Iluyenkori

Iluyenkori Was Co-Founded In 1987 By French Percussionist Roger Fixy And French Singer-Dancer-Actress Daniela Giacone. Their Mission Was To Perform Sacred Afro-Cuban "cantos Y Toques A Los Orishas " The Music Of Cuban Lucumi Also Called Santeria Or Regla De Ocha . Iluyenkori Collaborated With An Internationally-Diverse Group Of Musicians To Release Three Albums Between 1992 And 1999. Although There Was Significant Turnover Of Its Members Iluyenkori Always Retained An International Character With Musicians Born And Raised In Various European And South American Countries Including Italy France Argentina And French Overseas Region Réunion. The Death Of Roger Fixy In September 2008 Marked The End Of The Group Although An Offshoot Alafia Continues To Perform Secular Cuban Music In Paris. Iluyenkori Performed Sacred Ritualistic Afro-Cuban Chants And Rhythms. The New Group's Name Was Reputedly Inspired In Part By One Of Havana's Early Rumba Orchestras. However The Larger Inspiration According To Iluyenkori's Web Page Was Derived From The Cuban Dialect Of African Yoruba Used By Devotees Of The Lucumi Religion "ilu" Means Drum "yen" Means Dance And "kori" Means Song. Lucumi’s Rituals And Ceremonies Depend On The Interplay Among Drum Dance And Song As A Mode For Communicating With The Orishas Or Deities And The Name Evokes That Interplay. The "toques” Rhythmic Songs Directed At Specific Orishas Are Played On The "bata " Which Are Double-Headed Hourglass-Shaped Drums. The Three Different Sizes Of Bata Drums Each Play A Unique Role In The Yoruba-Based Lucumi Ceremony And Must Be Played As An Interactive Ensemble Of Three. The Basic Stabilizing Rhythm Of Any Given "toque" Is Played On The Smallest Of The Bata The "onkonkolo". The Middle-Sized Drum Or "itotele " Also Plays Complementary Foundational Rhythms But Has Some Freedom To Enter Into Circumscribed But Improvisational "conversations" With The Largest Bata The "iya." As Lead Drum The Iya Has Considerable Freedom To Improvise Within The Structure Of The Liturgical Arrangement And To Induce "conversational" Responses From The Itotele And Sometimes The Onkonkolo Thus Orchestrating A Complex "call-And-Response" Rhythmic Arrangement Which Is Intended To Attract Attention From The Orishas So That They Will Come Down And "mount" The Devotees. According To The Blog "Echu Aye Yoruba Music Of Cuba " Roger Fixy Was Born In The Small Village Of Marigot Martinique. He Later Moved To France To Create What Was To Be The First French Group Performing Folkloric Afro-Cuban Music. Roger Fixy Had Initially Encountered The Bata In 1975 During A Performance By Percussionist Bill Summers At That Time A Member Of Jazz Pianist Herbie Hancock's Ensemble. In 1984 Fixy Traveled To Cuba To Pursue His Interest In The Bata And Finally Stumbled Upon A Rehearsal By A Group Of Bataleros And Other Musicians Playing Afro-Cuban Music In A Suite At His Hotel. This Afforded Fixy The Opportunity To Meet And Study With Several Professional Percussionists Who Had Mastered Afro-Cuban Rhythms. During His Five Return Trips To Cuba Roger Fixy Continued His Bata Studies With Alberto Vilarreal Alexandro Publ Daniel Alfonso Pancho Quinto Ernesto Gatell Román Díaz “Sandi” García Pérez Jesús Alfonso Mario "Aspirina" Jáuregui And The Renowned “Changuito” José Luis Quintana . Roger Fixy Passionate About The Sacred Rhythms Of Cuba Was Forced To Work In Something Of A Vacuum As He Attempted To Create The First Folkloric Afro-Cuban Ensemble In France. In 1987 None Of The Central Afro-Cuban Sacred Music Groups Had Recordings Available In Fixy’s Country. Without Being Able To Refer For Authenticity To Recordings Of Top-Tier Folkloric Groups Such As Clave Y Guaguancó Yoruba Andabó And The Conjunto Folklórico Nacional Roger Fixy Had To Rely On His Intensive Studies In Cuba And Forged Ahead With His Own Recordings And Performances. In 1992 Roger Fixy Became A Fully Consecrated Omo-Añá Or Olubata Officially Able To Play In Santeria Ceremonies And Was Honored With A Set Of Fundamento Anointed Bata That Were Made In 1954 In Cuba. One Of The Bata Is Named "Airakéré" And Is Dedicated To The Orisha Shango Yoruban God Of Thunder. Having Achieved This Honorable Status Roger Was Able To Record Sacred Lucumi Music With Iluyenkori Which Released Their First Album In 1993. During This Decade Roger Became Known As The Ambassador To France Of Sacred Afro-Cuban Music From Matanzas Cuba. Before His Death In 2008 At The Age Of 56 Roger Fixy Had Succeeded In Facilitating Much-Needed Information Flows Between France And Cuba Regarding The Complex Liturgical Bata Repertoire Thus Paving The Way For Today's Second-Generation Musicians Performing This Afro-Cuban Music In France. read less