Miguel Angá Díaz (congas, percussion, composer, arranger)
1961: born Miguel Aurelio Díaz Zayas in San Juan y Martinez in the province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, area known for its rumba traditions. Shares the nickname Angá with his father. Began playing prodigiously early.
1971: attends the Escuela Nacional de Arte de Pinar del Rio. Begins formal percussion studies.
1975: scholarship to study classical percussion at the National School of Art in Havana. Joins group Treceto de la ENA on the first day of college, and would perform with them for the remainder of his academic career.
Whilst at college is invited to record some film and TV soundtracks by the pianist Jose Maria Vitier, playing alongside his heroes conga master Tata Güines & drummer Guillermo Barretto.
1978: Treceto de la ENA reform as Bus Trece (Opus 13), finishes college and begins his professional career with the band. Spends 9 years recording and touring internationally with Opus 13.
1987: joins Irakere led by piano maestro Chucho Valdés; pioneers of Latin jazz in Cuba; hugely influential. Perfects his 5 conga technique.
Spends 7 years recording and touring internationally with Irakere.
1994: starts career as freelance solo artist.
Records Pasaporte with Tata Güines (wins EGREM Album of the Year in 1995, the equivalent of a Cuban GRAMMY).
Teaches master classes, including the Stamford University summer workshops in California, and Banff University in Canada.
Sets up second base in Paris, divides time between Cuba and France.
Begins working with Steve Coleman experimental US saxophonist.
1996: joins Roy Hargrove acclaimed US trumpeter; at Havana International Jazz Festival
Records Habana (GRAMMY winner) with Roy Hargroves Crisol
Joins Hargroves touring band.
Records A Toda Cuba le Gusta with Juan de Marcos Afro-Cuban All Stars cross generational album of Cubas finest musicians; hugely important in late 90s Cuban music explosion.
1997: records Genesis & The Opening of the Way with Steve Coleman.
1998: on tour in Senegal & India with Coleman; records and performs with local musicians.
1999: records Distinto Differente with Afro-Cuban All Stars, and
Records The Sonic Records Language of Myth with Steve Coleman & Five Elements.
Produces tuition video Anga Mania! (wins DRUM Magazine Percussion Video of the Year 2000).
2000: records Chanchullo with Rubén González (GRAMMY nominated)
Tours with Rubén González
Records a lo cubanowith Orishas groundbreaking Cuban hip-hop group;
2001: key figure on Orlando Cachaíto López Cuban bass genius; Buena Vista stalwart hugely experimental album Cachaíto released on World Circuit.
Band leader on Cachaítos critically acclaimed tours.
2003: moves to Barcelona
Records Buenos Hermanos with Ibrahim Ferrer (GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY winner)
Records Mambo Sinuendo with Ry Cooder & Manuel Galbán (GRAMMY winner).
2004: records Flor De Amor with Omara Portuondo (GRAMMY nominated).
Records Buena Vista Social Club Presents with Guajiro Mirabal
Touring internationally with Omar Sosa innovative Cuban pianist - as featured soloist.
2005: Echu Mingua released on World Circuit to critical accl.. tours Echu Mingua in summer.
Hello Anga Diaz thank you for being a positive force in this world. Music is one of the few things left that still has the power to bring people from differentcultures together in harmony. Always feel free to contact me.
Almost Tomorrow is the third full length collaboration album from Section 27 Netlabel founders Tam Ferrans and Andrew Paterson, under their Nonima & theAudiologist guise. This time around the sound is more melodic, and has a definite feeling of a complete and more mature sound than heard on the previous LP's "Dystopian Battle Hymns" and "Ceremony After Amputation". If you are familiar with their individual projects you may even be in for a slight surprise, as the tracks are not as beat driven like before, but are more atmospheric and sound, well... "bigger". In its 75 minutes, Almost Tomorrow takes you on a trip from the digital rain-soaked cavernous scraping in "Thoughtograph", the ethereal beat jittering of "The Colour of Rain", intercepted transmissions from unknown places in "Com-Intercept", "Ganzfeld"s huge yet strangely insect-like beats until everything you knew comes crashing around you in "Almost Tomorrow". Burning pianos, glitched out soundscapes and intricately programmed beatplay, this may well be their best work to date. Consider it the soundtrack to a rainy overcast day, but with just that glimmer of sunshine peeking from the clouds. "Almost Tomorrow" wears its heart on its sleeve.
Imagine: You are an North-African immigrant to Spain or a South-American trying to get into US who has not much more than a few suitcases, his ability to work hard, willing to pay with slavery and to do dirty work - work that no inhabitant of the country you want to go to would even think of considering.
You already travelled a far way and left many good friends behind that you maybe never will see again.
You stumble out of the nearly falling apart bus or the smuggler boat, where you had to pay your income of a half year to that grim looking people with hearts of stone - just to take you aboard.
You are sighing gladly that you survived the travel and now take your first steps in your new home country.
And you are soon aware: You are disrespected, treated badly, your woman is seen as a kind of cheap prostitute, other people's children don't want to play with your children.
You are thinking of your former homecountry with feelings of sentimentality and you know there is no hope: you cannot go back...
hello Anga, glad to have u on board. hope the drumming's going alive & well for u (Y) drop in on our band's page, my pix & blogs when u can. TC & greetings from india! :)
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