The Bongos

Thomas Altmann, 2004

The bongos are the classical drums of the Cuban Son. In the sextetos and septetos from 1910 to 1935, they were the only drums, accompanied by maracas and claves. In the conjuntos, the conga drum (tumbadora) was added to their support, while in the big bands of the Mambo era as well as in modern-day Salsa, the timbales (pailas) and/or the drum set reinforce the brass arrangement as the third partner in the percussion section. The bongosero (bongo player) is also in charge of the big, hand-helt bell, called campana in Spanish, and often for the guiro, too, which belongs to the Charanga-based styles, such as Cha-Cha-Chá or Danzón, both of which do traditionally not incorporate bongos.

The bongos may be regarded as the "primadonna" of the Salsa percussion section. They emphasize or play around the melody and the rhythmic phrases of the arrangement in alignment with the Clave. Their one-bar basic pattern is the so-called martillo (literally "the hammer"). A more open, improvised way of playing is based on a continuo of varied und embellished accent patterns (sometimes referred to as repique). Like no other percussionist, the bongo player has to be thoroughly familiar with the rhythmics of Cuban music and the mechanics of its rhythmic key, the Clave. At the campana, the bongosero must possess a relentless drive and a unerrable timing, because in certain structural parts of a piece, the campana carries the rhythm of the whole band.

The photo on this page is taken from the Gon Bops catalog from 1976. The company has been taken over by DW (Drum Workshop). The production of the above depicted model was discontinued.