Que Vola? video series episode 1: Ramón, percussionist, son of Changó

Ramón Tamayo Martinez, barely thirty years old has been around sacred drums for as long as he remembers. Son of Changó, god of lightning and war, he tells us how drums and afro-cuban deities are inseparable. Following him in a ceremony, we will see him become one of the Saints he invokes.

À tout juste trente ans, Ramón Tamayo Martinez baigne depuis petit dans l’univers des tambours sacrés. Fils de Changó, le dieu de la foudre et de la guerre, il nous raconte comment les tambours et les divinités afro-cubaines sont inséparables. Immergé avec lui dans une cérémonie, nous le verrons se mettre dans la peau des Saints qu’il invoque.

New French-Cuban jazz outfit Que Vola? is set to release their debut album, ‘¿Que Vola?’ on January 25, 2019 via French imprint Nø Førmat! (Oumou Sangaré, Mélissa Laveaux, ALA.NI, Blick Bassy).

¿Que Vola? “What’s up?” – that’s how Cubans like to greet each other. They like it so much that the phrase is common currency in the heavily-accented street slang of the island. It’s now also namesake to a unique new collective bringing together a French jazz septet with three young and talented Cuban percussionists, marrying dizzying virtuosity with the Afro-Cuban divinities that underpin Cuban music.

• French-Cuban Jazz Outfit “Que Vola?” Releases Debut Album