{"id":76444,"date":"2026-11-05T04:34:43","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T04:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/how-atabal-started-its-41st-year-at-fiestas-calle-san-sebastian\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T04:34:43","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T04:34:43","slug":"how-atabal-started-its-41st-year-at-fiestas-calle-san-sebastian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/how-atabal-started-its-41st-year-at-fiestas-calle-san-sebastian\/","title":{"rendered":"How Atabal Started its 41st Year at Fiestas Calle San Sebastian"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\tEspa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

In 2023 Atabal<\/a> celebrated 40 years since percussionist H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez co-founded the band, and this month they started their 41st year with a remarkable performance at the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebasti\u00e1n.<\/p>\n

Atabal \u2018s 40th Anniversary<\/h3>\n

Atabal has been playing Afro-Caribbean music with a contemporary twist since 1983. Last year they celebrated their 40th anniversary, so I\u2019m a year late writing about it. But better late than never. Their name comes from the word \u201catabal\u201d, which means \u201cdrum\u201d in Arabic and Spanish. The band\u2019s founder and director, H\u00e9ctor \u201cAtabal\u201d Rodr\u00edguez, was a renowned percussionist who grew up in the Tras Talleres neighborhood in Santurce Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n

In their early days, the band focused on Afro-Caribbean percussion rhythms, a concept Hector borrowed from Cuban percussion groups like Los Munequitos de Matanzas and Los Papines. The band slowly began emphasizing more the Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms of Bomba<\/a><\/em> and Plena<\/a><\/em>, two genres that emerged from the African diaspora in Puerto Rico. Bomba is a drum-based music that involves a dialogue between the dancer and the drummer, who responds to the dancer\u2019s movements with rhythmic variations. Plena is a vocal and percussion music that narrates the stories and events of the people, often with a humorous or satirical tone.<\/p>\n

Atabal \u2018s Music and Albums<\/h3>\n

After Hector\u2019s passing in 2020, his son Caymmi Rodr\u00edguez took over the band\u2019s leadership. Caymmi has continued the evolution of Atabal\u2019s concept and music, continuing its fusion of Afro-Puerto Rican rhythms with elements of Salsa, Jazz, and other elements, including spices of urban music. This evolution has given Atabal a more contemporary sound that appeals to the younger generations, while still maintaining its folkloric roots.<\/p>\n

The band has released several albums, such as \u201cAtabal<\/em>\u201d, \u201cSoneros en la Plena<\/em>\u201d, \u201cYa Son 30: Antolog\u00eda<\/em>\u201d, \u201cAndy y Atabal<\/em>\u201d (one of my favorites with another son of Tras Talleres, Andy Monta\u00f1ez<\/a><\/em>), and \u201cYo Soy Atabal<\/a><\/em>\u201d, a tribute to their late founder H\u00e9ctor Rodr\u00edguez. Their latest album, \u201cEn la Batalla<\/em>\u201d, features collaborations with Caymmi Rodr\u00edguez, Kily Vializ, Tito La R, and Gabylon. The album\u2019s title track is a plena that expresses the resilience and pride of the Puerto Rican people in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n

Atabal has performed in many local and international venues, such as the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Fest, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. They highlighted their 40th-anniversary celebration with their performance at the 2023 edition of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.<\/p>\n

Performance at Fiestas Calle San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/h3>\n

Atabal has been a fixture at the Fiestas de las Calle San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/a><\/em>. This year, with the Fiestas theme of \u201cAl Ritmo de la Bomba\u201d (To the Rhythm of Bomba), their presentation had more significance as they it\u2019s one of the rhythms they specialize in. It couldn\u2019t be a more fitting start to Atabal\u2019s 41st year.<\/p>\n

Atabal\u2019s presentation was on Friday, January 19, at the Plaza de la Barandilla, one of the four stages that hosted live music shows during the four-day event. They played to an estimated record-breaking crowd, which enjoyed listening and dancing to their music. The band also paid tribute to Ismael Rivera<\/a><\/em>, the legendary salsa singer who was born in Santurce. With Rafael Cortijo<\/a><\/em>, Ismael helped revitalize the rhythm of Bomba.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a video of one of Atabal\u2019s performances at the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebasti\u00e1n when H\u00e9ctor was still with the group.<\/p>\n