba both before and after the Revolution and brought it with him to New York. This book focuses on three periods of Felipe's life, each marked by changes in his personal life and by important historical events.
