He was committed to the development of the conga drum, breaking down traditional percussion barriers to perform traditional latin rhythms, jazz, jungle, funk and hip-hop whilst retaining his distinctly Cuban roots.
Miguel Aurelio Diiaz Zayas was born in San Juan y Martinez in the Pinar del Río Province in Cuba, an area known for its rumba traditions. Angá is a nickname he shared with his father. He began playing prodigiously early, performing and recording professionally whilst still at college. He made his name as a member of the pioneering Latin jazz Grammy award winning group Irakere and it was with them he perfected his five drum technique.
Emerging in the mid-nineties as an independent musician, Angá was free to diversify and pursue a variety of different projects. He played with various Cuban artists including Afro-Cuban All Stars, Buena Vista Social Club, Omar Sosa, Omara Portuondo and Orisha. He likewise recorded and toured often with international musicians such as Steve Coleman, Baba Sissoko, Ry Cooder, Pascal Coulon, Malik Mezzadri, Buddy Montgomery and John Patitucci.
In 1994 he recorded Pasaporte with Tata Güines, winning in 1995 the EGREM Album of the Year award (the Cuban Grammy). Two years later Angá joins the acclaimed American trumpeter Roy Hargrove with whom he releases the Grammy winning Cristol Habana. In 2000 he recorded with Rubén González the Grammy-nominated Chanchullo and in that same year he collaborated with Pascal Coulon on the CD Arpa Fusion.
Angá's musical journey was a personal quest to explore and create new sounds and rhythmic fusions. More than just a performer, Angá further demonstrated his commitment to the development of his instrument by teaching master classes at various schools and universities across North America and Europe. For this purpose he released Anga Mania!, a tuition video which explained many of his techniques and his philosophy behind playing; it won in 2000 the Percussion Video of Drum Magazine[disambiguation needed].
In 2005 Angá recorded Echu Mingua and in 2006 he embarked on his world tour by the same name. Miguel Angá Diaz died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in Barcelona on 9 August 2006; he was just 45 years old.
Round Midnight
Angá Diaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The lyrics of Angá Diaz's song "Round Midnight" convey a sense of longing and heartache that is felt during the late hours of the night. The song begins by describing how the singer manages to cope until nighttime, but once midnight approaches, their emotions start to unravel. The mention of suppertime and feeling sad suggests that the singer's loneliness is magnified during this time of day. As the memories of a past love start to flood their mind, it becomes apparent that these memories are particularly painful and difficult to bear.
Throughout the song, the singer reveals that their heart is still deeply connected to their former lover, and the late-night hours seem to amplify this longing. The reference to a quarrel and questioning whether it signifies the end of their love hints at a troubled relationship. The desperation and yearning for their partner are evident in the plea for their return, symbolized by angels singing and the hope that their love will be safe and sound once again.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The story begins to unfold
'Round midnight, midnight
During the darkest hours of the night
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I manage to cope until the sun goes down
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
I feel a deep sadness during mealtime
But it really gets bad
However, the sadness intensifies
'Round midnight
During the darkest hours of the night
Memories always start 'round midnight
Memories of you always resurface during this time
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I can't bear to confront those memories
When my heart is still with you
When my love and longing are still for you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
And the dark night is aware of it
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to mend a disagreement we had
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does it imply that our love is coming to an end
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
My dear, I need you, and lately I've realized
You're out of my heart
That you are no longer in my heart
And I'm out of my mind
And I'm going crazy
Let our hearts take wings'
Let our hearts soar freely
'Round midnight, midnight
During the darkest hours of the night
Let the angels sing
May the angels sing
For your returning
In anticipation of your return
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our love is secure and stable
And old midnight comes around
And the dark night arrives again
Feelin' sad
Experiencing profound sadness
Really gets bad
The sadness intensifies greatly
Round, Round, Round Midnight
During the repetitive cycles of the darkest hours of the night
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MasekoConverse
So loving this version of the Monk tune, my favourite use to be the Miles Davis version, until now