About Pererê - Angoleiro & Gunga Wrangler
As an artist and craftsman my education in this facet of Afro-Brazilian culture has been very enjoyable and fulfilling. I very much enjoy making and playing these musical instruments and feel that, as one of a very small number of non-Brazilians (so far) to be graduated to the level of contramestre in the art of capoeira angola to date, and to have had so much awesome exposure to so many masterfully adept players, mestres, & berimbau makers - I feel no small obligation and responsability to share some of my inspirations and enthusiasm with others who are also on this, or similar paths. And in offering some (hopefully) positive examples of how someone can learn and grow within the influences of these arts & culture while essentially (or at least originally) not being of it. So, having shared that: I hope you injoy my little berimbiography:
The story so far:
I started making berimbaus in the winter of1991/92 after returning home from my first visit to Brazil where I spent a lot of time hanging out with several capoeira mestres and berimbau makers; picking up skills & knowledge as I went along. After a couple years of monkeying around with various materials and processes I found I could finally make some pretty consistant and good quality instruments. I have now been making berimbaus for capoeira players and musicians across the U.S. and Canada for the past 11 years or so.
Over the years my abilities and understanding of this craft have been greatly expanded under the guidance of my teacher mestre No - who is a profoundly skilled, wise, & knowledgeable berimbau maker & player and a profoundly inspirational capoeira angola stylist. I've also been very furtunate to receive lots of great support, guidence, and critical feedback from a number of capoeira mestres - all of whom have greatly influenced my development as a berimbau crafter. To all of them I offer much gratitude, their shared knowledge lives on through the work I do with my hands.
And its true! I make each of my berimbaus individually by hand; there's no production-line industry going on here at all. A single berimbau of mine can, from start to finish, easily take upwards of ten hours to fully complete.
First Encounters
My first exposure to the berimbau and its amazing sound came from the hands of my first capoeira teacher, mestre Elisio himself a one-time apprentice of the legendary mestre Waldemar da Liberdade (or 'da Paixao') who was the first berimbau maker to begin painting berimbaus in the now celebrated rainbow pattern. When I first began learning capoeira mestre Elisio had two berimbaus made by mestre Waldemar, these where his absolute prized possessions - as mestre Waldemar had recently passed away just that year, making those to berimbaus utterly irreplaceable.
For a couple of years I wasn't allowed to even TOUCH these two 'holy' berimbaus, let alone string them up - first I had to learn respect for the instrument and then learn how to handle and play it properly! This is how I learned to be deferential towards the gunga - the instrument was introduced to me as both a sacred and practical tool. As a boy Mestre Elisio lived near to mestre Waldemar in the neighborhood of Liberdade in the city of Salvador, Bahia and he would often help the elder master make berimbaus in his workshop. With this strong sense of connection of lineage with my first capoeira teacher, Mestre Waldemar came to be my great inspiration for making berimbaus.
As I developed my skills in the craft berimbau making mestre Elisio often gave me tremendously useful feedback & guidance on my workmanship & playing skills, which I still utilize in every instrument I make.
My first berimbau came into my hands from mestre Lua Rasta - himself a former student of the late mestre Canjiquinha. I was introduced to him during my first visit to Salvador in 1991. Mestre Lua Rasta is a master of capoeira and master berimbau & atabaque maker. I had the good fortune of spending many hours hanging out & learning everything I could in his 2nd story workshop/studio then located in the Pelourinho district of Salvador. It was love at first sight. I immediately took the berimbau with me to my capoeira practice at the Forte de Santo Antonio where I was training for the summer at the academy of mestre Joao Pequeno, and before the training session started I sat on the bench by the front door of the academy with my berimbau, feeling very proud and looking (I'm sure) utterly the dopey gringo capoeira tourist - I then received some basic instructions from an instructor at the academy on how to hold & play the instrument - and from that moment I just started playing, no stumbling around trying to make sounds, I just started playing the toque Angola like I'd been doing it all my life; it was a very awesome, very spiritual experience. I instantly knew this was the right thing for me to get completely immersed into.
Mestre No & Perere woodburning designs onto gourd resonators (cabacas) for berimbaus.
Read more about Contra Mestre Perere...
Acknowledgements
I have had the distinct privilege and extreme good fortune to have been influenced & guided in various degrees by many amazingly skilled and knowledgeable master instructors in the art of capoeira, and have had the great pleasure to meet many other mestres in and out of the capoeira ring who have inspired me to continue along my path.
To all the capoeira mestres I've had the opportunity to converse with, play in the roda, and take workshops from over the years: The late mestre Lorimil Machado, mestre Joao Pequeno, mestre Bigodinho (de Waldemar), mestre Joao Grande, mestre Curio, mestre Moraes, mestre Camisa, mestre Dinelson, mestre Nininho, mestre Acordeon, mestre Cobra Mansa, mestre Marcelo, mestre Prequica, mestre Ousado, mestre Sombra, mestre Pele, mestre Tete, mestre Barrao, mestre Cigano, mestre Beija Flor, mestre Deraldo, mestra Marcia, mestre Eclilson, mestra Edna Lima, mestre Carlos Acetuna, mestre Ombrinho, mestre Touche, mestre Ra, mestre Juranji, mestre Almiro, mestre Petroleo, mestre Virgilio, mestre Kangaroo, mestre Curisco, I think that's most of them...
I want to express my enormous gratitude to all my students - both near and far, past and present who, over these past 15 years, have put so much effort, energy and enthusiasm into learning and playing capoeira. They have all helped me to learn so much about myself - my abilities and limitations, strengths and weaknesses. Some of them have also gone on to become very good capoeira instructors in their own right, guiding others in this amazing art & culture - and THAT people - is extraordinarily gratifying. May they all thrive in abundance and meet their challenges with bravery, intelligence, and hearts & eyes well-open.
Acknowledgements offered here also to all of the berimbau officianados (a.k.a. 'fanatics'), and connoisseurs of African and Afro-Atlantic culture who have shared their expansive knowledge and enthusiasm with me over the years: A very short list from the top of my head includes: Professor Robert Ferris Thompson, Ken Harris, and Eric Holder - there are many more!
In closing: I especially want to acknowledge & give thanks my close friend of twenty years: Kevin Godes - who I originally met while in high school and with whom I have had so many amazing adventures and conversations. After moving away from our Midwestern hometown in opposite directions - we both found capoeira at the same time without the others knowledge in the late 80's - me with capoeira angola in Seattle, him with capoeira regional in Madison. Over these many years he has greatly helped me in gaining & holding onto my perspective in difficult times, and supported me through many changes & challenges on my capoeira path - and in my life in general. I'm also really impressed that through his own hardships & challenges that he continues on his own path in the art of capoeira to this day. To know him and be his friend is a great honor.