'Bongo-0' by Roberto Sierra / Performed by Eric Hines

Percussion instruments have been used by many contemporary composers almost exclusively as a media to convey certain coloristic effects.  When listening to Afro-Caribbean folk music, one becomes aware that in this genre, rhythm is the most important factor.  The articulations and modes of attack (color) are subordinated in such a way that their functions are mainly to help in the shaping of the rhythmic figures.

Bongo-0 follows the same line of Afro-Caribbean music, in the sense that rhythm is the foremost parameter.  In this piece, the bongos are used in the traditional manner, with the exception of several unorthodox striking techniques, such as scratching the heads.  The articulations and modes of attack, as in Caribbean folk music, form an integral part of the rhythmic patterns.  Rhythm and the other parameters are treated in such a way that the form of the piece is a continuous transformation of these.  During this process of change, the voice of the percussionist is utilized as a quasi-percussive element.

Bongo-0 is not a mere quotation or transcription of folk music.  This work extracts the folkloric essence of the Afro-Caribbean music and presents it in a totally different dimension.

- Roberto Sierra




About the performer:

Eric Hines serves as Graduate Teaching Assistant at the UA School of Music where he is pursuing a DMA in Percussion Performance.  At UA Eric teaches Applied Lessons and is Director of Steel Bands.  From 2004-2008 Hines served as Associate Director of Bands at Los Fresnos High School in Los Fresnos, TX.  He holds a MM from the University of Arizona where he studied under Norman Weinberg and a BME from the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana, where he studied under William Moersch and Ricardo Flores.

An accomplished performer in a variety of Afro/Caribbean, Brazilian, and popular music, Hines maintains an active performance schedule in Tucson playing timbales with the salsa ensemble Descarga and steel pan with his Caribbean jazz combo Pan Dulce.  An in demand clinician of concert, marching, and world percussion, Hines has presented for the International Percussion Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico, PAS Days of Percussion, TMEA Clinic/Convention, UT Austin Longhorn Music Camp, UT Brownsville Percussion Studio, South East Texas Marching Percussion Camp, and many high school and middle school summer percussion programs.  His performance and recording credits include work with Descarga, Pan Dulce, Tito y su Nuevo Son, Rahe, The Valley Symphony Orchestra, Champaign-Urbana Symphony, SPIpan, The Bongodogs, and I-pan.  Eric has performed internationally throughout Puerto Rico, China, England, Scotland, Belgium, France, Canada, and Mexico.

[rondoweiss]

I play bongos and I can see why the comments are a bit negative.ITs good to listen to this piece without watching.
A lot of cuban and latin players are very predictable, same licks slaps etc, This is not at all predictable and on listening to the piece a few times without watching it does make sense..It has colour and pace. To many people make adverse comments without thinking or studying the music.

[Santafunk]

Love a man who's passionate about his bongos

[portzy]

He looks more like a french chef then a bongo player not gonna lie

[omarmatos]

Manny of watchers are expecting to have a rhythm like salsa o bachata on this percussion, but we all got to know that this instrument was born far in the past before these rhythms were born. So on this performance even though is not what most expect is a neat job executed by a professional.Possibly you will hear this song in the background of film like Agent 007. Do not be rude.

[lilmatty]

we studied this piece in a 20th and 21st century theory seminar and it really is a cool piece. the intricacies of how many different ways that one can strike the bongos to achieve different timbres is astounding. if you notice, the first couple seconds when he's playing, the piece has the player show each individual way the bongos shall be struck throughout the piece. also, to those saying that he is not a good musician basing off of poor technique, the composer states in the description that there are many unorthodox methods of playing the instrument that are going on here, and finding different ways to play an instrument that is outside the societal norm can be quite exciting in and of itself.

[supercup]

Play this at 1.5 Speed, and you will feel like Someone is chasing after you

[lilpete]

excellent! truly excellent. alot of people obviously don't understand perccusion. you don't have to like it, but it WAS excellent

[lawrenceatkins]

Bravo! The crowd goes wild!
Loved it

[SunlightOfTheSpirit]

Big Love from start to finish. Dedication, intelligence, humour, rhythm, originality, musicality ad infinitum.... this is diametrically opposed to what the current crop of popular musicians produce, mumble mouth, trap hi hat, botox horror show, fake ass, fake hair, fake trajectory, lost souled, reality TV, ad nauseam....

[hawk]

I like it, thank you so much for this video. It inspired me to be more creative, God bless you.

[lemonslice]

Never in my life was I so confused about the like bar.

[zozboy]

4:01 made my day, thank you good sir :D

[bradmarchand]

2:05 He should be a soundcloud rapper.

[tannergibson]

Smack those skins!!! This guy is my idol!

[GiovanniTancrediChan]

How could so many people who can't understand shit about music end up on this vid? D:

[woodypernell]

I ham soh passionate abou de bongo! Luuk at me feeleng de passion!

[danielrogers]

Cheek-a-ba! Cheek-o-ba!
Regardless wether or not he’s a good musician, that’s funny stuff! Lighten up people!

[saxyrep]

4:00 the ending ! Oh my shit ! 😂 That's the single greatest thing I've ever seen. Call Karl Perazzo and Giovanni Hidalgo and show that to them. Me voy a reir durante 10 días pensando en esta video. Gracias ! 🤣🤣🤣

[FBNetwork]

Why would anyone dislike this video? His cover is amazing!

[SalazarMilton]

Guys, someone wrote this and he's only performing it. Everyone should stop hating this man for performing someone else's music. This isn't an improvised solo.