Madrid: The concert group - Drums

I recently went to see one of my friends perform with his drum group. I didn’t know what to expect as my experience with concerts in Spain have been mixed. My friend, Jorge, had been with his drum group for two years and the group holds a concert twice a year.

We arrived at the venue, an unassuming street in the neighborhood of Avenida de America in Madrid. What I assumed were a mix of performers and concert goers spilled into the streets. The concert began at 10PM and at 9PM there was a futbol game involving the Spanish national team and Italy, resulting in a massive crowd at every bar on the street. Many of the performers had taken their drums outside the bar and were enjoying impromptu jam sessions. There were maybe 100 people on the street and the vibe was absolutely summertime.

When we entered the venue (Le Nueva Dicha) I was surprised; it was more of a club/bar than a community center that I was expecting. I soon found out the concert was organized by two teachers that had several groups that would perform. The drums ranged from the cajon, to the djembe, to more exotic African drums. There were probably 80+ students divided in 10 groups, with each group performing about two songs. Most of the students were young but many were also in their 30s and 40s.

The concert was great with quick transitions between groups, and a great vibe from the audience. You could tell that many of the students were nervous, some unprepared, and others overwhelmed. Still, all of the groups sounded decent enough and there were no trainwrecks. The instructor sat in the middle and was mic’d, which probably helped.

The instructors were great, especially the first one. She was a young woman that exuded the energy and support of a great teacher, especially a music teacher. She clapped the hardest for her groups and gave everyone smiles and hugs after their performance. I thought a lot about how a lot of people think music is so difficult to learn if you haven’t learned it as a child. Learning the drums to the point of performing must have been nerve wrecking and difficult for many of the people but a great teacher can make all the difference. I was happy to see such a well attended event for amateur music groups.

The coolest moment came between sets when a “special guest’ was invited to play aninstrument called the “hang”. The “hang” is apparently from Switzerland and takes years to fill a special order request. The instrument was mesmerizing and the crowd was respectful and equally under the trance of the hang. I suggest you watching a short clip. The hang player had me in the palm of his hand as I felt like I was in some type of psychedelic dream.

The night ended at around 12AM, though I had to leave during the last performance. The bus I needed to catch was across town and I wanted to catch the 1AM bus or else I wasn’t sure when the next one would be. Overall, the concert was a success, and it further inspired my studies of the cajon!