Estudiantina Ensemble
Cuba
8:00 pm-9:00 pm,26,Sep 2011
Artists
Lead Vocal /Guitar: Ricardo “Arístides” Bekema
Vocal /Third Guitar: Pedro Luís Pardo Cosme “El Chamba”
Lead Vocal /Percussion Menor: Oscar Lorient Vedey “Papitín”
Lead Vocal /Percussion Menor: Eric “Derecho de Nacer” Wijngaarde
Baroque Timpani (Pailas Criollas): Adriaan Joaquín Correa
Trumpet : Alexander Rodriguez Cala
Double Bass: Ernesto Paz Rivero
The name Estudiantina Ensemble came from his dear friend and musical teacher “Inaudis Paisán Mallet” who was at that time the director of Estudiantina Invasora, the last estudiantina in the whole of Cuba. Ricardo followed in the footsteps of his master in dedication, preservation and continuation of the traditional danzón music in the estudiantina tradition from Santiago de Cuba and the Eastern Orient provinces of Cuba.
The original estudiantina groups were formed by students who roamed the streets and local festivities and played the popular version of the danzón during the late 19th century. Consisting of two guitars, two tres, bass, trumpet, drums and two singers who also played the guiro and maracas, these groups roamed the streets of Cuban traditional university uniforms playing music for fun and money.
With persistent dedication to its musical genre and through innumerable performances in Holland, Cuba and abroad, Estudiantina Ensemble tries to save a significant popular musical style from extinction. The performances of this uniquely Dutch/Cuban group have remained virtually intact. So the same instrumentation is used by Estudiantina Ensemble today as the old ensemble’s did in the late 20’s.
