Bumbac the calypso drum

Manufacture of drums Bumbac, Calypso all year round.

The Calypso has expanded to all the length and width of the State Bolívar, commonly this musical genre is executed in the epoch of Carnivals because thus it was chosen by its interpreters as the epoch of the year to meet and to make a gigantic party where they can play the genre during all the assets.

Nowadays this rhythm is not only played during the carnival season, it is played all year round. It is normal to see a weekend some celebration where you can hear some drums playing calypso. But who makes these drums today? That's how a few meters from my house I met Mr. José Gregorio Lugo, popularly known as Lugo Kaikó who has been making Bumbac drums and other instruments used to play the popular rhythm for more than 29 years.

^{Mr Lugo is one of Calypso's most experienced drum builders in the region..}

Lugo kaikó tells us that at the age of 14 he began his musical career and as a Bumbac drum builder with a group called "puertaerta" with which he learned the trade of playing calypso instruments and making them. In 1994 he formed his own group called Kaikó, which means music, reunion, party, song, and dance. The word has origin patois (patúa) that is a dialect that was formed in the Caribbean islands as a result of the use of the colonized parts of English, French and African languages.

^{their drums have a very modern style but do not lose the essence of the first drums..}

Lugo has built to date some 5000 drums of Bumbac making it one of the most recognized builders of Ciudad Guayana. Only for America 2007 cup, they made him an order of 360 drums that he made in only one week with the participation of 5 people. Usually, this ingenious luthier works alone and sometimes his own family participates in helping him in some tasks that require the presence of more people.

^{Mr. lugo explaining the manufacturing process.}

^{Aluminum rings are essential to maintain the cylindrical shape while building the Bumbac.}

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The manufacture begins with the selection of wood veneer which is very light after cutting the wood is bent to hold it with aluminum rings so you can nail it easily and place the corresponding reinforcements that will give strength and will make the drum stay in the common cylindrical shape, also drilled the holes where the ring that presses the membrane.

^{leather synthetic brand map.}

All the elements are manufactured by Mr. Lugo, except the synthetic leathers that are trademarks known for use in battery. Thus we can notice that the modern manufacture of the drum is very simple in terms of manufacture. Once the drum is finished, it is painted in the color indicated by the person who orders it. Due to the country situation that crosses Venezuela currently only built by orders. In the past, 25 drums were made monthly, so says our friend Lugo.

^{Synthetic leathers provide a continuous refinement without resorting to the cumbersome process of sun-tempering.}

The musical group Kaikó since its inception was designed as a fundamental objective to investigate, disseminate and project several popular Venezuelan rhythms being the Venezuelan calypso the most emphasized for being the most representative of the region.

^{part of Kaikó drum production.}

The group has 4 record productions being the fourth recorded along with the group Junior Kaikó children's academic group thus manage to maintain a seedbed of new members who are taught to play the Caribbean genre.

^{Calypso Kaikó Group Logo .}

Currently, the group Kaikó is investigating the instrument to give a specific musical tuning, this drum does not have a tuning like other instruments such as congas or timbales or the same battery which makes it very difficult to maintain an order in the different compositions that have made other groups in the region.

^{Product seal .}

The factory not only manufactures drums Bumbac also manufactures other drums like cumacos, charrascas, drums of gaita.

source

The Seedbed. "Children singers of Bellavista"

^{Children receive free music classes.}

^{Andreina Jaramillo explaining the origin of Calypso}

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Andreina Jaramillo is approximately 20 years old forming children through a non-profit organization that she founded with the name of Niños Cantores de Bellavista, Bellavista is the name of a community that has high rates of violent deaths and traffic of stolen cars, the idea of forming a musical group was to rescue children and move them away from violence and mafias through the sustained teaching of musical workshops.

^{Andreina Jaramillo.}

In this way, Andreina has worked with more than 50 children and currently prepares a new generation.

^{Children learn by references from Andreina blow to blow .}

^{The Bumbac drum can be played sitting or standing depending on the occasion..}