This story starts off weird and then gets more and more strange. I think you will find it an example of how all things are inter-connected.
The story starts out when I was a little boy and I had two imaginary friends. I used to play with them a lot and I had names for them. I called them Kumba and Kimba. Ask my Mom she will tell you all about it.
Jump forward to the present day. I just got back from Sedona, AZ. I had a great time there. It is a very beautiful town nestled in the middle of an incredible array of natural red sandstone formations. Sedona is also famous for being at the center of spiritual energy vortexes. There are many New Age spiritual centers, with psychics, healers, aura readers and spiritualists on almost every corner. Of course, while in Sedona, I had to have a Kirlian photo taken of my aura.
The psychic, Jamie Jones-Hoaglund, who took the aura photo is well known. She has appeared on the TV shows, the Bachelorette and Good Morning America. The aura photo and Jamie's reading was amazing. Jamie totally blew my mind with what she said about me. I won't go into all of the details, but one thing in particular she said has stuck with me. There are two bright orbs just above and on either side of my head. Jamie said these are spirit guides or angels. It is very special to have one, but to have two is exceptional.
I had not thought about my imaginary friends Kumba and Kimba in a long time, but it suddenly occurred to me that they might be my two spirit guides! Then I wondered if any one else has a connection to Kumba and Kimba. They might be historical names, or place names, etc.
I just did a Google search for "Kumba Kimba". The search turned up a singular item in which Kumba Kimba is mentioned; it is a song called Kumba Kimba by Sergio "Chino" Ramos, from the Album Kumba Kimba. (Original release date, July 4, 2011 just about one year ago). No where else in all of the internet is Kumba Kimba mentioned together as a phrase.
Some interesting facts about Chino Ramos:
- Chino Ramos was born in New York City, his parents are from Puerto Rico. I too was born in New York City, my parents live in Puerto Rico for 5 months of the year.
- Chino is a percussionist who fell in love with the conga drums at a very young age. I too love the conga drums and have a pair of LP Aspire Sunburst drums (see photo below).
- Chino took percussion lessons in New York City. I never have taken lessons, but I would love to one day.
- The song "Kumba Kimba" is about a drummer without fame or fortune. I need to find out more about the exact meaning and how Chino uses the phrase in context.
- The song is quite successful in Puerto Rico and is a favorite for dancers competing in salsa. I have taken a couple of salsa dance lessons just for fun, I am not any good, but I love to dance.
- Chino loves to "talk with his hands, ringing his drums." When I play the drums, it is an emotional release, I try to be in the moment and allow the spirit talk through my hands.
Some links:
- Buy the song from Amazon at: http://amzn.com/B005A66FNA
- Listen to a high quality upload of the entire song at SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/dj-walter-b-nice/chino-ramos-y-su-orquesta
- Check out Chino Ramos and orchestra perform Kumba Kimba in the music video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/G8pePVgJaDM
- A bio for Chino Ramos in Spanish (Google will translate to English for you) is available at: http://www.guay-ciba.com/rincon/kumba/kumba.htm
Picture of the Kumba Kimba album cover. You can see his influences on the cover (the New York City skyline and the flag of Puerto Rico)
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| Photo of my LP Aspire Sunburst conga drums |
2 comments:
Hi Karmatetra. My name is Sergio 'Chino' Ramos. I just read your article. You can find more information about me and my band at www.chinoramosysuorq.com
Here's some information on how the song "Kumba Kimba" was born:
April 2010: I was rehearsing with a band and on my way back home I got stuck in traffic. I can honestly give credit to being stuck in traffic as my inspiration for the song. I started to think about my musical career and the ups and downs experienced within the 15 years that I have been performing Salsa music. With that said, I also began wondering where my career would go: would I ever become famous or would I end up homeless playing music for spare change? Then it hit me...I pictured myself as a famous musician and a homeless musician talking to one another...weird eh?
Don't know where the inspriation was leading me, but I went with it. While picturing this other "character", it only felt proper to give it a name. To this day, I still have no idea how Kumba Kimba rolled off my tongue, although I may have a reason that involves playing the guaguanco conga pattern on "2" drums.
Obviously, since I'm in traffic, I had no way of writing down the ideas that were coming to me...so I used my cellular voicemail temporarily to record whatever came to mind.
This is what came to mind:
Here's a story about Kumba Kimba and his drum;
Playing day in and day out just to make ends meet;
He doesn't have any fame; he doesn't have any money;
But he has the drive to be a great musician;
Regardless of the money, Kumba Kimba likes to talk, but he talks with his hands, playing his drum;
And so I asked Kumba Kimba to have a conversation with me, and Kumba Kimba replies "I will talk with my hands".
A year and a half later...Kumba Kimba was released.
If you would like to keep in touch, please feel free to contact me at: kumbakimba@gmail.com
Wow! I luv this! KumbaKimba rock on!
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