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Mombasa (feat. Reinhardt Melz)

from Journal by Machado Mijiga

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Reinhardt embodies everything I strive to be as a drummer. Incredibly musical, nuanced, virtuosic playing that sounds undeniably like Reinhardt regardless of genre, difficulty, or even level of preparedness.

We've hardly met in person, and yet I'd still consider him an extremely influential role model and a benchmark for where I'd eventually like my playing to be, so I was overjoyed to learn that, in the wake of current events, Reinhardt has more free time to do remote work, so I'll have more opportunities to study this incredible man's artistry.

Since Reinhardt can play pretty much anything, no matter how difficult, I wanted to give him something that would prove a healthy challenge and didn't call for any particular chops or technical difficulties.

This track, "Mombasa", is possibly the most difficult track in the series, because the rhythmic language at play in the three parts I sent Reinhardt delve into traditional East African concepts that can't be notated properly in a Western form. I used to go to Mombasa (a beach in Kenya), and I would hear street musicians playing handmade guitars and Kalimbas (thumb pianos) accompanied by dance that provided more context to the rhythmic backdrop of the song.

"Mombasa" is in 3, but the pulse is all over the place. There is a sort of "rub" that is created in a lot of Bantu music (and other ethnic sub-groups) that creates an aggregate time feel that is more "big picture". These are the forces at play in this track, and I knew that it would give even the prolific Reinhardt a run for his money because he is a stickler for accuracy and intentionality in his own playing.

He not only figured it out, but also tracked cowbell, conga, shekere, clave, quinto, and tumba for the track, which really added to the atmosphere.

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from Journal, released June 5, 2020

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Machado Mijiga Portland, Oregon

A Portand native, Machado Mijiga is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, audio engineer, and music educator.

Mijiga's largest current projects consist of:

Leader/Drummer for Djungol Jim, Tour de Force, DoubleDash, and Dingus.

Lo-fi hip-hop production under the alias "Gohan Blanco"

Rap Alias: "Thom Nook"

-Freelance multi-instrumentalist in Portland Metropolitan area. ... more

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