Customer Reviews

Anga Mania! [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, it's important to understand what this video is and what it is not. It's not a beginner's video; it assumes the viewer has at least 1 year's worth of playing experience, including personalized instruction on the Tumbao and Guaguanco patterns. If you want to get all that you possibly can from this video, you need to be at the stage at which you can learn by watching. Miguel teaches not as a conga player or even a percussionist, but as a musician. I thought the ensemble and DJ sets were excellent -- at the very least, they serve as a demonstration that a good conga drummer is by no means constrained to Latin music.

I have 6 instructional videos for the conga. This one is by far the best. As a bonus, the audio and video are surprisingly good. If you're a beginner, don't expect to learn basic techniques. Do, however, expect a show of all the different things you can do. If you're an intermediate-to-advanced player... well, set your drums up in front of the TV and get ready to wear out your VCR! Either way, it's a fun ride.

For those not familiar with his work, Anga was (I feel sorry saying "was") a very adroit conga player who often performed with more than the traditional two drums, to give his grooves a more melodic aspect. He was also capable of playing very fast licks, sometimes using Changuito's "mano secreta" double stroke technique. If you have heard Giovanni Hidalgo, you have a general idea of the "school" of congueros that Anga came from.

How you feel about this video will depend on your skill level and interest. A beginning conga player (or non-conga player) could watch this for pleasure, but might be a little overwhelmed. Anga plays his own five drum variations of the basic tumbao and guaguanco patterns, but he never explains the underlying strokes or patterns --that's not the video's intent.

Intermediate and advanced players have a grab bag of licks to check out, some explained and some not, plus a couple new groove ideas -- the pilon and batumbata (sp?) conga rhythms played against other percussion and a hiphop drumset beat -- all played by Anga, overdubbing to become three players. There is also a thought-provoking duet with a dj in a drum&bass style, with some nice doubletime grooving by Anga.

The one audience that may be a little frustrated are people who prefer the folkloric style of Cuban percussion, past & present, eg the Munequitos, Conjunto Folklorico, etc. Although Anga plays one well-known bata rhythm in passing, he does not really play rumba or other traditional Afro-cuban styles in their more sophisticated forms, preferring -- in this video, at least -- to take fairly simple rhythms like tumbao and the old-fashioned style of guaguanco, and elaborate on them with more notes and faster licks. This is not a criticism, just a matter of aesthetic choice.

Speaking as a musician who does not play much conga anymore, I most enjoyed the conga-turntable duet -- a very interesting musical statement.

If you are a conguero with some fluency on the instrument, you will probably find something here to provoke or challenge you, assuming you like the Hidalgo-Changuito style of playing.

First, this is not another typical 'instructional video'. This is one I feel beginners through advanced intermediate players will enjoy watching many, many times. Miguel does provide some philosophy and some tips--including how to develop solos using a ground-up approach adding 'melody' gradually (he uses all 5 drums throughout most of the video).

But, you're going to want to sit back and watch, listen and learn from what he does. He's really something to behold. As for some of the ensemble stuff and DJ accompaniment--well, some of it's just a bit goofy for me. Still, this is a refreshing break from videos that are intended to be stepwise instructional. Oh--you don't need 5 drums to get the ideas.

The tape which I received was out of sync. The audio was consistently 2 frames early throughout the entire performance. In some of the sections it was more than 20 frames out. I found it very distracting to view the tape as a performance or instuctional video. Also there was no detailed transcription provided. After some research I found it online. I agree with other reviewers that this not an instructional video. Anga was truely a great and talented musician and will be missed. His perfromance on this video is outstanding. I would have preferred to see him play in a group situation or play more folkloric pieces. I could not relate to him jamming with a dj or pianist. That being said I think this video produtcion falls short of being a performance video. In my opinion the video lacks continuity and seems to be thrown togeather. The only positive thing I have to say about the produtcion is the audio quality is good.

I did like the video but i would be better as a DVD. This video is not intended for learning congas but for enjoying and listening, and maybe get some ideas for soloing on congas. Anga is one of the 3 conga birtuso players i know. The other 2 are Changuito and Giovani Hidalgo. It would be better if this video came whith a book, whith the transcriptions of the things he plays on the video. The image and sound are very good.

Miguel "Anga" Diaz is considered one of the top conga drummers in the world. One viewing of this video will obviously show you why. His complete mastery of multiple drum set ups are astounding. Nevertheless, despite the well written transciption book by Victor Rendon, Anga only spends about 5 minutes with three excerises, in developing conga drum technique. There is no mention of developing proper tones/strokes. This is not an instructional video but a performance video.

Anga proves that he is probably the best all-round player in the world. His unique 5 drum set-up along with individual performances with a latin pianist and a DJ just goes to show what a versatile player he is. There is also a very innovative and original solo that is absolutely breath-taking. He also kindly gives away a few tips on technique, which is handy but I'm glad the video is more performance orientated rather than an instructional aid. Anga's performance is inspirational and it's amazing how much one is able to let from watching rather than being instructed. Anga has definitely breathe new life into my playing. I've rated it 4-star because I couldnt get enough of it.

This is a great dvd that showcases the talent of one of the best percussionist of our time. Miguel was not only a virtuoso but also a very creative musician.